We do not write because we want to; we write because we have to. W. Somerset Maugham More Quotes by W. Somerset Maugham More Quotes From W. Somerset Maugham Man's desire for the approval of his fellows is so strong, his dread of their censure so violent, that he himself has brought his enemy (conscience) within his gates; and it keeps watch over him, vigilant always in the interests of its master to crush any half-formed desire to break away from the herd. W. Somerset Maugham crushstrongmen Usage is the only test. I prefer a phrase that is easy and unaffected to a phrase that is grammatical. W. Somerset Maugham phrasestestseasy The most useful thing about a principle is that it can always be sacrificed to expediency. W. Somerset Maugham expediencyuseful-thingsprinciples The writer is more concerned to know than to judge. W. Somerset Maugham concernedjudgingwriting I do not think you want too much sincerity in society. It would be like an iron girder in a house of cards. W. Somerset Maugham house-of-cardsironthinking Cronshaw stopped for a moment to drink. He had pondered for twenty years the problem whether he loved liquor because it made him talk or whether he loved conversation because it made him thirsty. W. Somerset Maugham twentiesproblemyears I travel because I like to move from place to place, I enjoy the sense of freedom it gives me, it pleases me to be rid of ties, responsibilities, duties, I like the unknown; I meet odd people who amuse me for a moment and sometimes suggest a theme for a composition; I am often tired of myself and I have a notion that by travel I can add to my personality and so change myself a little. I do not bring back from the journey quite the same self that I took W. Somerset Maugham tiredchangemoving A good Havana is one of the best pleasures that I know. W. Somerset Maugham havanaluxurypleasure Excess on occasion is exhilarating. It prevents moderation from acquiring the deadening effect of a habit. It's a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it. Like all weak men he laid an exaggerated stress on not changing one's mind. W. Somerset Maugham stressinspirationalmen A little smoke lost in the air, that was the life of a man. W. Somerset Maugham airlittlesmen On the earth, satellite of a star speeding through space, living things had arisen under the influence of conditions which were part of the planet's history; and as there had been a beginning of life upon it, so, under the influence of other conditions, there would be an end: man, no more significant than other forms of life, had come not as the climax of creation but as a physical reaction to the environment. W. Somerset Maugham spacestarsmen What has influenced my life more than any other single thing has been my stammer. Had I not stammered I would probably... have gone to Cambridge as my brothers did, perhaps have become a don and every now and then published a dreary book about French literature. W. Somerset Maugham single-lifebrotherbook Common-sense appears to be only another name for the thoughtlessness of the unthinking. It is made of the prejudices of childhood, the idiosyncrasies of individual character and the opinion of the newspapers. W. Somerset Maugham common-sensenamescharacter For if the proper study of mankind is man, it is evidently more sensible to occupy yourself with the coherent, substantial and significant creatures of fiction than with the irrational and shadowy figures of real life. W. Somerset Maugham occupy-yourselfrealmen It is unfair to expect a politician to live in private up to the statements he makes in public. W. Somerset Maugham politiciansocietypolitics Things were easier for the old novelists who saw people all of a piece. Speaking generally, their heroes were good through and through, their villains wholly bad. W. Somerset Maugham herotalkingpeople By the time an actor knows how to act any sort of part he is often too old to act any but a few. W. Somerset Maugham know-howactorsknows The audience is a very curious animal. It is shrewd rather than intelligent. Its mental capacity is less than that of its most intellectual members. W. Somerset Maugham intelligentintellectualanimal Let us develop the resources of our land, call forth its powers, build up its institutions, promote all its great interests, and see whether we also, in our day and generation, may not perform something worthy to be remembered. W. Somerset Maugham self-improvementlandpower Affection is created by habit, community of interests, convenience and the desire of companionship. It is a comfort rather than an exhilaration. W. Somerset Maugham communitycomfortdesire
