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"A man's work reveals him. In social intercourse he gives you the surface that he wishes the world to accept, but in his book or his picture the real man delivers himself defenceless. No affectation of peculiarity can conceal a commonplace mind. No one can produce the most casual work without disclosing the innermost secrets of his soul."
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Explore more quotes by W. Somerset Maugham
"We are not the same persons this year as last; nor are those we love. It is a happy chance if we, changing, continue to love a changed person."
"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."
"Excess on occasion is exhilarating. It prevents moderation from acquiring the deadening effect of a habit."
"Considering how foolishly people act and how pleasantly they prattle, perhaps it would be better for the world if they talked more and did less."
"Let us develop the resources of our land, call forth its powers, build up its institutions, promote all its great interests, and see whether we also, in our day and generation, may not perform something worthy to be remembered."
"What has influenced my life more than any other single thing has been my stammer. Had I not stammered I would probably... have gone to Cambridge as my brothers did, perhaps have become a don and every now and then published a dreary book about French literature."
Exlpore more Expression quotes
"As usual, I shall tell my story badly; and you, as usual, will think me extravagant."
"What can you do to ensure that your voice value translates into impression value?"
"Art is a distinct form of human communication. Art interprets experience, sensation, and feelings. An artistic work translates our mental images and allows other people to understand what we feel; art conveys our happiness, sadness, hopes, doubts, anxieties, fears, desires, and ineffable longings."
"Heaven resonates when one sings wholeheartedly."
"You won't write, won't ya??I just focus on the negative!"
"There are things known-things experienced, felt, and understood-that words hold no power to convey. Attempting to do so only dilutes their substance and does them injustice."
"If something inside of you is real, we will probably find it interesting, and it will probably be universal. So you must risk placing real emotion at the center of your work. Write straight into the emotional center of things. Write toward vulnerability. Risk being unliked. Tell the truth as you understand it. If you're a writer you have a moral obligation to do this. And it is a revolutionary act-truth is always subversive."
"In a man's letters his soul lies naked."
"Life is a sacred story."
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