W. Somerset Maugham
"Imagination grows by exercise and contrary to common belief is more powerful in the mature than in the young."
109 Quotes
"Imagination grows by exercise and contrary to common belief is more powerful in the mature than in the young."
"تنمو المخيلة بالمران، وهي على خلاف ما يُعتقد، أشد قوة في الناضجين منها في اليافعين."
W. Somerset Maugham
"American women expect to find in their husbands a perfection that English women only hope to find in their butlers."
"تتوقع المرأة الأمريكية أن تجد في زوجها كمالاً لا تأمل المرأة الإنجليزية في العثور عليه إلا في خادمها الخاص."
W. Somerset Maugham
"The greatest tragedy of life is not that men perish but that they cease to love."
"أعظم مآسي الحياة ليست في فناء البشر، بل في توقفهم عن الحب."
W. Somerset Maugham
"Tradition is a guide and not a jailer."
"التقاليد هادٍ لا سجان."
W. Somerset Maugham
"Dinner a time when . . . one should eat wisely but not too well and talk well but not too wisely."
"العشاء... وقتٌ يحسُن فيه الأكل بحكمة لا بإفراط، والحديث ببراعة لا بتعقّلٍ مفرط."
W. Somerset Maugham
"There is only one thing about which I am certain and this is that there is very little about which one can be certain."
"الشيء الوحيد الذي أتيقنه هو أن اليقين قليل جداً في كل شيء."
W. Somerset Maugham
"Like all weak men he laid an exaggerated stress on not changing one's mind."
"إنّه، ككلّ ضعيف، كان يشدّد مبالغًا على عدم تغيير الرأي."
W. Somerset Maugham
"Like all weak men he laid an exaggerated stress on not changing one's mind."
"<thinking>
The user wants an eloquent Arabic (Fusha) translation of the English quote: "Like all weak men he laid an exaggerated stress on not changing one's mind."
I need to capture the following nuances:
1. **"Like all weak men"**: This implies a characteristic trait of weak individuals.
2. **"he laid an exaggerated stress on"**: This means he overemphasized, or gave undue importance to.
3. **"not changing one's mind"**: This refers to steadfastness or obstinacy, often mistaken for strength.
Let's break down potential Arabic equivalents for each part:
* **"Like all weak men"**:
* كشأن جميع الضعفاء (As is the way of all weak ones) - good, idiomatic.
* كعادة الرجال الضعفاء (As is the habit of weak men) - also good.
* شأنه شأن كل ضعيف (His way is like the way of every weak one) - slightly more direct.
* أو كغيره من الضعفاء (Or like others among the weak) - less strong.
* أميل towards "كشأن جميع الضعفاء" or "كعادة الضعفاء". "كشأن جميع الضعفاء" feels more literary.
* **"he laid an exaggerated stress on"**:
* أولى اهتمامًا مبالغًا فيه لـ (He gave exaggerated attention to) - literal but a bit clunky.
* شدد بشكل مبالغ فيه على (He emphasized excessively on) - good.
* بالغ في التشديد على (He exaggerated in emphasizing on) - also good.
* أفرط في التمسك بـ (He overdid in adhering to) - good for the "not changing mind" part.
* أضفى أهمية مبالغًا فيها على (He bestowed exaggerated importance upon) - very eloquent.
* أرى "بالغ في التشديد على" or "أضفى أهمية مبالغًا فيها على" as strong contenders. "أضفى أهمية مبالغًا فيها على" has a nice flow.
* **"not changing one's mind"**:
* عدم تغيير رأيه (Not changing his opinion) - literal, a bit plain.
* الثبات على الرأي (Steadfastness on opinion) - implies a positive trait, but the context is negative (exaggerated stress).
* التمسك بالرأي (Adherence to opinion) - good.
* عدم التراجع عن موقفه (Not retreating from his stance) - good.
* عدم العدول عن رأيه (Not retracting his opinion) - very good and common in Fusha.
* الجمود على الرأي (Rigidity on opinion) - captures the negative connotation well.
