It may be that if I lead the life I've planned for myself it may affect others; the effect may be no greater than the ripple caused by a stone thrown in a pond, but one ripple causes another. -- W. Somerset Maugham
I've only read one book by Maugham, The Razor's Edge, and it turned me on to a genre of books that I really enjoy that deal with mysticism and Eastern thought. It was a bit of a departure from Maugham's other writings and it was before its time in a way as about a decade later the Beats popularized writing about the East. It revolves around the travels of an American World War II veteran who returns from the war lethargic after losing his friend in battle. He eventually moves to Paris as an expatriate, then travels on to the Far East where he finds spirituality and ultimately happiness. The book has been portrayed on screen a couple of times, one of which being a movie that Bill Murray starred in and was deeply passionate about. He co-wrote the screenplay and signed on to Ghostbusters with Columbia Pictures promising to greenlight the flick.