Quote by W. Somerset Maugham
A man who is a politician at forty is a statesman at three score and ten. It is at this age, when he would be too old to be a clerk or a gardener or a police-court magistrate, that he is ripe to govern a country.
Summary
This quote suggests that being a politician at a younger age may not necessarily make one a statesman. Instead, it implies that true statesmanship comes with time and experience. The quote further emphasizes that it is in one's later years, specifically around seventy, when individuals possess the maturity, wisdom, and skill necessary to effectively govern a nation. It implies that age brings with it a certain level of competence and ability that is indispensable in the field of politics.