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
book needs astonishing
It is astonishing how many books I find there is no need for me to read at all.
exercise imagination creative
Imagination grows by exercise.
matter continuation species
There is no object to life. To nature nothing matters but the continuation of the species.
writing cutting play
The secret of play-writing can be given in two maxims: stick to the point, and, whenever you can, cut.
character writing heart
No one can write a best seller by trying to. He must write with complete sincerity; the clichés that make you laugh, the hackneyed characters, the well-worn situations, the commonplace story that excites your derision, seem neither hackneyed, well worn nor commonplace to him. ... The conclusion is obvious: you cannot write anything that will convince unless you are yourself convinced. The best seller sells because he writes with his heart's blood.
people criticism want
People who ask for your criticism want only praise.
one-day doe seems
The future will one day be the present and will seem as unimportant as the present does now.
perfect picnics comfort
There are few things so pleasant as a picnic eaten in perfect comfort.
drinking drunk sober
It's always difficult to make conversation with a drunk, and there's no denying it, the sober are at a disadvantage with him.
years advice firsts
Advice to first year medical students: In anatomy, it is better to have learned and lost than never to have learned at all.
motivational thought-provoking soul
Look after your laundry, and your soul will look after itself.
stars men space
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.
politics wealth wells
Any society that values wealth above freedom will lose its freedom, and will ultimately lose its wealth as well
money people speak
He had heard people speak contemptuously of money: he wondered if they had ever tried to do without it.