--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He accepted the deformity which had made…" description: "\"“He accepted the deformity which had made life so hard for him; he knew that it had warped his character, but now he saw also that by reason of it he h..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a7/william-somerset-maugham-8684_introspection_he-accepted-the-deformity-which-had-made_2467221.jpg" --- # He accepted the deformity which had made life so hard for… ![“He accepted the deformity which had made life so hard for him; he knew that it had warped his character, but now he saw also that by reason of it he had acquired that power of introspection which had given him so much delight.” quote by William Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a7/william-somerset-maugham-8684_introspection_he-accepted-the-deformity-which-had-made_2467221.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a7/william-somerset-maugham-8684_introspection_he-accepted-the-deformity-which-had-made_2467221.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a7/william-somerset-maugham-8684_introspection_he-accepted-the-deformity-which-had-made_2467221.jpg) > ““He accepted the deformity which had made life so hard for him; he knew that it had warped his character, but now he saw also that by reason of it he had acquired that power of introspection which had given him so much delight.”” [William Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-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. He recognizes that his personal flaw, while painful, also grants him deep self‑awareness and joy. **In simple terms:** Flaw gave him insight and pleasure. Key Takeaway Embrace flaws as sources of growth. Themes self‑acceptance introspection growth Mood reflective hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal crisis - creative work - therapy Key Concepts psychology humanism Questions to Reflect On - How can you turn a personal weakness into a strength? - What does introspection bring you? A Different Perspective Flaws can also cause lasting distress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accepted Deformity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accepted-deformity-721594/) [Deformity Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deformity-life-721595/) [Given Delight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given-delight-721596/) [Introspection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/introspection/) [Introspection Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/introspection-given-721593/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [“He accepted the deformity which had made life so hard for him; he knew that it had warped his character, but no he saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maughamset-maugham/he-accepted-the-deformity-which-had-made-life-so-hard-for-him-he-knew/) [W. Somerset Maughamset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maughamset-maugham/) > [“Transformation begins with tearing down the old, stretching beyond the existing, and undergoing deformity to give life to an astounding form.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayita-bhattacharjee/transformation-begins-with-tearing-down-the-old-stretching-beyond-the/) [Jayita Bhattacharjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayita-bhattacharjee/) > [As a professional athlete and someone who has spent almost his entire life in boxing, not a day goes by when I don't think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-de-la-hoya/as-a-professional-athlete-and-someone-who-has-spent-almost-his-entire/) [Oscar De La Hoya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-de-la-hoya/) > [Introspection is a devouring monster. You have to feed it with much material, much experience, many people, many places, many loves, many creations, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/introspection-is-a-devouring-monster-you-have-to-feed-it-with-much/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [“...It often seemed to her that she thought too much about herself, you could have made her blush any day of the year, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/it-often-seemed-to-her-that-she-thought-too-much-about-herself-you/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [Many people dream of success. To me, success can only be achieved through repeated failure and introspection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soichiro-honda/many-people-dream-of-success-to-me-success-can-only-be-achieved/) [Soichiro Honda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soichiro-honda/) > [Creativity requires introspection, self-examination, and a willingness to take risks. Because of this, artists are perhaps more susceptible to self-doubt and despair than those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-maisel/creativity-requires-introspection-self-examination-and-a-willingness/) [Eric Maisel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-maisel/) > [“It takes a huge investment in introspection to learn that the thirty or more hours spent “studying” the news last month neither had any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/it-takes-a-huge-investment-in-introspection-to-learn-that-the-thirty/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [Wisdom can only come through honest introspection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/wisdom-can-only-come-through-honest-introspection/) [Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/) > [From childhood I was compelled to concentrate attention upon myself. This caused me much suffering, but to my present view, it was a blessing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/from-childhood-i-was-compelled-to-concentrate-attention-upon-myself/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [“introspection and self-analysis, a creative capacity, an ability to think under adverse circumstances, ethical behavior that assures avoiding acting out in the counter transference,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-f-kernberg/introspection-and-self-analysis-a-creative-capacity-an-ability-to/) [Otto F. Kernberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-f-kernberg/) > [No one seriously doubts Socrates' maxim: The unexamined life isn't worth living. Self-assessment and attempts at self-improvement are essential aspects of "the good life."