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For The Complete Life, The Perfect Pattern Includes Old Age As Well As Youth And Maturity.
-W. Somerset Maugham
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For The Complete Life,

W. Somerset Maugham
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For The Complete Life, The Perfect Pattern Includes Old Age As Well As Youth And Maturity.

Understanding the Quote: "for the complete life, the perfect pattern includes old age as well..."

This quote by W. Somerset Maugham reflects deeply on the theme of maturity. It connects to the universal human journey of purpose, motivation, and reflection. Often categorized under Maturity, Perfect, Age, the quote offers insight, emotional clarity, and intellectual inspiration to readers worldwide.

Whether you’re a student exploring new ideas, a leader trying to motivate your team, or someone seeking direction in life — this quote provides value. It resonates because it’s more than words — it’s a bridge between experience and wisdom. It shows how W. Somerset Maugham interprets life's core challenges and triumphs.

Lessons From the Quote

This quote teaches resilience and focus. It reminds readers that no matter where they stand in life, reflection and self-awareness lead to growth. Each word has meaning, and when studied, it becomes clear how impactful thoughtful language can be.

About W. Somerset Maugham

W. Somerset Maugham is celebrated for insightful thoughts on maturity and perfect. Their legacy lives on through writings that guide, comfort, and inspire. Discover more on their profile page.

Actionable Takeaways

  • Reflect on how this quote applies to your current life path.
  • Share the message with someone who needs inspiration.
  • Write your thoughts on this quote in a journal or blog post.
  • Use it as a daily affirmation or reminder.

Closing Thoughts

Quotes like this endure because they capture universal truths. They comfort us in solitude and empower us in groups. Carry this quote forward — live by its wisdom, share its message, and keep its essence alive.

