[Ads-l] Poem Origin: I cannot promise you a life of sunshine (Attributed to Mark Twain)

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Steve Courtney is the historian at the Mark Twain House in Hartford,
Connecticut. Recently, Courtney asked me to explore the provenance of
a poem dubiously attributed to Mark Twain. I found no substantive
evidence that Twain crafted the poem.

Twain died in 1910. The earliest match I found appeared in 1971. These
were the first five lines. The link points to the full poem:

[ref] 1971 December 21, Vineland Times Journal, Section: Classified
Advertising, Happy Ads, Advertisement from S to A, Quote Page 29,
Column 1, Vineland, New Jersey. (Newspapers_com) [/ref]

https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-journal-cannotpromise/174921942/

[Begin excerpt]
I cannot promise you a life of sunshine;
I cannot promise riches, wealth or gold;
I cannot promise you an easy pathway
That leads away from change or growing old.
But I can promise all my heart's devotion.
[End excerpt]

The poem appeared in the classified advertisements section. The
message began with "Dear A", and the final line said "MERRY CHRISTMAS,
Love, S."

The body of the poem and its attribution have evolved over time.

Here is a link to the Quote Investigator article:
https://quoteinvestigator.com/2025/06/23/promise-sunshine/

Feedback welcome
Garson O'Toole
QuoteInvestigator.com

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