* عدم التبديل في الرأي (Not changing in opinion) - less common.
Let's try combining:
Attempt 1 (more literal but aiming for eloquence):
كشأن جميع الضعفاء، بالغ في التشديد على عدم تغيير رأيه.
(Like the way of all weak ones, he exaggerated in emphasizing not changing his opinion.) - Good, but can be more poetic.
Attempt 2 (focus on "أضفى أهمية"):
كشأن جميع الضعفاء، أضفى أهمية مبالغًا فيها على عدم العدول عن رأيه.
(Like the way of all weak ones, he bestowed exaggerated importance upon not retracting his opinion.) - This is quite good. "عدم العدول عن رأيه" is very idiomatic for "not changing one's mind."
Attempt 3 (using "الجمود" for the negative connotation):
كشأن كل ضعيف، بالغ في التمسك بالجمود على الرأي.
(Like the way of every weak one, he exaggerated in adhering to rigidity on opinion.) - "الجمود على الرأي" is strong, but "التمسك بالجمود" might be slightly redundant.
Attempt 4 (revisiting "أفرط في التمسك"):
كشأن جميع الضعفاء، أفرط في التمسك بعدم تغيير الرأي.
(Like the way of all weak ones, he overdid in adhering to not changing opinion.) - "أفرط في التمسك" is good. "عدم تغيير الرأي" is okay, but "عدم العدول" is more refined.
Let's refine Attempt 2:
"Like all weak men" -> "كشأن كل ضعيف" (more concise than "جميع الضعفاء" and still captures the generality).
"he laid an exaggerated stress on" -> "أضفى أهمية مبالغًا فيها على" (very elegant) or "بالغ في التمسك بـ" (also good).
"not changing one's mind" -> "عدم العدول عن رأيه" (perfect).
Let's try "بالغ في التمسك بـ" with "عدم العدول عن رأيه":
كشأن كل ضعيف، بالغ في التمسك بعدم العدول عن رأيه.
(Like the way of every weak one, he exaggerated in adhering to not retracting his opinion.) - This is very strong and concise. "بالغ في التمسك بـ" perfectly captures "laid an exaggerated stress on" in the context of an idea or principle.
Let's compare with "أضفى أهمية مبالغًا فيها على":
كشأن كل ضعيف، أضفى أهمية مبالغًا فيها على عدم العدول عن رأيه.
(Like the way of every weak one, he bestowed exaggerated importance upon not retracting his opinion.) - Both are excellent. "بالغ في التمسك بـ" feels a bit more active and direct in conveying the "stress" or "adherence." "أضفى أهمية" is more about the *value* he placed. The original "laid an exaggerated stress on" leans more towards active emphasis/adherence.
So, "بالغ في التمسك بـ" seems slightly better for "laid an exaggerated stress on."
Final check:
"Like all weak men" -> "كشأن كل ضعيف" (or "كشأن الضعفاء جميعًا" if I want to keep "all" more explicit, but "كل ضعيف" implies "all weak men" in this context). "كشأن كل ضعيف" is more concise and elegant.
"he laid an exaggerated stress on" -> "بالغ في التمسك بـ" (captures the overemphasis and adherence).
"not changing one's mind" -> "عدم العدول عن رأيه" (idiomatic and precise).
The sentence flows well: "كشأن كل ضعيف، بالغ في التمسك بعدم العدول عن رأيه."
This captures the meaning, tone, and poetic quality.
It avoids literalism and focuses on the deeper meaning.
It uses eloquent Fusha."
W. Somerset Maugham
"A woman can forgive a man for the harm he does her . . . but she can never forgive him for the sacrifices he makes on her account."
"تستطيع المرأة أن تغفر للرجل الأذى الذي يلحقه بها، لكنها لا تستطيع أبدًا أن تغفر له التضحيات التي يقدمها من أجلها."
W. Somerset Maugham
"Beauty is an ecstacy it is as simple as hunger. There is really nothing to be said about it."
