"No sinner is ever saved after the first twenty minutes of a sermon"

This quote by Mark Twain is an amusing method of revealing the idea that individuals's attention spans are restricted. It suggests that after twenty minutes of a sermon, people are no longer listening and for that reason, no longer able to be saved. This might be interpreted as a criticism of the length of preachings, suggesting that they are too long which people's attention periods are not long enough to remain focused for the entire duration. It might likewise be analyzed as a criticism of the content of sermons, suggesting that they are not engaging enough to keep individuals's attention. Eventually, this quote is a humorous way of revealing the idea that individuals's attention spans are restricted and that long preachings are ineffective.