--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Here was a man who sincerely did not mind…" description: "\"“Here was a man who sincerely did not mind what people thought of him, and so convention had no hold on him; he was like a wrestler whose body is oiled..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/132/w-somerset-maugham-237_gave-freedom_here-was-a-man-who-sincerely-did-not-min_3025699.jpg" --- # Here was a man who sincerely did not mind what people… ![“Here was a man who sincerely did not mind what people thought of him, and so convention had no hold on him; he was like a wrestler whose body is oiled; you could not get a grip on him; it gave him a freedom which was an outrage.” quote by W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/132/w-somerset-maugham-237_gave-freedom_here-was-a-man-who-sincerely-did-not-min_3025699.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/132/w-somerset-maugham-237_gave-freedom_here-was-a-man-who-sincerely-did-not-min_3025699.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/132/w-somerset-maugham-237_gave-freedom_here-was-a-man-who-sincerely-did-not-min_3025699.jpg) > ““Here was a man who sincerely did not mind what people thought of him, and so convention had no hold on him; he was like a wrestler whose body is oiled; you could not get a grip on him; it gave him a freedom which was an outrage.”” [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A man lives unconcerned by societal expectations, gaining freedom but also alienation. **In simple terms:** Freedom from convention can feel both liberating and shocking. Key Takeaway Embrace individuality while staying grounded. Themes individualism freedom society Mood thoughtful philosophical Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - personal branding - creative expression - social interaction Key Concepts conformity identity authenticity Questions to Reflect On - What does true freedom mean to you? - How can you stay authentic without alienating others? A Different Perspective Total freedom may lead to isolation or misunderstanding. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Freedom Outrage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom-outrage-4918492/) [Gave Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gave-freedom-234929/) [Like Wrestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-wrestler-681981/) [Man Sincerely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-sincerely-4110545/) [Wrestler Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrestler-body-4918493/) ## Related quotes > [First, I was doing the singing, and because I was Hulk Hogan's daughter, everyone was like, 'Oh, it's handed to her. Oh, she looks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-hogan/first-i-was-doing-the-singing-and-because-i-was-hulk-hogan-s-daughter/) [Brooke Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-hogan/) > [Sometimes I'm out in public and people are like 'you're a wrestler?' and they kind of ask me with a little question in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bianca-belair/sometimes-i-m-out-in-public-and-people-are-like-you-re-a-wrestler-and/) [Bianca Belair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bianca-belair/) > [I am not like any other wrestler.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-sydal/i-am-not-like-any-other-wrestler/) [Matt Sydal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-sydal/) > [“Ralph Waldo Emerson explains, "It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tal-ben-shahar/ralph-waldo-emerson-explains-it-is-one-of-the-most-beautiful/) [Tal Ben-Shahar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tal-ben-shahar/) > [“There is no hope for a worldly man if he is not sincerely devoted to God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-ramakrishna/there-is-no-hope-for-a-worldly-man-if-he-is-not-sincerely-devoted-to/) [Sri Ramakrishna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-ramakrishna/) > [I am convinced that when a man sincerely searches for God with all his heart, God will reveal Himself in some way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/i-am-convinced-that-when-a-man-sincerely-searches-for-god-with-all/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [“It is one of the beautiful compensations of life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/it-is-one-of-the-beautiful-compensations-of-life-that-no-man-can/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Gorbachev gave us freedom of worship and freedom of speech and freedom to see what was going on and freedom to vote, but that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-yeltsin/gorbachev-gave-us-freedom-of-worship-and-freedom-of-speech-and/) [Boris Yeltsin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-yeltsin/) > [Friends changed my life in so many ways. It gave me opportunity. It gave me freedom. It gave me a family of close friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courteney-cox/friends-changed-my-life-in-so-many-ways-it-gave-me-opportunity-it/) [Courteney Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courteney-cox/) > [“Somehow the promise we had made on that piece of paper gave me more freedom than I’d ever known before. It allowed both of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/somehow-the-promise-we-had-made-on-that-piece-of-paper-gave-me-more/) [Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/) > [Business fits me best. The only reason I went into modeling originally was to help out my family, because I knew that money gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-johnson/business-fits-me-best-the-only-reason-i-went-into-modeling-originally/) [Beverly Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-johnson/) > [Joshua chose the simple life ... because it gave him the freedom to expand the breadth of his inner