"Money is the string with which a sardonic destiny directs the motions of its puppets"

W. Somerset Maugham’s observation captures the pervasive and sometimes ruthless role of money in shaping human fate and behavior. By comparing money to a string, he invokes the image of puppeteers and puppets, suggesting a lack of autonomy among individuals whose lives are governed by financial needs or ambitions. The metaphor draws attention to the way in which people, much like puppets, are maneuvered by an external force, one that is both intangible and omnipresent in everyday life.

The use of the word "sardonic" to describe destiny intensifies the underlying cynicism. Sardonic implies both irony and a kind of bitter amusement, as if destiny takes a certain grim pleasure in manipulating individuals. In this worldview, destiny is not a benevolent or neutral force but an almost mocking presence, orchestrating events with money as its primary tool for control. Human desires, decisions, and actions become mere reactions to the pull and tug of monetary influence, reducing depth and agency in human existence.

Maugham’s metaphor speaks to the idea that much of what happens in life, choices, relationships, values, is dictated by financial circumstance rather than by independent will or moral conviction. The image evokes a sense of entrapment; people are compelled to dance to the tune of financial necessity, often against their better judgments or desires. On a broader scale, it can be seen as commentary on the socioeconomic structures that determine individual destiny beyond personal merit or effort. By presenting money as both a powerful motivator and a binding constraint, Maugham questions the integrity of free will and highlights the darker, manipulative aspects of society’s relationship with wealth. The statement is thus a sharp critique of the dehumanizing effects of materialism and the ironic, sometimes cruel, way fate plays with human lives.