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

W. Somerset Maugham
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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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I don't think of the past. The only thing that matters is the everlasting present. ✨ W. Somerset Maugham (2012). The Moon and Sixpence, p.59, Courier Corporation
I write only when inspiration strikes. Fortunately it strikes every morning at nine o'clock sharp.
There is nothing so terrible as the pursuit of art by those who have no talent. ✨ W. Somerset Maugham (2016). Of Human Bondage (Diversion Classics), p.539, Diversion Books
We find things beautiful because we recognize them and contrariwise we find things beautiful because their novelty surprises us. ✨ W. Somerset Maugham (1954). Mr. Maugham Himself
The important thing was to love rather than to be loved. ✨ W. Somerset Maugham (2009). Of Human Bondage, p.760, The Floating Press

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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