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
In business sharp practice sometimes succeeds, but in art honesty is not only the best but the only policy.
Interpretation
In art, being honest is essential, unlike in business where sometimes unethical methods can yield success.
This quote emphasizes the importance of integrity in the realm of art, contrasting it with the sometimes lenient ethical standards in business. Maugham asserts that while dubious tactics may lead to short-term victories in commerce, true artistry must be rooted in honesty and authenticity to maintain its value and significance.
In practice
In a speech about the importance of authenticity in creative fields.
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.
Cronshaw stopped for a moment to drink. He had pondered for twenty years the problem whether he loved liquor because it made him talk or whether he loved conversation because it made him thirsty.
Are you sure you can prevent yourself from falling in love one of these days? Such things do happen, you know, even to the most prudent men.' Simon gave him a strange, one might even have thought a hostile, look. I should tear it out of my heart as I'd wrench out of my mouth a rotten tooth.
I don't think of the past. The only thing that matters is the everlasting present.
The world is quickly bored by the recital of misfortune, and willing avoids the sight of distress.
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.
The most important thing about creativity is that you honor your creativity and you don't ever ignore it or go against what that creative image is telling you.
All art is contemporary art because it had to be made when it was now.
Fiction is a piece of truth that turns lies to meaning.
Art is the expression of imagination, not the reproduction of reality.
I keep the drafts of each poem in color-coded folders. I pick up the folders according to how I feel about that color that day.
If the poetry world celebrate its female stars at the true level of their productivity and influence, poetry would wind up being a largely female world, and the men would leave.
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