W. Somerset Maugham

Explore 11 quotes by W. Somerset Maugham

It is a funny thing about life, if you refuse to accept anything but the best you very often get it: if you utterly decline to make do with what you can get, then somehow or other you are very likely to get what you want.

W. Somerset Maugham

More information about this quote

Topic

Getting what you want

Author

W. Somerset Maugham

Language

English

Time

1940 1940s 20th century

Authentication Score 3

Citation

Maugham, William Somerset. "The Treasure." The Mixture as Before. William Heinemann/Doubleday Doran, 1940.

There's always one who loves and one who lets himself be loved.

W. Somerset Maugham

Of Human Bondage

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Topic

Love Relationships

Speaker

Philip Carey

Author

W. Somerset Maugham

Source

Of Human Bondage

Medium

Novel

Language

English

Time

1915 1910s 20th century

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Maugham, William Somerset. Of Human Bondage. George H. Doran Company, 1915, ch. 71.

Current Citation

Maugham, William Somerset. Of Human Bondage. Signet, 2007, ch. 71.

It might be that to surrender to happiness was to accept defeat, but it was a defeat better than many victories.

W. Somerset Maugham

Of Human Bondage

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Topic

Happiness

Author

W. Somerset Maugham

Source

Of Human Bondage

Medium

Novel

Language

English

Time

1915 1910s 20th century

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Maugham, William Somerset. Of Human Bondage. George H. Doran Company, 1915, ch. 122.

Current Citation

Maugham, William Somerset. Of Human Bondage. Signet, 2007, ch. 122.

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

W. Somerset Maugham

More information about this quote

Topic

Moral principles Moral flexibility

Speaker

C.C.

Author

W. Somerset Maugham

Source

The Circle

Medium

Play

Genre

Comedy (play)

Statement Type

Irony

Language

English

Time

1921 1920s 20th century

Authentication Score 3

Original Citation

Maugham, William Somerset. The Circle: A Comedy in Three Acts. 3 Mar. 1921, Haymarket Theatre, London, England, UK, act 3.

Current Citation

Maugham, William Somerset. The Circle: A Comedy in Three Acts. Cornell University Library, 2009, act 3.

People ask you for criticism, but they only want praise.

W. Somerset Maugham

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Topic

Openness to criticism Criticism from others

Speaker

Glutton

Author

W. Somerset Maugham

Source

Of Human Bondage

Medium

Novel

Language

English

Time

1915 1910s 20th century

Authentication Score 3

Original Citation

Maugham, William Somerset. Of Human Bondage. George H. Doran Company, 1915, ch. 50.

Current Citation

Maugham, William Somerset. Of Human Bondage. Signet, 2007, ch. 50.

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

W. Somerset Maugham

Of Human Bondage

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Topic

Changing one's mind Rigidity

Author

W. Somerset Maugham

Source

Of Human Bondage

Medium

Novel

Language

English

Time

1915 1910s 20th century

Authentication Score 3

Original Citation

Maugham, William Somerset. Of Human Bondage. George H. Doran Company, 1915, ch. 39.

Current Citation

Maugham, William Somerset. Of Human Bondage. Signet, 2007, ch. 39.

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

W. Somerset Maugham

Of Human Bondage

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Topic

Money

Speaker

Monsieur Foinet

Author

W. Somerset Maugham

Source

Of Human Bondage

Medium

Novel

Language

English

Time

1915 1910s 20th century

Authentication Score 3

Original Citation

Maugham, William Somerset. Of Human Bondage. George H. Doran Company, 1915, ch. 51.

Current Citation

Maugham, William Somerset. Of Human Bondage. Signet, 2007, ch. 51.

The only way to be new is constantly to change yourself, and the only way to be original is to increase, enlarge, deepen your own personality.

W. Somerset Maugham

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Topic

Creativity Originality Self-improvement Personal growth

Author

W. Somerset Maugham

Source

Journals of W. Somerset Maugham

Medium

Personal journal

Language

English

Time

1949 1940s 20th century

Authentication Score 1

Citation

Maugham, William Somerset. A Writer's Notebook. Greenwood Press, 1970.

From the earliest times the old have rubbed it into the young that they are wiser than they, and before the young had discovered what nonsense this was they were old too, and it profited them to carry on the imposture.

W. Somerset Maugham

Cakes and Ale

More information about this quote

Topic

Old vs. young Wisdom

Author

W. Somerset Maugham

Source

Cakes and Ale

Medium

Novel

Language

English

Time

1930 1930s 20th century

Authentication Score 0

Original Citation

Maugham, William Somerset. Cakes and Ale, or, The Skeleton in the Cupboard. William Heinemann/Garden City Publishing Co., 1930.

Current Citation

Maugham, William Somerset. Cakes and Ale. Vintage, 2000.

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

More information about this quote

Topic

Suffering Learning from suffering Pointless suffering

Author

W. Somerset Maugham

Source

The Moon and Sixpence

Medium

Novel

Language

English

Time

1919 1910s 20th century

Authentication Score 3

Original Citation

Maugham, William Somerset. The Moon and Sixpence. William Heinemann, 1919, ch. 17.

Current Citation

Maugham, William Somerset. The Moon and Sixpence. Vintage Classics, 2009, ch. 17.

Words have weight, sound, and appearance; it is only by considering these that you can write a sentence that is good to look at and good to listen to.

W. Somerset Maugham

More information about this quote

Topic

Words Good writing Writing

Author

W. Somerset Maugham

Source

The Summing Up

Genre

Autobiography and memoir

Language

English

Time

1948 1940s 20th century

Authentication Score 2

Citation

Maugham, William Somerset. The Summing Up. Doubleday, Doran & Company, 1938, ch. 13.