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Topic
Maturity
Perfect
Age
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Elements
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Thinking
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There's No One As Transparent As The Person Who Thinks He's Devilish Deep.
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Thinking
History
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Moving
Tired
She Was A Fool And He Knew It And Because He Loved Her It Had Made No Difference.
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Fool
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Dying
World
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Imperfection
Religion
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Art
Long
It Does The Heart Good To Look At You.
Heart
Looks
Doe
The Writer Is More Concerned To Know Than To Judge.
Writing
Judging
Concerned
If A Nation Values Anything More Than Freedom, It Will Lose Its Freedom; And The Irony Of It Is That If It Is Comfort Or Money That It Values More, It Will Lose That Too.
Freedom
Patriotic
Libertarian Party
You Can Never Know Enough About Your Characters
Character
Enough
Knows
The Best Style Is The Style You Don't Notice.
Writing
Style
Creative Writing
Of All These The Richest In Beauty Is The Beautiful Life. That Is The Perfect Work Of Art. ~waddington
Beautiful
Art
Perfect
It Is Not Wealth One Asks For, But Just Enough To Preserve One's Dignity, To Work Unhampered, To Be Generous, Frank And Independent.
Independent
Dignity Of Work
Wealth
When We Come To Judge Others It Is Not By Ourselves As We Really Are That We Judge Them, But By An Image That We Have Formed Of Ourselves From Which We Have Left Out Everything That Offends Our Vanity Or Would Discredit Us In The Eyes Of The World.
Eye
Vanity
Judging
The Value Of Culture Is Its Effect On Character. It Avails Nothing Unless It Ennobles And Strengthens That. Its Use Is For Life. Its Aim Is Not Beauty But Goodness.
Character
Personality
Culture
Make Him Laugh And He Will Think You A Trivial Fellow, But Bore Him In The Right Way And Your Reputation Is Assured.
Book
Reading
Thinking
The Ideal Has Many Names, And Beauty Is But One Of Them.
Beauty
Names
Ideals
D'you Call Life A Bad Job? Never! We've Had Our Ups And Downs, We've Had Our Struggles, We've Always Been Poor, But It's Been Worth It, Ay, Worth It A Hundred Times I Say When I Look Round At My Children.
Jobs
Children
Struggle
There Is No Explanation For Evil. It Must Be Looked Upon As A Necessary Part Of The Order Of The Universe. To Ignore It Is Childish, To Bewail It Senseless.
Order
Evil
Atheism
The Last Words He Said To Me When I Bade Him Good-night Were: Tell Amy It's No Good Coming After Me. Anyhow, I Shall Change My Hotel, So She Wouldn't Be Able To Find Me.' My Own Impression Is That She's Well Rid Of You,' I Said. My Dear Fellow, I Only Hope You'll Be Able To Make Her See It. But Women Are Very Unintelligent.
Good Night
Amy
Able
Imagination Grows By Exercise, And Contrary To Common Belief, Is More Powerful In The Mature Than In The Young.
Powerful
Writing
Creativity
Yet Magic Is No More Than The Art Of Employing Consciously Invisible Means To Produce Visible Effects. Will, Love And Imagination Are Magic Powers That Everyone Possesses; And Whoever Knows How To Develop Them To Their Fullest Extent Is A Magician. Magic Has But One Dogma, Namely, That The Seen Is The Measure Of The Unseen.
Art
Mean
Imagination
Art Should Be Appreciated With Passion And Violence, Not With A Tepid, Depreciating Elegance That Fears The Censoriousness Of A Common Room.
Art
Passion
Rooms
Advice To First Year Medical Students: In Anatomy, It Is Better To Have Learned And Lost Than Never To Have Learned At All.
Years
Advice
Firsts
It Has Been Said That Metaphysics Is The Finding Of Bad Reasons For What We Believe Upon Instinct.
Philosophy
Believe
Reason
I've Always Been Interested In People, But I've Never Liked Them.
Funny
People
Literature
The Great Trues Are Too Important To Be New.
Important
Writing Is A Wholetime Job: No Professional Writer Can Afford Only To Write When He Feels Like It.
Jobs
Writing
Feels
A Good Rule For Writers: Do Not Explain Overmuch.
Writing
There Is Nothing So Terrible As The Pursuit Of Art By Those Who Have No Talent.
Art
Talent
Pursuit
The Drama Is Make-believe. It Does Not Deal With Truth But With Effect.
Drama
Believe
Doe
I Forget Who It Was That Recommended Men For Their Soul's Good To Do Each Day Two Things They Disliked: It Was A Wise Man, And It Is A Precept That I Have Followed Scrupulously; For Every Day I Have Got Up And I Have Gone To Bed.
Wise
Men
Two
I Made Up My Mind Long Ago That Life Was Too Short To Do Anything For Myself That I Could Pay Others To Do For Me.
Work
Life Is Short
Long Ago
What Mean And Cruel Things Men Can Do For The Love Of God.
Mean
Men
Atheism
Anyone Can Tell The Truth, But Only Very Few Of Us Can Make Epigrams.
Truth
Lying
Telling The Truth
