When gratitude has become a matter of reasoning there are many ways of escaping from its bonds. George Eliot More Quotes by George Eliot More Quotes From George Eliot History, we know, is apt to repeat itself, and to foist very old incidents upon us with only a slight change of costume. George Eliot repeatsincidentscostumes The nature o' things doesn't change, though it seems as if one's own life was nothing but change. George Eliot middlemarchifsseems The beauty of a lovely woman is like music ... the rounded neck, the dimpled arm, move us by something more than their prettiness--by their close kinship with all we have known of tenderness and peace. George Eliot lovelyarmsmoving Trouble's made us kin. George Eliot troublemade So much of our early gladness vanishes utterly from our memory: we can never recall the joy with which we laid our heads on our mother's bosom or rode on our father's back in childhood; doubtless that joy is wrought up into our nature, as the sunlight of long-past mornings is wrought up in the soft mellowness of the apricot; but it is gone forever from our imagination, and we can only believe in the joy of childhood. George Eliot mothermorningmemories Ah, I often think it's wi' th' old folks as it is wi' the babies; they're satisfied wi' looking, no matter what they're looking at. It's God A'mighty's way o' quietening 'em, I reckon, afore they go to sleep. George Eliot sleepbabythinking As to people saying a few idle words about us, we must not mind that, any more than the old church steeple minds the rooks cawing about it. George Eliot gossipmindpeople The beginning of hardship is like the first taste of bitter food--it seems for a moment unbearable; yet, if there is nothing else to satisfy our hunger, we take another bite and find it possible to go on. George Eliot unbearabletastefirsts There are various orders of beauty, causing men to make fools of themselves in various styles. George Eliot stylemenorder I don't remember ever being see-saw, when I'd made my mind up that a thing was wrong. It takes the taste out o' my mouth for things, when I know I should have a heavy conscience after 'em. I've seen pretty clear, ever since I could cast up a sum, as you can never do what's wrong without breeding sin and trouble more than you can ever see. It's like a bit o' bad workmanship--you never see th' end o' the mischief it'll do. And it's a poor look-out to come into the world to make your fellow creatures worse off instead o' better. George Eliot should-havemindlooks It is the moment when our resolution seems about to become irrevocable--when the fatal iron gates are about to close upon us--that tests our strength. Then, after hours of clear reasoning and firm conviction, we snatch at any sophistry that will nullify our long struggles, and bring us the defeat that we love better than victory. George Eliot ironstrugglelove-is Veracity is a plant of paradise, and the seeds have never flourished beyond the walls. George Eliot paradisewalltruth What are a handful of reasonable men against a crowd with stones in their hands? George Eliot stonesmenhands Satan was a blunderer ... who made a stupendous failure. If he had succeeded, we should all have been worshipping him, and his portrait would have been more flattering. George Eliot portraitssatanmade Nature has the deep cunning which hides itself under the appearance of openness, so that simple people think they can see through her quite well, and all the while she is secretly preparing a refutation of their confident prophecies. George Eliot simplepeoplethinking The sublime delight of truthful speech to one who has the great gift of uttering it, will make itself felt even through the pangs of sorrow. George Eliot sublimespeechsorrow Often the soul is ripened into fuller goodness while age has spread an ugly film, so that mere glances can never divine the preciousness of the fruit. George Eliot uglysoulage The light can be a curtain as well as the darkness. George Eliot curtainslightdarkness I love not to be choked with other men's thoughts. George Eliot men Speech is often barren; but silence also does not necessarily brood over a full nest. George Eliot nestsspeechsilence
