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 MaughamRead
Art is merely the refuge which the ingenious have invented, when they were supplied with food and women, to escape the tediousness of life.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Art serves as a creative escape from the monotonies of life for those who have their basic needs met.
W. Somerset Maugham suggests that art is a sanctuary crafted by clever individuals who, having satisfied their essential needs such as food and companionship, seek to break free from the drudgery of everyday existence. In this view, art becomes a means of transcending the mundane and exploring the depths of human experience and imagination.
Themes
ArtEscapeLifeMonotonyCreativityExpression
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can inspire artists who feel trapped in routine to find freedom in their creative processes.
More from W. Somerset Maugham
All quotes βCronshaw stopped for a moment to drink. He had pondered for twenty years the problem whether he loved liquor because it made him talk or whether he loved conversation because it made him thirsty.
W. Somerset MaughamRead
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I don't think of the past. The only thing that matters is the everlasting present.
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The world is quickly bored by the recital of misfortune, and willing avoids the sight of distress.
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There in the mist, enormous, majestic, silent and terrible, stood the Great Wall of China. Solitarily, with the indifference of nature herself, it crept up the mountain side and slipped down to the depth of the valley.
W. Somerset MaughamRead
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