A writer need not devour a whole sheep in order to know what mutton ta…

W. Somerset Maugham
360 citations
A writer need not devour a whole sheep in order to know what mutton tastes like, but he must at least eat a chop. Unless he gets his facts right, his imagination will lead him into all kinds of nonsense, and the facts he is most likely to get right are the facts of his own experience.
Life Truth
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Excess on occasion is exhilarating. It prevents moderation from acquiring the deadening effect of a habit. ✨ W. Somerset Maugham (2010). The Summing Up, p.47, Random House
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A writer need not devour a whole sheep in order to know what mutton tastes like, but he must at least eat a chop. Unless he gets his facts right, his imagination will lead him into all kinds of nonsense, and the facts he is most likely to get right are the facts of his own experience.

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