Navigating Principles and Expediency in Business and Life

This short, cynical, yet insightful statement by W. Somerset Maugham isn't 

The Statement: "The most useful thing about a principle is that it can always be sacrificed to expediency."

Author: W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) - A British playwright, novelist, and short story writer known for his cynical and often biting observations on human nature and society. This context is important because it aligns with the tone of the statement.

• Expediency (or Expedience):
  • The quality of being convenient and practical despite possibly being improper or immoral.
  • The quality of being suitable or appropriate to the purpose or situation; fitness to purpose.
  • Often refers to what is most practical, advantageous, or convenient in a given situation, even if it goes against a stated principle. It's about achieving an immediate, practical goal.

Maugham is making a profoundly cynical, yet arguably realistic, observation about human behavior and decision-making. He suggests that:

1. Principles are often secondary to practical concerns: While people may espouse principles and claim to live by them, when faced with a situation where upholding a principle is difficult, inconvenient, or detrimental to their immediate goals, they will often set that principle aside.
2. The "usefulness" of a principle is its flexibility: Paradoxically, Maugham implies that a principle's greatest utility isn't its rigidity, but its malleability. It's "useful" precisely because it can be discarded when it becomes a hindrance. This is a very jaded view, suggesting principles are not absolute moral anchors but rather adjustable guidelines.
3. Human nature prioritizes self-interest or immediate gain: The statement hints that people are more driven by what is practical and beneficial in the short term (expediency) than by abstract moral or ethical commitments (principles).
4. A critique of hypocrisy: The aphorism can be read as a subtle jab at hypocrisy – the gap between what people say they believe (their principles) and how they actually behave (their expediency).

Why is it "useful"?

Maugham's use of "useful" is key to the cynicism. He's not saying it's morally good to sacrifice principles. Instead, he's saying that from a purely pragmatic, often self-serving perspective, the ability to discard a principle makes life easier, allows one to navigate difficult situations, and potentially achieve desired outcomes that might otherwise be blocked by rigid adherence to an ideal.

Examples in Real Life:

• A politician who campaigns on a strong stance against a certain policy, but then votes for it because it's politically expedient for their career or party.
• A business owner who claims to prioritize ethical labor practices, but then compromises on them to cut costs and increase profits.
• An individual who preaches honesty but tells a white lie to avoid an awkward social situation.

Maugham's statement is a powerful, albeit dark, commentary on the human tendency to prioritize practical advantage over abstract ideals. It forces us to question the true strength of our convictions and the extent to which we are willing to compromise our values when faced with the demands of reality. It's a reminder that principles, while often espoused, are frequently tested and sometimes abandoned in the face of what is perceived as "expedient."

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