W. Somerset Maugham Quotes

Our ideals are our better selves.

When we see persons of worth, we should think of equaling them; when we see persons of a contrary character, we should turn inwards and examine ourselves.

When we see men of worth, we should think of equalling them; when we see men of a contrary character, we should turn inward and examine ourselves.

I feel very lucky to have grown up having interaction with adults who were making change but who were far from perfect beings. That feeling of not being paralyzed by your incredible inadequacy as a human being, which I feel every day, is a part of the legacy that I've gotten from so many of the adult elders.

Today I choose life. Every morning when I wake up I can choose joy, happiness, negativity, pain... To feel the freedom that comes from being able to continue to make mistakes and choices - today I choose to feel life, not to deny my humanity but embrace it.

Yes, I will try to be. Because I believe that not being is arrogant.

When you see a good person, think of becoming like her/him. When you see someone not so good, reflect on your own weak points.

Learning how to be kind to ourselves, learning how to respect ourselves, is important. The reason it's important is that, fundamentally, when we look into our own hearts and begin to discover what is confused and what is brilliant, what is bitter and what is sweet, it isn't just ourselves that we're discovering. We're discovering the universe.

In order for us to liberate the energy of our strength, our weakness must first have a chance to reveal itself.

There's a lot of me in it. But the character is more egotistical. I'm also egotistical, but not the way the character is. This guy is successful, he has everything, but his wife has left him. The most important value - love - is missing. What is wrong with this institution called 'marriage'? What is wrong with this institution called 'the pursuit of happiness'?

Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.

Your ego is your embodiment and your self is your potentiality and that's what you listen to when you listen for the voice of inspiration and the voice of 'What am I here for? What can I possibly make of myself?'

It is necessary to be humble in order to learn.

Learn more about yourself! Make a self-esteem collage using pictures of other people you wish you were.

Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.

The ancient Greek definition of happiness was the full use of your powers along lines of excellence.

And what, you ask, does writing teach us? First and foremost, it reminds us that we are alive and that it is a gift and a privilege, not a right.

Not using faults does not mean that one does not have them.

It is not difficult to rebuild a life. All we need is to be aware that we have the same strength we had before, and to use it in our favor.

By the time a man is wise enough to watch his step, he's too old to go anywhere.

The whole life is a succession of dreams. My ambition is to be a conscious dreamer, that is all.

When you make a mistake, there are only three things you should ever do about it: 1. Admit it. 2. Learn from it, and 3. Don't repeat it.

Little by little we human beings are confronted with situations that give us more and more clues that we are not perfect.

Only a deep attention to the whole of our life can bring us the capacity to love well and live freely.

Look within, for within is the wellspring of virtue, which will not cease flowing, if you cease not from digging.