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-burton/no-one-seriously-doubts-socrates-maxim-the-unexamined-life-isn-t/) [Robert A. Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-burton/) > [“We must be careful to let the Holy Spirit do this searching. If we try to search our own hearts, we are apt to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-bridges/we-must-be-careful-to-let-the-holy-spirit-do-this-searching-if-we-try/) [Jerry Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-bridges/) > [“Would you like yourself, if you met yourself?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/would-you-like-yourself-if-you-met-yourself/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [“Introspection means talking to yourself, and one of the best ways of talking to yourself is by talking to another person. One other person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-fagan/introspection-means-talking-to-yourself-and-one-of-the-best-ways-of/) [Kate Fagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-fagan/) ## More by William Somerset Maugham > [“You know, I don’t believe in churches and parsons and all that,” she said, “but I believe in God, and I don’t believe He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-somerset-maugham/you-know-i-don-t-believe-in-churches-and-parsons-and-all-that-she/) [William Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-somerset-maugham/) > [“It was the period in Germany of Goethe’s highest fame. Notwithstanding his rather condescending attitude towards patriotism he had been adopted as the national…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-somerset-maugham/it-was-the-period-in-germany-of-goethe-s-highest-fame-notwithstanding/) [William Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-somerset-maugham/) > [If people waited to know one another before they married, the world wouldn't be so grossly over-populated as it is now](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-somerset-maugham/if-people-waited-to-know-one-another-before-they-married-the-world/) [William Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-somerset-maugham/) > [“It was an exquisite memorial to that than which the world offers but one thing more precious, to a friendship; and as Philip looked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-somerset-maugham/it-was-an-exquisite-memorial-to-that-than-which-the-world-offers-but/) [William Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-somerset-maugham/) > [Money is like a sixth sense - and you can't make use of the other five without it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-somerset-maugham/money-is-like-a-sixth-sense-and-you-can-t-make-use-of-the-other-five/) [William Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-somerset-maugham/) > [“She knew nothing about children. After it was settled that Philip should come down to Blackstable, Mrs. Carey had thought much how she should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-somerset-maugham/she-knew-nothing-about-children-after-it-was-settled-that-philip/) [William Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-somerset-maugham/) > [“His heart went out to them. There was one quality which they had that he did not remember to have noticed in people before,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-somerset-maugham/his-heart-went-out-to-them-there-was-one-quality-which-they-had-that/) [William Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-somerset-maugham/) > [“Man has always found it easier to sacrifice his life than to learn the multiplication table.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-somerset-maugham/man-has-always-found-it-easier-to-sacrifice-his-life-than-to-learn/) [William Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-somerset-maugham/) > [“Philip came gradually to know the people he was to live with, and by fragments of conversation, some of it not meant for his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-somerset-maugham/philip-came-gradually-to-know-the-people-he-was-to-live-with-and-by/) [William Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-somerset-maugham/) > [“The bright hopes of youth had to be paid for at such a bitter price of disillusionment. Pain and disease and unhappiness weighed down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-somerset-maugham/the-bright-hopes-of-youth-had-to-be-paid-for-at-such-a-bitter-price/) [William Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-somerset-maugham/) > [“Then he saw that the normal was the rarest thing in the world. Everyone had some defect, of body or of mind: he thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-somerset-maugham/then-he-saw-that-the-normal-was-the-rarest-thing-in-the-world/) [William Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-somerset-maugham/) > [“Next morning on her way to the factory Liza came up with Sally. They were both of them rather stale and bedraggled after the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-somerset-maugham/next-morning-on-her-way-to-the-factory-liza-came-up-with-sally-they/) [William Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-somerset-maugham/) > [“He looked at the people walking about and envied them because they had friends; sometimes his envy turned to hatred because they were happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-somerset-maugham/he-looked-at-the-people-walking-about-and-envied-them-because-they/) [William Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-somerset-maugham/) > [Beauty is a bit of a bore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-somerset-maugham/beauty-is-a-bit-of-a-bore/) [William Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-somerset-maugham/) > [“Philip realised that they had done with life, these two quiet little people: they belonged to a past generation, and they were waiting there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-somerset-maugham/philip-realised-that-they-had-done-with-life-these-two-quiet-little/) [William Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-somerset-maugham/) [Explore all 74 William Somerset Maugham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-somerset-maugham/) ## More Introspection quotes > [As a professional athlete and someone who has spent almost his entire life in boxing, not a day goes by when I don't think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-de-la-hoya/as-a-professional-athlete-and-someone-who-has-spent-almost-his-entire/) [Oscar