--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Is it rash to assume that when a…" description: "\"“Is it rash to assume that when a practised writer says a thing, he is more likely to mean what he says than what his commentators think he means?”\" — ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd1/w-somerset-maugham-237_writing_is-it-rash-to-assume-that-when-a-practis_1300800.jpg" --- # Is it rash to assume that when a practised writer says a… ![“Is it rash to assume that when a practised writer says a thing, he is more likely to mean what he says than what his commentators think he means?” quote by W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd1/w-somerset-maugham-237_writing_is-it-rash-to-assume-that-when-a-practis_1300800.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd1/w-somerset-maugham-237_writing_is-it-rash-to-assume-that-when-a-practis_1300800.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd1/w-somerset-maugham-237_writing_is-it-rash-to-assume-that-when-a-practis_1300800.jpg) > ““Is it rash to assume that when a practised writer says a thing, he is more likely to mean what he says than what his commentators think he means?”” [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. Questioning whether an experienced writer’s words are more reliable than others’ interpretations. **In simple terms:** Do writers mean what they say? Key Takeaway Critically evaluate author intent. Themes interpretation authorial intent trust Mood analytical inquisitive Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - reading literature - academic analysis - creative writing Key Concepts literary criticism semantic ambiguity Questions to Reflect On - How do you discern a writer’s true meaning? - When should you trust your own reading? A Different Perspective Interpretations can differ widely. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [You'd never last in South America. Fans take their radios to the stadium so they can think what the commentators think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-kuper/you-d-never-last-in-south-america-fans-take-their-radios-to-the/) [Simon Kuper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-kuper/) > [I'm a practised writer now. But when I began, I had no idea what this was going to be. 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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. 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The next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-wrote-when-i-was-a-young-teen-but-i-didn-t-put-an-eye-on-the/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [Regardless of the criticisms I receive from the left, the right and the middle, I think it's important to maintain a prolific writing jab,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/regardless-of-the-criticisms-i-receive-from-the-left-the-right-and/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. 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