“It was not till quite late in life that I discovered how easy it is to say: 'I don't know.'”

— W. Somerset Maugham, A Writer's Notebook, 1946, p. 258

About W. Somerset Maugham

1874 – 1965

English playwright and novelist, author of "Of Human Bondage".

“The complete life, the perfect pattern, includes old age as well as youth and maturity.”

“Old age has its pleasures, which though different, are not less than the pleasures of youth.”

“You know, there are two good things in life, freedom of thought and freedom of action.”

“The wise man will live as long as he ought, not as long as he can.”

“The universe is flux, life is opinion.”

“The young have exalted notions, because they have not been humbled by life or learned its necessary limitations.”

“I want to know whether I can live with what I know and with that alone.”

“When Life does not find a singer to sing her heart she produces a philosopher to speak her mind.”

“You never know how much you really believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death to you.”