life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-girzone/joshua-chose-the-simple-life-because-it-gave-him-the-freedom-to/) [Joseph Girzone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-girzone/) > [There were a few labels scouting me, but I felt like G.O.O.D. had my best interest at heart. They gave me the freedom to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valee/there-were-a-few-labels-scouting-me-but-i-felt-like-g-o-o-d-had-my/) [Valee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valee/) > [I hope that more children have the same opportunities as me, with the same parents as me, that let me be an individual, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-weir/i-hope-that-more-children-have-the-same-opportunities-as-me-with-the/) [Johnny Weir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-weir/) > [If we gave up our freedom as the price of security, we would no longer be the great nation that we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-bader-ginsburg/if-we-gave-up-our-freedom-as-the-price-of-security-we-would-no-longer/) [Ruth Bader Ginsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-bader-ginsburg/) ## More by W. Somerset Maugham > [“A man thinks it quite natural that he should fall out of love with a woman, but it never strikes him for a moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/a-man-thinks-it-quite-natural-that-he-should-fall-out-of-love-with-a/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [“A man's work reveals him. In social intercourse he gives you the surface that he wishes the world to accept, but in his book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/a-man-s-work-reveals-him-in-social-intercourse-he-gives-you-the/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [Love is only a dirty trick played on us to achieve continuation of the species.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/love-is-only-a-dirty-trick-played-on-us-to-achieve-continuation-of/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [The world is hard and cruel. We are here none knows why, and we go none knows whither. We must be very humble. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/the-world-is-hard-and-cruel-we-are-here-none-knows-why-and-we-go-none/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [“There is no more merit in having read a thousand books than in having ploughed a thousand fields.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/there-is-no-more-merit-in-having-read-a-thousand-books-than-in-having/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [“I wanted to live again and again. I was willing to accept every sort of life, no matter what its pain and sorrow; I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/i-wanted-to-live-again-and-again-i-was-willing-to-accept-every-sort/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [In Hollywood, the women are all peaches. It makes one long for an apple occasionally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/in-hollywood-the-women-are-all-peaches-it-makes-one-long-for-an-apple/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [Follow your inclinations with due regard to the policeman round the corner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/follow-your-inclinations-with-due-regard-to-the-policeman-round-the/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [“His love became a prison from which he longed to escape, but he had not the strength merely to open the door-that was all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/his-love-became-a-prison-from-which-he-longed-to-escape-but-he-had/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [I did not believe him capable of love. That is an emotion in which tenderness is an essential part, but Strickland had no tenderness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/i-did-not-believe-him-capable-of-love-that-is-an-emotion-in-which/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [If only the good were a little less heavy-footed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/if-only-the-good-were-a-little-less-heavy-footed/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [Perfection has one grave defect: it is apt to be dull.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/perfection-has-one-grave-defect-it-is-apt-to-be-dull/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [“A God that can be understood is no God. Who can explain the Infinite in words?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/a-god-that-can-be-understood-is-no-god-who-can-explain-the-infinite/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [“My dear, you used to be quite a dish; now you're quite a tureen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/my-dear-you-used-to-be-quite-a-dish-now-you-re-quite-a-tureen/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [“When people say they do not care what others thing of them, for the most part they deceive themselves”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/when-people-say-they-do-not-care-what-others-thing-of-them-for-the/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) [Explore all 840 W. Somerset Maugham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) ## More Gave Freedom quotes > [If we gave up our freedom as the price of security, we would no longer be the great nation that we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-bader-ginsburg/if-we-gave-up-our-freedom-as-the-price-of-security-we-would-no-longer/) [Ruth Bader Ginsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-bader-ginsburg/) > [I hope that more children have the same opportunities as me, with the same parents as me, that let me be an individual, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-weir/i-hope-that-more-children-have-the-same-opportunities-as-me-with-the/) [Johnny Weir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-weir/) > [There were a few