"الجمال نشوة، وهو بسيط كالجوع. لا قول فيه حقًا."
W. Somerset Maugham
"Something wonderful and strange that the artist fashions out of the chaos of the world in the torment of his soul."
"شيء بديع وغريب يصوغه الفنان من فوضى العالم في عذابات روحه."
W. Somerset Maugham
"Love is what happens to men and women who don't know each other."
"الحب ما يقع بين رجال ونساء لا يعرفون بعضهم."
W. Somerset Maugham
"We do not write as we want but as we can."
"لا نكتب ما نشتهي، بل ما نستطيع."
W. Somerset Maugham
"I am willing to take life as a game of chess in which the first rules are not open to discussion. No one asks why the knight is allowed his eccentric hop, why the castle may only go straight and the bishop obliquely. These things are to be accepted, and with these rule the game must be played: it is foolish to complain of them."
"أنا على استعداد لأن أرى الحياة كلعبة شطرنج، قواعدها الأولية ليست مطروحة للنقاش. لا أحد يتساءل لمَ يُسمح للحصان بقفزته الغريبة، أو لمَ لا يتحرك الرخ إلا مستقيمًا، والفيل إلا قطريًا. هذه أمور يجب تقبلها، وبهذه القواعد يجب أن تُلعب اللعبة؛ فمن الحماقة الشكوى منها."
W. Somerset Maugham
"There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are."
"هناك ثلاث قواعد لكتابة الرواية. للأسف، لا أحد يعرف ما هي."
W. Somerset Maugham
"It is an illusion that youth is happy, an illusion of those who have lost it; but the young know they are wretched for they are full of the truthless ideal which have been instilled into them, and each time they come in contact with the real, they are bruised and wounded. It looks as if they were victims of a conspiracy; for the books they read, ideal by the necessity of selection, and the conversation of their elders, who look back upon the past through a rosy haze of forgetfulness, prepare them for an unreal life. They must discover for themselves that all they have read and all they have been told are lies, lies, lies; and each discovery is another nail driven into the body on the cross of life."
"إن سعادة الشباب وهم، وهم من فاته؛ أما الشباب فيدركون شقاءهم، لأنهم مفعمون بالمثل الزائفة التي غرست فيهم، وكلما لامسوا الحقيقة، رضوا وجرحوا. كأنهم ضحايا مؤامرة؛ فالكتب التي يطالعونها، مثالية بحكم ما يُنتقى منها، وأحاديث شيوخهم، الذين ينظرون إلى الماضي عبر غشاوة وردية من النسيان، تعدهم لحياة وهمية. ولا بد لهم أن يكتشفوا بأنفسهم أن كل ما طالعوه وكل ما قيل لهم محض أكاذيب، أكاذيب، أكاذيب؛ وكل اكتشاف هو مسمار آخر يُدَقُّ في الجسد المصلوب على صليب الحياة."
W. Somerset Maugham
Of Human Bondage
"He did not care if she was heartless, vicious and vulgar, stupid and grasping, he loved her. He would rather have misery with one than happiness with the other."
"لم يبالِ إن كانت قاسية القلب، شريرة وفجة، غبية وطماعة؛ فقد أحبها. كان يفضل الشقاء معها على السعادة مع غيرها."
W. Somerset Maugham
Of Human Bondage
"Himself an ugly man, insignificantof appearance, he prized very highly comeliness in others."
"كان هو نفسه قبيحاً، ضئيل الشأن في مظهره، لكنه كان يقدّر الجمال في الآخرين تقديراً عالياً جداً."
W. Somerset Maugham
"Often the best way to overcome desire is to satisfy it."
"كثيرًا ما تكون أفضل طريقة للتغلب على الرغبة هي إشباعها."
W. Somerset Maugham
"I prefer a loose woman to a selfish one and a wanton to a fool."
"أُفَضِّلُ المرأةَ المُتَسَيِّبَةَ على الأنانية، والفاجرةَ على الحمقاء."
W. Somerset Maugham
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