Chapter 26 Summary

Twain shares a number of stories to illustrate how gullible he has been, and yet how often sheer beginner's luck has protected him. In bowling, 15-ball pool, and cards, he escaped traps that he didn't know had been laid for him.

Twain then turns his thoughts to his "study of the human race," by which he means his study of himself. He finds that there is no human quality that he doesn't share, to greater or lesser degree. He believes people are all alike, and that the difference in degree of various traits is the only thing that provides variety. He says his opinion of himself is not complimentary, and so neither is his opinion of there rest of humanity.

One peculiarity that he humorously considers is why we humans should prefer a good bowling alley, for instance, to a bad one. He...