1819-1880, British Novelist
But the mother's yearning, that completest type of the life in another life which is the essence of real human love, feels the presence of the cherished child even in the debased, degraded man.
George Eliot – [Mothers]
But what we call our despair is often only the painful eagerness of unfed hope.
George Eliot – [Despair]
Certainly, the mistakes that we male and female mortals make when we have our own way might fairly raise some wonder that we're so fond of it.
George Eliot – [Obstinacy]
Children demand that their heroes should be freckleless, and easily believe them so: perhaps a first discovery to the contrary is less revolutionary shock to a passionate child than the threatened downfall of habitual beliefs which makes the world seem to totter for us in maturer life.
George Eliot – [Heroes and Heroism]
Death is the king of this world: 'Tis his park where he breeds life to feed him. Cries of pain are music for his banquet
George Eliot – [Death and Dying]
Each thought is a nail that is driven In structures that cannot decay; And the mansion at last will be given To us as we build it each day.
George Eliot – [Thoughts and Thinking]
Errors look so very ugly in persons of small means –one feels they are taking quite a liberty in going astray; whereas people of fortune may naturally indulge in a few delinquencies.
George Eliot – [Mistakes]
Every woman is supposed to have the same set of motives, or else to be a monster.
George Eliot – [Motives]
Excellence encourages one about life generally; it shows the spiritual wealth of the world.
George Eliot – [Excellence]
Failure after long perseverance is much grander than never to have a striving good enough to be called a failure.
George Eliot – [Failure]
Few women, I fear, have had such reason as I have to think the long sad years of youth were worth living for the sake of middle age.
George Eliot – [Age and Aging]
For character too is a process and an unfolding… among our valued friends is there not someone or other who is a little too self confident and disdainful; whose distinguished mind is a little spotted with commonness; who is a little pinched here and protuberant there with native prejudices; or whose better energies are liable to lapse down the wrong channel under the influence of transient solicitations?
George Eliot – [Character]
For what is love itself, for the one we love best? An enfolding of immeasurable cares which yet are better than any joys outside our love.
George Eliot – [Love]
For what we call illusions are often, in truth, a wider vision of past and present realities –a willing movement of a man's soul with the larger sweep of the world's forces –a movement towards a more assured end than the chances of a single life.
George Eliot – [Illusion]
Friendships begin with liking or gratitude roots that can be pulled up.
George Eliot – [Friends and Friendship]
Genius at first is little more than a great capacity for receiving discipline.
George Eliot – [Genius]
Gossip is a sort of smoke that comes from the dirty tobacco-pipes of those who diffuse it: it proves nothing but the bad taste of the smoker.
George Eliot – [Gossip]
Great feelings will often take the aspect of error, and great faith the aspect of illusion.
George Eliot – [Appearance]
Harold, like the rest of us, had many impressions which saved him the trouble of distinct ideas.
George Eliot – [Ideas]
He was at a starting point which makes many a man's career a fine subject for betting, if there were any gentlemen given to that amusement who could appreciate the complicated probabilities of an arduous purpose, with all the possible thwartings and furtherings of circumstance, all the niceties of inward balance, by which a man swings and makes his point or else is carried headlong.
George Eliot – [Careers]
| Quotations 21 to 40 of 167 | First | < Previous | Next > | Last |