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
It is an illusion that youth is happy, an illusion of those who have lost it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The perception that youth is always happy is a misconception from those who have aged.
W. Somerset Maugham's quote highlights the idea that the notion of youth equating to happiness is merely an illusion, often held by those who no longer possess their youthful days. It suggests that the beauty and joy attributed to youth may be an oversimplification, as true happiness can be complex and vary significantly across different life stages.
Themes
YouthHappinessIllusionAgingPerception
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about embracing life at all ages, one might quote this to remind the audience of the complexities of happiness.
More from W. Somerset Maugham
All quotes βCronshaw 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.
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I don't think of the past. The only thing that matters is the everlasting present.
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The world is quickly bored by the recital of misfortune, and willing avoids the sight of distress.
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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.
W. Somerset MaughamRead
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