W. Somerset Maugham Quotes

Sentimentality is the only sentiment that rubs you the wrong way.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Only, Wrong Way, Sentiment, Rubs

It is salutary to train oneself to be no more affected by censure than by praise.

- W. Somerset Maugham

More, Than, Affected, Censure

Like all weak men he laid an exaggerated stress on not changing one's mind.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Stress, Mind, Laid, Exaggerated

We learn resignation not by our own suffering, but by the suffering of others.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Suffering, Learn, Own, Resignation

I can imagine no more comfortable frame of mind for the conduct of life than a humorous resignation.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Humor, Mind, Imagine, Resignation

In the country the darkness of night is friendly and familiar, but in a city, with its blaze of lights, it is unnatural, hostile and menacing. It is like a monstrous vulture that hovers, biding its time.

- W. Somerset Maugham

City, Country, Unnatural, Monstrous

At a dinner party one should eat wisely but not too well, and talk well but not too wisely.

- W. Somerset Maugham

New Year's, Should, Too, Dinner Party

Few misfortunes can befall a boy which bring worse consequence than to have a really affectionate mother.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Mother, Which, Consequence, Befall

The most useful thing about a principle is that it can always be sacrificed to expediency.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Always, Most, Sacrificed, Useful Thing

Considering how foolishly people act and how pleasantly they prattle, perhaps it would be better for the world if they talked more and did less.

- W. Somerset Maugham

More, Pleasantly, Foolishly, Considering

The artist produces for the liberation of his soul. It is his nature to create as it is the nature of water to run down the hill.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Art, Hill, His, Liberation

The common idea that success spoils people by making them vain, egotistic and self-complacent is erroneous; on the contrary it makes them, for the most part, humble, tolerant and kind.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Success, Humble, Making, Spoils

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

My Life, Other, Single Thing, Now And Then

When I read a book I seem to read it with my eyes only, but now and then I come across a passage, perhaps only a phrase, which has a meaning for me, and it becomes part of me.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Passage, Which, Read, Now And Then

It is unsafe to take your reader for more of a fool than he is.

- W. Somerset Maugham

More, Take, Reader, Unsafe

What makes old age hard to bear is not the failing of one's faculties, mental and physical, but the burden of one's memories.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Mental, Old, Makes, Faculties

It is not true that suffering ennobles the character; happiness does that sometimes, but suffering for the most part, makes men petty and vindictive.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Suffering, Sometimes, Part, Vindictive

Perfection is a trifle dull. It is not the least of life's ironies that this, which we all aim at, is better not quite achieved.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Aim, Which, Least, Trifle

An unfortunate thing about this world is that the good habits are much easier to give up than the bad ones.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Habits, Give, Unfortunate, Bad Ones

You know what the critics are. If you tell the truth they only say you're cynical and it does an author no good to get a reputation for cynicism.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Tell, Cynicism, Author, Cynical

You are not angry with people when you laugh at them. Humor teaches tolerance.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Humor, Them, Teaches, Tolerance

Tolerance is another word for indifference.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Indifference, Word, Another, Tolerance

Perfection has one grave defect: it is apt to be dull.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Defect, Grave, Apt, Perfection

It seems that the creative faculty and the critical faculty cannot exist together in their highest perfection.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Exist, Critical, Highest, Perfection

We are not the same persons this year as last; nor are those we love. It is a happy chance if we, changing, continue to love a changed person.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Love, Anniversary, Chance, Changed

Have common sense and stick to the point.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Common, Sense, Stick, Common Sense

My own belief is that there is hardly anyone whose sexual life, if it were broadcast, would not fill the world at large with surprise and horror.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Surprise, Horror, Broadcast, Hardly

The trouble with young writers is that they are all in their sixties.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Young, Young Writers, Sixties

Old age is ready to undertake tasks that youth shirked because they would take too long.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Youth, Old Age, Old, Tasks

I would sooner read a time-table or a catalogue than nothing at all. They are much more entertaining than half the novels that are written.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Entertaining, Read, Half, Novels

Men have an extraordinarily erroneous opinion of their position in nature; and the error is ineradicable.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Nature, Men, Position, Extraordinarily

Death is a very dull, dreary affair, and my advice to you is to have nothing whatsoever to do with it.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Death, Very, Whatsoever, Affair

Money is the string with which a sardonic destiny directs the motions of its puppets.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Destiny, Puppets, Which, Motions

The world in general doesn't know what to make of originality; it is startled out of its comfortable habits of thought, and its first reaction is one of anger.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Thought, Habits, Reaction, Startled

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

Worthy, Our, Promote, Powers

The world is quickly bored by the recital of misfortune, and willing avoids the sight of distress.

