What does democracy come down to? The persuasive power of slogans invented by wily self-seeking politicians.
W. Somerset MaughamPeople are always a little disconcerted when you don't recognize them, they are so important to themselves, it is a shock to discover of what small importance they are to others. [The human element]
W. Somerset MaughamDeath is a very dull, dreary affair, and my advice to you is to have nothing whatsoever to do with it.
W. Somerset MaughamYou know, there are two good things in life, freedom of thought and freedom of action. 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. 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