I've had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never happened.

The line wryly captures a common human habit: mentally rehearsing disasters that never materialize. Its humor comes from the retrospective tally—life contained “a lot of worries,” yet most were imaginary, revealing how anxiety can inflate possibilities into certainties. Read as practical wisdom, it urges proportion and skepticism toward one’s own fearful forecasts, suggesting that worry often costs real suffering in exchange for hypothetical protection. The sentiment aligns with Twain’s broader satirical style, which frequently punctures self-importance and exposes the gap between what people think will happen and what actually does.