labels scouting me, but I felt like G.O.O.D. had my best interest at heart. They gave me the freedom to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valee/there-were-a-few-labels-scouting-me-but-i-felt-like-g-o-o-d-had-my/) [Valee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valee/) > [Joshua chose the simple life ... because it gave him the freedom to expand the breadth of his inner life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-girzone/joshua-chose-the-simple-life-because-it-gave-him-the-freedom-to/) [Joseph Girzone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-girzone/) > [Business fits me best. The only reason I went into modeling originally was to help out my family, because I knew that money gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-johnson/business-fits-me-best-the-only-reason-i-went-into-modeling-originally/) [Beverly Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-johnson/) > [“Somehow the promise we had made on that piece of paper gave me more freedom than I’d ever known before. It allowed both of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/somehow-the-promise-we-had-made-on-that-piece-of-paper-gave-me-more/) [Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/) > [Friends changed my life in so many ways. It gave me opportunity. It gave me freedom. It gave me a family of close friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courteney-cox/friends-changed-my-life-in-so-many-ways-it-gave-me-opportunity-it/) [Courteney Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courteney-cox/) > [Gorbachev gave us freedom of worship and freedom of speech and freedom to see what was going on and freedom to vote, but that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-yeltsin/gorbachev-gave-us-freedom-of-worship-and-freedom-of-speech-and/) [Boris Yeltsin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-yeltsin/) > [“Far be it from me, such ingorance i see , caged yet free, is the result of stupidity. Silenced we are, open your eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/behnam-ghashghaei/far-be-it-from-me-such-ingorance-i-see-caged-yet-free-is-the-result/) [Behnam Ghashghaei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/behnam-ghashghaei/) > [We were the people who were not in the papers. We lived in the blank white spaces at the edges of print. It gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/we-were-the-people-who-were-not-in-the-papers-we-lived-in-the-blank/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [I wasn't a woman who stayed tiny like I thought I would. I definitely gave myself the freedom to eat what I wanted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-garner/i-wasn-t-a-woman-who-stayed-tiny-like-i-thought-i-would-i-definitely/) [Jennifer Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-garner/) > [You may think I'm brave. But in the eyes of many people back in my country I am a coward. They think, this man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziauddin-yousafzai/you-may-think-i-m-brave-but-in-the-eyes-of-many-people-back-in-my/) [Ziauddin Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziauddin-yousafzai/) > [As an artist, you have a choice. That gave me the freedom to do what I want to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergei-polunin/as-an-artist-you-have-a-choice-that-gave-me-the-freedom-to-do-what-i/) [Sergei Polunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergei-polunin/) > [“Yes, she loved her ship more than she had loved him. But what she loved even more was what it gave her: freedom, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-s-jennsen/yes-she-loved-her-ship-more-than-she-had-loved-him-but-what-she-loved/) [G.S. Jennsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-s-jennsen/) > [“God take what He would," she said. And He did, and He did, and He did and then gave her Halle who gave her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/god-take-what-he-would-she-said-and-he-did-and-he-did-and-he-did-and/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) [Browse all 24 Gave Freedom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gave-freedom-234929/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Here was a man who sincerely did not mind what people thought of him, and so convention had no hold on him; he was like a wrestler whose body is oiled; you could not get a grip on him; it gave him a freedom which was an outrage.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "W. Somerset Maugham" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/here-was-a-man-who-sincerely-did-not-mind-what-people-thought-of-him/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Gave Freedom" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/here-was-a-man-who-sincerely-did-not-mind-what-people-thought-of-him/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/132/w-somerset-maugham-237_gave-freedom_here-was-a-man-who-sincerely-did-not-min_3025699.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/132/w-somerset-maugham-237_gave-freedom_here-was-a-man-who-sincerely-did-not-min_3025699.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/132/w-somerset-maugham-237_gave-freedom_here-was-a-man-who-sincerely-did-not-min_3025699.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Here was a man who sincerely did not mind what people thought of him, and so convention had no hold on him…” — W. Somerset Maugham", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "W. Somerset Maugham", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Here was a man who sincerely...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/here-was-a-man-who-sincerely-did-not-mind-what-people-thought-of-him/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/here-was-a-man-who-sincerely-did-not-mind-what-people-thought-of-him/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```