This Mark Twain speech is not the origin of his infamous quote. Instead, Twain delivered it as a response to this phrase being used earlier in the evening at a society dinner honoring a certain Mr. Putzel. The speech recounts Twain’s humorous experiences with Putzel, a former bookseller and current New York tax man. In addition to telling an amusing tale, it includes such charming witticisms as, “I don't know of a single foreign product that enters this country untaxed except the answer to prayer.”