De La Hoya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-de-la-hoya/) > [“...It often seemed to her that she thought too much about herself, you could have made her blush any day of the year, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/it-often-seemed-to-her-that-she-thought-too-much-about-herself-you/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [“introspection and self-analysis, a creative capacity, an ability to think under adverse circumstances, ethical behavior that assures avoiding acting out in the counter transference,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-f-kernberg/introspection-and-self-analysis-a-creative-capacity-an-ability-to/) [Otto F. Kernberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-f-kernberg/) > [Introspection is a devouring monster. You have to feed it with much material, much experience, many people, many places, many loves, many creations, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/introspection-is-a-devouring-monster-you-have-to-feed-it-with-much/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [“Would you like yourself, if you met yourself?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/would-you-like-yourself-if-you-met-yourself/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [“We must be careful to let the Holy Spirit do this searching. If we try to search our own hearts, we are apt to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-bridges/we-must-be-careful-to-let-the-holy-spirit-do-this-searching-if-we-try/) [Jerry Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-bridges/) > [No one seriously doubts Socrates' maxim: The unexamined life isn't worth living. Self-assessment and attempts at self-improvement are essential aspects of "the good life."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-burton/no-one-seriously-doubts-socrates-maxim-the-unexamined-life-isn-t/) [Robert A. Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-burton/) > [“Introspection means talking to yourself, and one of the best ways of talking to yourself is by talking to another person. One other person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-fagan/introspection-means-talking-to-yourself-and-one-of-the-best-ways-of/) [Kate Fagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-fagan/) > [From childhood I was compelled to concentrate attention upon myself. This caused me much suffering, but to my present view, it was a blessing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/from-childhood-i-was-compelled-to-concentrate-attention-upon-myself/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [Wisdom can only come through honest introspection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/wisdom-can-only-come-through-honest-introspection/) [Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/) > [“It takes a huge investment in introspection to learn that the thirty or more hours spent “studying” the news last month neither had any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/it-takes-a-huge-investment-in-introspection-to-learn-that-the-thirty/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [Creativity requires introspection, self-examination, and a willingness to take risks. Because of this, artists are perhaps more susceptible to self-doubt and despair than those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-maisel/creativity-requires-introspection-self-examination-and-a-willingness/) [Eric Maisel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-maisel/) > [Many people dream of success. To me, success can only be achieved through repeated failure and introspection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soichiro-honda/many-people-dream-of-success-to-me-success-can-only-be-achieved/) [Soichiro Honda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soichiro-honda/) > [The more powerful and original a mind, the more it will incline towards the religion of solitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/the-more-powerful-and-original-a-mind-the-more-it-will-incline/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [“If you want to know the truth of who you are, walk until not a person knows your name. Travel is the great leveler,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/if-you-want-to-know-the-truth-of-who-you-are-walk-until-not-a-person/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) [Browse all 376 Introspection quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/introspection/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He accepted the deformity which had made life so hard for him; he knew that it had warped his character, but now he saw also that by reason of it he had acquired that power of introspection which had given him so much delight.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Somerset Maugham" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-somerset-maugham/he-accepted-the-deformity-which-had-made-life-so-hard-for-him-he-knew-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Introspection" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-somerset-maugham/he-accepted-the-deformity-which-had-made-life-so-hard-for-him-he-knew-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a7/william-somerset-maugham-8684_introspection_he-accepted-the-deformity-which-had-made_2467221.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a7/william-somerset-maugham-8684_introspection_he-accepted-the-deformity-which-had-made_2467221.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a7/william-somerset-maugham-8684_introspection_he-accepted-the-deformity-which-had-made_2467221.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He accepted the deformity which had made life so hard for him; he knew that it had warped his character, but…” — William 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": "William Somerset Maugham", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-somerset-maugham/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“He accepted the deformity which had...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-somerset-maugham/he-accepted-the-deformity-which-had-made-life-so-hard-for-him-he-knew-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-somerset-maugham/he-accepted-the-deformity-which-had-made-life-so-hard-for-him-he-knew-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 } } ] } ```