George Eliot

Novelist, Poet, Journalist

George Eliot was a pioneering English novelist known for her deep psychological insight and exploration of social issues in works like Middlemarch.

Born
November 22, 1819
Died
December 22, 1880
Quotes
1K
Rank
#75

About George Eliot

George Eliot — Life and Legacy

George Eliot, the pen name of Mary Ann Evans, was a significant figure in Victorian literature, renowned for her profound psychological insight and exploration of complex social issues. Her major work, Middlemarch, intricately weaves themes of love, ambition, and societal constraints, reflecting her belief in the depth of human experience. Eliot's quotes often reveal her keen understanding of the human condition; for instance, she stated, 'It is never too late to be what you might have been,' emphasizing the potential for personal transformation. This perspective not only challenges the constraints of her time but also resonates with contemporary readers seeking self-improvement and agency. Eliot's intellectual stance often highlighted the tension between individual desires and societal expectations, as seen in her assertion that 'The strongest principle of growth lies in human choice.' This belief underscores her conviction that individuals possess the power to shape their destinies through their choices, a revolutionary idea for women in the 19th century. Her exploration of love, particularly its complexities and moral implications, sets her apart from her contemporaries, as she delved into the emotional struggles and ethical dilemmas faced by her characters. Today, Eliot's quotes continue to inspire reflection on personal growth and the intricate dynamics of love and truth. Her ability to articulate the inner conflicts of her characters allows readers to connect deeply with her insights, making her work enduringly relevant in discussions of identity and morality.

Quote collection

George Eliot quotes (page 1 of 51)

1K quotes — follow a thought to its full quote page.

George Eliot Novelist, Poet, Journalist
Popular

"It is never too late, no matter how old you get because anytime or any point in your life you can always have a chance to make a difference. You can always make a change for the better no matter what background you derived from. You can always do your best and be all that you can be because you will always be uniquely you. It is why it is always wise to listen to your eternal heart, your eternal instincts, and what it had always strove for and/or to do because really anybody can make a difference not only in their own lives but in the lives of others. It is never too late to shine; never."

Read quote 583 likes
George Eliot Novelist, Poet, Journalist
Popular

"Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person; having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but to pour them all out, just as they are, chaff and grain together, knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then, with a breath of kindness, blow the rest away."

Read quote 154 likes
George Eliot Novelist, Poet, Journalist
Popular

"Animals are such agreeable friends - they ask no questions; they pass no criticisms."

Read quote 128 likes
George Eliot Novelist, Poet, Journalist
Popular

"A man's a man. But when you see a king, you see the work of many thousand men."

Read quote 96 likes
George Eliot Novelist, Poet, Journalist
Popular

"Only in the agony of parting do we look into the depths of love."

Read quote 88 likes
George Eliot Novelist, Poet, Journalist
Popular

"The rich ate and drank freely, accepting gout and apoplexy as things that ran mysteriously in respectable families."

Read quote 79 likes
George Eliot Novelist, Poet, Journalist
Popular

"Don't you meddle with me, and I won't meddle with you."

Read quote 67 likes
George Eliot Novelist, Poet, Journalist
Popular

"Would not love see returning penitence afar off, and fall on its neck and kiss it?"

Read quote 64 likes
George Eliot Novelist, Poet, Journalist
Popular

"No story is the same to us after a lapse of time; or rather we who read it are no longer the same interpreters."

Read quote 62 likes
George Eliot Novelist, Poet, Journalist
Popular

"That by desiring what is perfectly good, even when we don't quite know what it is and cannot do what we would, we are part of the divine power against evil -- widening the skirts of light and making the struggle with darkness narrower."

Read quote 55 likes
George Eliot Novelist, Poet, Journalist
Popular

"The years between fifty and seventy are the hardest. You are always being asked to do things, and yet you are not decrepit enough to turn them down."

Read quote 53 likes
George Eliot Novelist, Poet, Journalist
Popular

"An ass may bray a good while before he shakes the stars down."

Read quote 52 likes
George Eliot Novelist, Poet, Journalist
Popular

"The most solid comfort one can fall back upon is the thought that the business of one's life is to help in some small way to reduce the sum of ignorance, degradation and misery on the face of this beautiful earth."

Read quote 52 likes
George Eliot Novelist, Poet, Journalist
Popular

"Our dead are never dead to us, until we have forgotten them."

Read quote 52 likes
George Eliot Novelist, Poet, Journalist
Popular

"But the effect of her being on those around her was incalculably diffusive: for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs."

Read quote 51 likes