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We know our friends by their defects rather than by their merits.

W. Somerset Maugham

I recognize that I am made up of several persons and that the person that at the moment has the upper hand will inevitably give place to another. But which is the real one? All of them or none?
W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM

All Another Hand Inevitably Made Moment None Person Place Recognize Several Upper
Now it is a funny thing about life. If you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it. If you utterly decline to make do with what you can get, then somehow or other, you are very likely to get what you want.
W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM

Accept Anything Best Funny Get Life Often Refuse Thing
The secret to life is meaningless unless you discover it yourself.
W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM

Discover Meaningless Secret Unless Yourself
It wasn’t until late in life that I discovered how easy it is to say, ‘I don’t know.’
W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM

Discover Easy Know Late Say Until
It is dangerous to let the public behind the scenes. They are easily disillusioned and then they are angry with you, for it was the illusion they loved.
W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM

Angry Dangerous Easily Illusion Public Scene
People talk of beauty lightly, and having no feeling for words, they use that one carelessly, so that it loses its force; and the thing it stands for, sharing its name with a hundred trivial objects, is deprived of dignity.
W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM

Beauty Carelessly Feel Force Lighty Lose One People Stand Talk Thing Use Word
Each one of us is alone in the world. He is shut in a tower of brass, and can communicate with his fellows only by signs, and the signs have no common value, so that their sense is vague and uncertain.
W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM

Alone Brass Communicate Each Fellow Lower One Only Sign Student World
I have an idea that the only thing which makes it possible to regard this world we live in without disgust is the beauty which now and then men create out of the chaos. The pictures they paint, the music they compose, the books they write, and the lives they lead.
W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM

Beauty Compose Disgust Idea Live Make Men Only Picture Possible Regard Thing World
In France you get freedom of action: you can do what you like and nobody bothers, but you must think like everybody else. In Germany you must do what everybody else does, but you may think as you choose. They’re both very good things.
W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM

Action Both Bother Choose Country Else Everybody Freedom Good May Nobody Thing
What do we any of us have but our illusions? And what do we ask of others but that we be allowed to keep them?
W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM

Allow Any Illusion Ask Keep Other Them
We know our friends by their defects rather than by their merits.
W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM

Defect Friend Know Merit Rather
The future will one day be the present and will seem as unimportant as the present does now.
W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM

Does Future Present Seen Unimportant
Love is what happens to men and women who don’t know each other.
W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM

Each Happen Know Love Men Other Women
Don’t wait for experience to come to you; go out after experience. Experience is your material.
W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM

After Come Experience Material Wait You
I wish I could make you see how exciting the life of the spirit is and how rich in experience. It’s illimitable. It’s such a happy life. There’s only one thing like it, when you’re up in a plane by yourself, high, high, and only infinity surrounds you.
W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM

Excite Experience Happy High Illuminate Infinity One Plane Rich Spirit Surround
Tolerance is only another name for indifference.
W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM

Another Indifference Name Only Tolerance

We know our friends by their defects rather than by their merits.

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We know our friends by their defects rather than by their merits.

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