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When you are young you take the kindness people show you as your right.

W. Somerset Maugham

He is not famous. It may be that he never will be. It may be that when his life at last comes to an end he will leave no more trace of his sojourn on earth than a stone thrown into a river leaves on the surface of the water.
W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM

Come Earth End Famous Leave Life May More never River Sojourn Stone Surface Water Trace
if you’d ever had a grown-up daughter you’d know that by comparison a bucking steer is easy to manage. And as to knowing what goes on inside her – well, it’s much better to pretend you’re the simple, innocent old fool she almost certainly takes you for.
W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM

Buck Comparision Daughter Easy Grown Inside Know Manage Pretend Simple Steer
The beauty of the morning and the radiance of noon are good, but it would be a very silly person who drew the curtains and turned on the light in order to shut out the tranquillity of the evening. Old age has its pleasures, which, though different, are not less than the pleasures of youth.
W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM

Action Age Country Different Evening Freedom Good Old Pleasant Thing Tranquility Two Youth
Life is so largely controlled by chance that its conduct can be but a perpetual improvisation.
W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM

Chance Conduct Control Improvisation Largely Life Perpetual
Beauty is an ecstasy; it is as simple as hunger.
W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM

Beauty Ecstasy Simple Hunger
Now the answer … is plain, but it is so unpalatable that most men will not face it. There is no reason for life and life has no meaning.
W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM

Answer Face Life Meaning Men Most Plain Reason Unpalatable
We must be very humble. We must see the beauty of quietness. We must go through life so inconspicuously that Fate does not notice us. And let us seek the love of simple, ignorant people. Their ignorance is better than all our knowledge.
W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM

Beauty Humble Ignorance Inconspicuously Knowledge Love Notice Outness People Simple
You demand unselfishness from others, which is a preposterous claim that they should sacrifice their desires to yours. Why should they?
W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM

Demand Desire Other Preposterous Sacrifice Should Unselfishness
When you are reconciled to the fact that each is for himself in the world you will ask less from your fellows. They will not disappoint you, and you will look upon them more charitably.
W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM

Ask Charitablity Disappoint Each Fellow Himself Less More Reconcile
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
Oh, it is dreadfully bitter to look at a woman whom you have loved with all your heart and soul, so that you felt you could not bear to let her out of your sight, and realize that you would not mind if you never saw her again. The tragedy of love is indifference.
W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM

Bear Bitter Could Dreadfully Indifference Love Made Mind Mistake Saw Tragedy Women
I personally prefer freedom of thought. But in England you get neither: you’re ground down by convention. You can’t think as you like and you can’t act as you like. That’s because it’s a democratic nation. I expect America’s worse.
W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM

Act Convention Country Democratic Ground Like Nation Personality Prefer Worst
They call beautiful a dress, a dog, a sermon; and when they are face to face with Beauty cannot recognise it.
W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM

Beautiful Call Dog Dress Face Recognise Sermon
They have no manners and are woefully unable to deal with any social predicament. Their idea of a celebration is to go to a public house and drink six beers. They are mean, malicious and envious . They are scum.
W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM

Celebration Drink Envious House Idea Malicious Manner Predicament Six Social Unable
You waste a lot of time going down blind alleys if you have no one to lead you.
W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM

Alley Blind Down Lead Lot One Time Waste You
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

When you are young you take the kindness people show you as your right.

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When you are young you take the kindness people show you as your right.

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