- W. Somerset Maugham

World, Distress, Recital, Bored

The ability to quote is a serviceable substitute for wit.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Ability, Wit, Quote, Serviceable

There are two good things in life - freedom of thought and freedom of action.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Freedom, Thought, Things, Good Things

There is no explanation for evil. It must be looked upon as a necessary part of the order of the universe. To ignore it is childish, to bewail it senseless.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Necessary, Senseless, Looked, Order

No egoism is so insufferable as that of the Christian with regard to his soul.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Soul, Christian, His, Insufferable

In Hollywood, the women are all peaches. It makes one long for an apple occasionally.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Apple, Hollywood, Peaches, Women Are

There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Writing, Unfortunately, Novel

The great American novel has not only already been written, it has already been rejected.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Only, Been, Rejected, Novel

Tradition is a guide and not a jailer.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Tradition, Jailer, Guide

Love is only a dirty trick played on us to achieve continuation of the species.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Love, Dirty, Species, Love Is

I'll give you my opinion of the human race in a nutshell... their heart's in the right place, but their head is a thoroughly inefficient organ.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Right Place, Give, Organ, Nutshell

Imagination grows by exercise, and contrary to common belief, is more powerful in the mature than in the young.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Imagination, Common, Grows, Common Belief

Habits in writing as in life are only useful if they are broken as soon as they cease to be advantageous.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Broken, Habits, Cease, Useful

It's no good trying to keep up old friendships. It's painful for both sides. The fact is, one grows out of people, and the only thing is to face it.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Both Sides, Fact, Grows, Painful

Money is like a sixth sense without which you cannot make a complete use of the other five.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Other, Like, Which, Five

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

Through, Villains, Novelists, Easier

We know our friends by their defects rather than by their merits.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Rather, Than, Defects, Merits

Excess on occasion is exhilarating. It prevents moderation from acquiring the deadening effect of a habit.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Habit, Occasion, Acquiring, Excess

Beauty is an ecstasy; it is as simple as hunger. There is really nothing to be said about it. It is like the perfume of a rose: you can smell it and that is all.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Beauty, Like, Ecstasy, Hunger

Impropriety is the soul of wit.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Humor, Soul, Wit

A man marries to have a home, but also because he doesn't want to be bothered with sex and all that sort of thing.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Sex, Want, Also, Bothered

We have long passed the Victorian Era when asterisks were followed after a certain interval by a baby.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Baby, Era, Were, Followed

It is well known that Beauty does not look with a good grace on the timid advances of Humour.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Beauty, Known, Well Known, Advances

Death doesn't affect the living because it has not happened yet. Death doesn't concern the dead because they have ceased to exist.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Death, Living, Exist, Concern

It is not wealth one asks for, but just enough to preserve one's dignity, to work unhampered, to be generous, frank and independent.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Wealth, Independence, Frank, Generous

The essence of the beautiful is unity in variety.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Beautiful, Unity, Essence, Variety

Anyone can tell the truth, but only very few of us can make epigrams.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Truth, Very, Anyone, Few

Any nation that thinks more of its ease and comfort than its freedom will soon lose its freedom; and the ironical thing about it is that it will lose its ease and comfort too.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Will, Nation, Ease, Thinks

Marriage is a very good thing, but I think it's a mistake to make a habit out of it.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Mistake, Think, Very, Good Thing

The writer of prose can only step aside when the poet passes.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Prose, Passes, Aside, Poet

It's a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Best, Funny Thing, Very, Refuse

It is an illusion that youth is happy, an illusion of those who have lost it.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Happy, Youth, Lost, Illusion

Old age has its pleasures, which, though different, are not less than the pleasures of youth.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Pleasures, Which, Though, Less

You can do anything in this world if you are prepared to take the consequences.

- W. Somerset Maugham

World, Prepared, Take, Consequences

When you choose your friends, don't be short-changed by choosing personality over character.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Friendship, Character, Over, Choosing

People ask for criticism, but they only want praise.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Want, Ask, Only, Criticism

The crown of literature is poetry.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Poetry, Literature, Crown

The love that lasts longest is the love that is never returned.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Love, Never, Lasts, Returned

If a nation values anything more than freedom, it will lose its freedom, and the irony of it is that if it is comfort or money that it values more, it will lose that too.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Will, Nation, More, Irony

The writer is more concerned to know than to judge.

- W. Somerset Maugham

More, Concerned, Than, Judge

Writing is the supreme solace.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Communication, Writing, Supreme

It was such a lovely day I thought it a pity to get up.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Thought, Lovely, Get, Pity

It's very hard to be a gentleman and a writer.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Hard, Writer, Very, Gentleman

Every production of an artist should be the expression of an adventure of his soul.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Adventure, Art, Expression, Every

If you don't change your beliefs, your life will be like this forever. Is that good news?

- W. Somerset Maugham

News, Will, Good News, Beliefs

Only a mediocre person is always at his best.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Person, Always, His, Mediocre

It wasn't until late in life that I discovered how easy it is to say, 'I don't know.'

- W. Somerset Maugham

Know, How, Discovered, Late

If you want to eat well in England, eat three breakfasts.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Food, Want, Eat, England

I made up my mind long ago that life was too short to do anything for myself that I could pay others to do for me.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Mind, Made, Could, Pay

When you are young you take the kindness people show you as your right.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Young, Show, Take, Kindness

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