Money Is Like A Sixth Sense Without Which You Cannot Make A Complete Use Of The Other Five.
Inspirational
Life
Happiness
Like All Weak Men He Laid An Exaggerated Stress On Not Changing One's Mind.
Stress
Men
Weak Man
Tolerance Is Another Word For Indifference.
Diversity
Tolerance
Social Justice
Usage Is The Only Test. I Prefer A Phrase That Is Easy And Unaffected To A Phrase That Is Grammatical.
Phrases
Tests
Easy
I Prefer A Loose Woman To A Selfish One And A Wanton To A Fool.
Selfish
Fool
Loose Women
Beauty Is Also A Gift Of God, One Of The Most Rare And Precious, And We Should Be Thankful If We Are Happy Enough To Possess It And Thankful, If We Are Not, That Others Possess It For Our Pleasure.
Being Thankful
Enough
Pleasure
There Are Directors Who Desire To Be Artistic. It Is Pathetic To Compare The Seriousness Of Their Aim With The Absurdity Of Their Attainment.
Desire
Directors
Artistic
There Was Once A Professor Of Law Who Said To His Students. When You Are Fighting A Case, If You Have Facts On Your Side Hammer Them Into The Jury, And If You Have The Law On Your Side Hammer It Into The Judge. But If You Have Neither The Facts Nor The Law, Asked One Of His Listeners? Then Hammer The Hell Into The Table, Answered The Professor.
Fighting
Your Side
Law
Do You Know That Conversation Is One Of The Greatest Pleasures In Life? But It Wants Leisure.
Life
Want
Leisure
Now The Answer ... Is Plain, But It Is So Unpalatable That Most Men Will Not Face It. There Is No Reason For Life And Life Has No Meaning.
Men
Atheism
Answers
Almost All The People Who’ve Had The Most Effect On Me I Seem To Have Met By Chance, Yet Looking Back It Seems As Though I Couldn’t But Have Met Them.
People
Chance
Mets
Genius Is Talent Provided With Ideals.
Genius
Talent
Ideals
Great Writers Create; Writers Of Smaller Gifts Copy
Copies
Great Writers
Heaven Knows What Pains The Author Has Been At, What Bitter Experience He Has Endured And What Heartache Suffered, To Give Some Chance Reader A Few Hours' Relaxation Or To While Away The Tedium Of A Journey.
Pain
Writing
Journey
A Man Filled With Meat Turns His Back On The Dry Bones Of Political Doctrine. Fanatical Devotion To The Ruling Party Comes More Readily From The Materially Deprived At A Dinner Party One Should Eat Wisely But Not Too Well, And Talk Well But Not Too Wisely.
Party
Men
Dry Bones
The Crown Of Literature Is Poetry. It Is Its End And Aim. It Is The Sublimest Activity Of The Human Mind. It Is The Achievement Of Beauty And Delicacy. The Writer Of Prose Can Only Step Aside When The Poet Passes.
Poetry
Achievement
Mind
If You Want To Eat Well In England, Eat Three Breakfasts.
Food
Breakfast
Want
There Is Only One Way To Win Hearts And That Is To Make Oneself Like Unto Those Of Whom One Would Be Loved.
Heart
Winning
Would Be
A Woman Can Forgive A Man For The Harm He Does Her...but She Can Never Forgive Him For The Sacrifices He Makes On Her Account.
Love
Sacrifice
Men
We Didn't Think Much In The Air Corps Of A Fellow Who Wangled A Cushy Job Out Of His C.o. By Buttering Him Up. It Was Hard For Me To Believe That God Thought Much Of A Man Who Tried To Wangle Salvation By Fulsome Flattery. I Should Have Thought The Worship Most Pleasing To Him Was To Do Your Best According To Your Lights.
God
Jobs
Believe
Common-sense Appears To Be Only Another Name For The Thoughtlessness Of The Unthinking. It Is Made Of The Prejudices Of Childhood, The Idiosyncrasies Of Individual Character And The Opinion Of The Newspapers.
Character
Names
Common Sense
The Americans, Who Are The Most Efficient People On The Earth, Have Carried [phrase-making] To Such A Height Of Perfection And Have Invented So Wide A Range Of Pithy And Hackneyed Phrases That They Can Carry On An Amusing And Animated Conversation Without Giving A Moment’s Reflection To What They Are Saying And So Leave Their Minds Free To Consider The More Important Matters Of Big Business And Fornication.
Funny
Reflection
People
Affection Is Created By Habit, Community Of Interests, Convenience And The Desire Of Companionship. It Is A Comfort Rather Than An Exhilaration.
Community
Desire
Comfort
There Is No Need For The Writer To Eat A Whole Sheep To Be Able To Tell You What Mutton Tastes Like. It Is Enough If He Eats A Cutlet. But He Should Do That.
Sheep
Needs
Able
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.
Falling In Love
Heart
Men
I Want A Girl Because I Want To Bring Her Up So That She Shan't Make The Mistakes I've Made. When I Look Back Upon The Girl I Was I Hate Myself. But I Never Had A Chance. I'm Going To Bring Up My Daughter So That She's Free And Can Stand On Her Own Feet. I´m Not Going To Bring A Child Into The World, And Love Her, And Bring Her Up, Just So That Some Man May Want To Sleep With Her So Much That He's Willing To Provide Her With Board And Lodging For The Rest Of Her Life.
Girl
Daughter
Children
The Essence Of The Beautiful Is Unity In Variety.
Beautiful
Wise
Wisdom
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