When he was 64, writer W. Somerset Maugham said: “Imagination grows by exercise, and contrary to common belief, is more powerful in the mature than in the young.”
The metaphor involves exercise, which is related to practice. We all know what he means. The weightlifter gets stronger with repeated exercise. The long-distance runner gets stronger with exercise. The athlete gets stronger and better with training, conditioning, practice.
I like to think of myself as a writer. But it’s been a while since I hit the gym of the imagination.
• The quotation is from Maugham’s memoir, The Summing Up, first published in 1938. My friend Joe Murray recommended it to me years ago.
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