W. Somerset Maugham: "Only the mediocre man..."

"Only the mediocre man is always at his best."

—W. Somerset Maugham

W. Somerset Maugham: "If you will act..."

"If you will act as if you believed, belief will be granted to you.
If you pray with doubt, but pray with sincerity, your doubt will be dispelled.
If you will surrender yourself to the beauty of liturgy, the power which over the human spirit has been proved by the experience of ages, peace will descend upon you."

—W. Somerset Maugham, The Razor's Edge

W. Somerset Maugham: "Nothing in the world..."

"Nothing in the world is permanent and we’re foolish when we ask anything to last, but surely we are still more foolish not to take delight in it while we have it."

—W. Somerset Maugham, The Razor's Edge

W. Somerset Maugham: "I've never much minded..."

"I’ve never much minded if people thought I was a bit of a fool."

—W. Somerset Maugham, The Razor's Edge

W. Somerset Maugham: "Unfortunately, sometimes one cannot..."

"Unfortunately, sometimes one cannot do what one thinks is right without making someone else unhappy."

—W. Somerset Maugham, The Razor's Edge

W. Somerset Maugham: "If I ever acquire..."

"If I ever acquire wisdom, I suppose I shall be wise enough to know what to do with it."

—W. Somerset Maugham, The Razor's Edge

W. Somerset Maugham: "We who are of..."

"We who are of mature age seldom suspect how unmercifully and yet with what insight the very young judge us."

—W. Somerset Maugham, The Razor's Edge