William Somerset Maugham

Quotes

1. "I don't believe in the god of the Christians who gave his son in order to save mankind. That's a myth. But why should it have arisen if it didn't express some deep-seated intuition in men? I don't know what I believe, because it's instinctive, and how can you describe an instinct with words? I have an instinct that the power that rules us, human beings, animals and things, is a dark and cruel power and that everything has to be paid for, a power that demands an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, and that though we may writhe and squirm we have to submit, for the power is ourselves."

   p. 240

2. 

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

   p. 182

3. 

   "Aren't you missing a lot of fun? You know, one's young for such a little while."

   p. 43

4. 

   Tradition is a guide and not a jailer.

   p. 223

5. 

   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.

   p. 185

6. 

   The great critic ... must be a philosopher, for from philosophy he will learn serenity, impartiality, and the transitoriness of human things.

   p. 223

7. 

   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. Failure makes people bitter and cruel.

   p. 182

8. 

   By the time I was twenty-four I had constructed a complete system of philosophy. It rested on two principles: The Relativity of Things and The Circumferentiality of Man. I have since discovered that the first was not a very original discovery. It may be that the other was profound, but though I have racked my brains I cannot for the life of me remember what it was.

9. 

   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.

   p. 285

10. 

    "You know, a thing that has always struck me is people's fiendish eagerness to give anyone away. They pretend it's public spirit, I don't believe a word of it; I don't believe it's even, as a rule anyway, the desire for notoriety; I believe it's just due to the baseness of human nature that gets a kick out of injuring others. There's a whole mass of people who can't wait if they have the chance of doing down someone who's trying to get away with anything."

    p. 154

11. 

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

    p. 223

12. 

    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.

    p. 206