The author always loads his dice, but he must never let the reader see that he has done so, and by the manipulation of his plot, he can engage the reader's attention so that he does not perceive the violence that has been done to him.
W. Somerset MaughamLife wouldn’t be worth living if I worried over the future as well as the present. When things are at their worst I find something always happens.
W. Somerset MaughamBy the time an actor knows how to act any sort of part he is often too old to act any but a few.
W. Somerset MaughamThe world is hard and cruel. We are here none knows why, and we go none knows whither. 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. Let us be silent, content in our little corner, meek and gentle like them. That is the wisdom of life.
W. Somerset Maugham