In the Spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather

Hear the voice of Mark Twain, master of wit and observer of human nature, who declared with playful exaggeration: “In the Spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours.” Though spoken in jest, these words reveal more than mere humor; they hold a parable about the restless changefulness of life. Spring, with its shifting skies and moods, becomes a mirror for the human condition—ever in motion, unpredictable, and filled with contrasts of storm and calm, warmth and chill, hope and despair.

The meaning is this: life, like Spring, rarely holds steady. One moment offers sunshine, the next brings clouds; joy swiftly follows sorrow, and triumph is often pursued by trial. Twain, in his humor, reminds us that change is not an exception but the very essence of existence. The one who expects permanence will be dismayed, but the one who learns to laugh at life’s “136 kinds of weather” will endure with patience and cheer.

Consider the pioneers who crossed the American plains in the nineteenth century. Like Twain himself, they knew the capricious moods of Spring. One day they traveled beneath skies of brilliant blue, and the next they found themselves halted by snow or lashed by rain. Yet it was in adapting to these swift changes that they found strength. Their resilience was born not in comfort, but in meeting the storm with humor and endurance. In this, Twain’s words become not only a joke about the skies, but a lesson in fortitude.

History gives us another example in the life of Abraham Lincoln. His days were filled with alternating seasons of hope and despair. In the span of a single day he might receive news of victory on one battlefield and crushing defeat on another. He lived through storms of criticism and moments of glory, often within hours of one another. Like Twain’s Spring, his life held multitudes of weather in a single day, and yet his greatness was found in how he endured the changes without losing his purpose.

Twain’s humor also reminds us of humility. For all of man’s cleverness, no one can control the weather, just as no one can control every circumstance of life. The skies will change, regardless of our plans. But in accepting this truth, we discover freedom. The wise do not curse the rain nor cling to the sun, but learn to find beauty in each moment, whether it comes with thunder or light. To laugh at life’s unpredictability, as Twain did, is itself a form of wisdom.

O children of tomorrow, take this lesson to heart: expect change, and welcome it. Do not despair when storms come, for they are but passing moods. Do not cling too tightly to sunshine, for it too must give way. Instead, cultivate humor, patience, and adaptability. Be as the tree in Spring, bending in the wind, blossoming in the sun, and drinking from the rain. For in all these weathers lies the fullness of life.

Therefore, let your daily practice be this: when your day feels like “136 kinds of weather,” smile at its variety. Remember that the storms make the blossoms sweeter, and the clouds make the light more radiant when it returns. Do not resist change, but learn to ride its currents, knowing that each kind of weather—whether of sky or soul—serves a purpose in the great cycle of growth.

Thus Twain’s words endure: “In the Spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours.” Laugh at their exaggeration, but also hear their wisdom. Life is many things at once—storm and calm, sorrow and joy, loss and gain. To live fully is not to seek one kind of weather only, but to embrace them all, knowing that in their restless dance lies the true beauty of existence.