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
If a nation values anything more than freedom, it will lose its freedom; and the irony of it is that if it is comfort or money that it values more, it will lose that too.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Prioritizing comfort or material wealth over freedom ultimately leads to the loss of both.
This quote by W. Somerset Maugham highlights the crucial importance of freedom in a society. It suggests that when a nation places greater value on comforts or financial gain than on its fundamental freedoms, it is at risk of losing those freedoms entirely, along with the very comforts it sought to prioritize. The irony lies in the fact that by sacrificing freedom for temporary pleasures or material security, a society may ultimately jeopardize its own existence and well-being.
Themes
FreedomValueComfortMoneyLossNation
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about the importance of civil liberties during a political rally.
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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.
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