--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The author always loads his dice, but he…" description: "\"The author always loads his dice, but he must never let the reader see that he has done so, and by the manipulation of his plot, he can engage the read..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b57/w-somerset-maugham-237_attention_the-author-always-loads-his-dice-but-he_2891289.jpg" --- # The author always loads his dice, but he must never let… ![“The author always loads his dice, but he must never let the reader see that he has done so, and by the manipulation of his plot, he can engage the reader's attention so that he does not perceive the violence that has been done to him.” quote by W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b57/w-somerset-maugham-237_attention_the-author-always-loads-his-dice-but-he_2891289.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b57/w-somerset-maugham-237_attention_the-author-always-loads-his-dice-but-he_2891289.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b57/w-somerset-maugham-237_attention_the-author-always-loads-his-dice-but-he_2891289.jpg) > “The author always loads his dice, but he must never let the reader see that he has done so, and by the manipulation of his plot, he can engage the reader's attention so that he does not perceive the violence that has been done to him.” [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. An author subtly manipulates plot, keeping readers unaware of the crafted deception that guides their attention. **In simple terms:** Writers hide their tricks to keep readers engaged. Key Takeaway Notice narrative techniques. Themes storytelling manipulation reader engagement Mood analytical critical Type literary educational When to use this quote - novel writing - film scripts - marketing narratives - political messaging Key Concepts authorial intent plot control Questions to Reflect On - How does hidden manipulation affect trust? - When is it acceptable? A Different Perspective Manipulation can be unethical if deceptive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Author Loads](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/author-loads-4061430/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Dice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dice/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Load](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/load/) [Manipulation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manipulation/) [Manipulation Plot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manipulation-plot-4061429/) [Perceive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perceive/) [Plot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plot/) [Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader/) [Reader Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader-attention-270481/) [Reader Manipulation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader-manipulation-4061428/) [Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence/) ## Related quotes > [The author always loads his dice, but he must never let the reader see that he has done so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/the-author-always-loads-his-dice-but-he-must-never-let-the-reader-see/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [Character design, like story design, requires a hook to grab the reader's attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-naifeh/character-design-like-story-design-requires-a-hook-to-grab-the-reader/) [Ted Naifeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-naifeh/) > [“Lolita... is undeniably news in the world of books. Unfortunately, it is bad news. There are two equally serious reasons why it isn't worth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orville-prescott/lolita-is-undeniably-news-in-the-world-of-books-unfortunately-it-is/) [Orville Prescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orville-prescott/) > [To hold the reader's attention, you have to bring the person who's reading the book inside the experience of the time: What was it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/to-hold-the-reader-s-attention-you-have-to-bring-the-person-who-s/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [“The writer's object should be to hold the reader's attention. I want the reader to turn the page and keep on turning until the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-w-tuchman/the-writer-s-object-should-be-to-hold-the-reader-s-attention-i-want/) [Barbara W. Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-w-tuchman/) > [The writer's object is - or should be - to hold the reader's attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-writer-s-object-is-or-should-be-to-hold-the-reader-s-attention/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Remember that the reader's attention is yours for only a single instant. They will not use up their valuable time trying to figure out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-caples/remember-that-the-reader-s-attention-is-yours-for-only-a-single/) [John Caples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-caples/) > [Nothing detains the reader's attention more powerfully than deep involutions of distress, or sudden vicissitudes of fortune; and these might be abundantly afforded by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/nothing-detains-the-reader-s-attention-more-powerfully-than-deep/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“…the American reader cannot bear a surprise. He knows that this is the greatest country on earth…and evidence to the contrary is not admissible.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-american-reader-cannot-bear-a-surprise-he-knows-that-this-is-the/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Here's the problem: we are living in a time when the act of reading is changing. The nature of a reader's attention is changing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayad-akhtar/here-s-the-problem-we-are-living-in-a-time-when-the-act-of-reading-is/) [Ayad Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayad-akhtar/) > [“The reader is someone with an attention span of about 30 seconds.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/the-reader-is-someone-with-an-attention-span-of-about-30-seconds/) [William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/) > [But I care about the reader, and I'm trying to keep the reader's attention for as long as I can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/but-i-care-about-the-reader-and-i-m-trying-to-keep-the-reader-s/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [“Her personality had more sides than a set of dice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-donoghue/her-personality-had-more-sides-than-a-set-of-dice/) [Clare Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-donoghue/) > [God's dice always have a lucky roll.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/god-s-dice-always-have-a-lucky-roll/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [The happy medium is television. And if you find a good suitor, you can do it for years. With movies, you roll the dice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-campbell/the-happy-medium-is-television-and-if-you-find-a-good-suitor-you-can/) [Bruce Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-campbell/) ## 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 Attention quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [What people don't normally know about us is the hustle is very real, and it's sorely driven a lot by how we consider ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lzzy-hale/what-people-don-t-normally-know-about-us-is-the-hustle-is-very-real/) [Lzzy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lzzy-hale/) > [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/) [Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray. Thanksgiving will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-murray/let-us-thank-god-heartily-as-often-as-we-pray-that-we-have-his-spirit/) [Andy Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-murray/) > [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [We must have a welfare system that we can afford, which will mean giving greater attention to directing the welfare program toward its primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/we-must-have-a-welfare-system-that-we-can-afford-which-will-mean/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) > [The director's job should give you a sense of music without drawing attention to itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/the-director-s-job-should-give-you-a-sense-of-music-without-drawing/) [Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/) [Browse all 10,153 Attention quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The author always loads his dice, but he must never let the reader see that he has done so, and by the manipulation of his plot, he can engage the reader's attention so that he does not perceive the violence that has been done to him.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "W. Somerset Maugham" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/the-author-always-loads-his-dice-but-he-must-never-let-the-reader-see-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Attention" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/the-author-always-loads-his-dice-but-he-must-never-let-the-reader-see-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b57/w-somerset-maugham-237_attention_the-author-always-loads-his-dice-but-he_2891289.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b57/w-somerset-maugham-237_attention_the-author-always-loads-his-dice-but-he_2891289.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b57/w-somerset-maugham-237_attention_the-author-always-loads-his-dice-but-he_2891289.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The author always loads his dice, but he must never let the reader see that he has done so, and by the…” — 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": "The author always loads his dice,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/the-author-always-loads-his-dice-but-he-must-never-let-the-reader-see-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/the-author-always-loads-his-dice-but-he-must-never-let-the-reader-see-2/#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 } } ] } ```