The Americans, who are the most efficient people on earth,… have invented so wide a range of pithy and hackneyed phrases that they can carry on a 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.

—W. Somerset Maugham

sex conversation americans business cliche

About W. Somerset Maugham

Portrait of W. Somerset Maugham

William Somerset Maugham ( MAWM; 25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965) was an English writer, known for his plays, novels and short stories.

More quotations from W. Somerset Maugham

It was such a lovely day I thought it a pity to get up.

—W. Somerset Maugham

wonder waking up

Excess on occasion is exhilarating. It prevents moderation from acquiring the deadening effect of a habit.

—W. Somerset Maugham

habit excess moderation

The most useful thing about a principle is that it can always be sacrificed to expediency.

—W. Somerset Maugham

sacrifice principles speed expediency

Few misfortunes can befall a boy which bring worse consequences than to have a really affectionate mother.

—W. Somerset Maugham

misfortune boys affection mother consequence

Love is only a dirty trick played on us to achieve continuation of the species.

—W. Somerset Maugham

love life reproduction

More quotations tagged with “business”

After you have exhausted what there is in business, politics, conviviality, and so on—have found that none of these finally satisfy, or permanently wear—what remains? Nature remains.

—William Wadsworth

politics nature business

A certain businessman, renowned for his ruthlessness, once made a vow in Mark Twain's presence. "Before I die," he declared, "I mean to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. I will climb Mount Sinai and read the Ten Commandments aloud at the top." "I have a better idea," Twain replied. "You could stay home in Boston and keep them.

—Bartlett's Book of Anecdotes

business home travel

American business, while it does not frown on helping the human race, frowns on people who start right in helping the human race without first proving that they can sell things to it.

—Margaret Halsey

morality business selling selflessness

In all large corporations, there is a pervasive fear that someone, somewhere is having fun with a computer on company time. Networks help alleviate that fear.

—John C. Dvorak

fear time business computers fun

Let us permit nature to have her way. She understands her business better than we do.

—Michel de Montaigne

nature business

History

7 Jun 2015 Added
26 Oct 2026 Wording changed

Previous wording

The Americans, who are the most efficient people on earth, . . . have invented so wide a range of pithy and hackneyed phrases that they can carry on a 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.