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
Life 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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Focusing on the present is crucial for a fulfilling life, as worrying about the future detracts from living joyfully now.
This quote by W. Somerset Maugham suggests that excessive worry about the future can undermine the quality of life in the present. It emphasizes the idea that even in difficult times, one can find hope and positivity in the here and now, rather than being bogged down by uncertainties that lie ahead.
Themes
LifePresentWorryFuturePositivity
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about living in the moment, this quote can be used to encourage audience members to embrace their current experiences.
More from W. Somerset Maugham
All quotes →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.
W. Somerset MaughamRead
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.
W. Somerset MaughamRead
I don't think of the past. The only thing that matters is the everlasting present.
W. Somerset MaughamRead
The world is quickly bored by the recital of misfortune, and willing avoids the sight of distress.
W. Somerset MaughamRead
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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