W. Somerset Maugham
W. Somerset Maugham
William Somerset Maugham CHwas a British playwright, novelist and short story writer. He was among the most popular writers of his era and reputedly the highest paid author during the 1930s...
NationalityBritish
ProfessionPlaywright
Date of Birth25 January 1874
country class america
Of all the hokum with which this country [America] is riddled, the most odd is the common notion that it is free of class distinctions.
men years purple
Genius is talent provided with ideals. Genius starves while talent wears purple and fine linen. The man of genius of today will infifty years' time be in most cases no more than a man of talent.
littles favour
Nothing more predisposes someone in our favour than to let him rob you a little.
life cosmos
..as the cosmos are in place, so be it with your life...
beautiful beautiful-day bed
It was such a beautiful day I decided to stay in bed.
plot attention done
The author always loads his dice, but he must never let the reader see that he has done so, and by the manipulation of his plot, he can engage the reader's attention so that he does not perceive the violence that has been done to him.
heart race giving
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.
order evil summing-up
Evil is a necessary part of the order of the universe.
men wife mind
No married man's ever made up his mind until he's heard what his wife has got to say about it.
husband firsts good-husband
Dullness is the first requisite of a good husband.
common-sense novelists belief
A novelist must preserve a childlike belief in the importance of things which common sense considers of no great consequence.
sheep needs able
There is no need for the writer to eat a whole sheep to be able to tell you what mutton tastes like. It is enough if he eats a cutlet. But he should do that.
desire directors artistic
There are directors who desire to be artistic. It is pathetic to compare the seriousness of their aim with the absurdity of their attainment.
lovely self-pity get-up
It was such a lovely day I thought it a pity to get up.