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The selective instinct of the artist tells him when his language should be homely, and when it should be more elevated; and it is precisely in the imperceptible blending of the plain with the ornate that a great writer is distinguished.

— George Henry Lewes The Principles of Success in Literature (1865)

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More quotes by George Henry Lewes

Many a genius has been slow of growth. Oaks that flourish for a thousand years do not spring up into beauty like a reed.

The Spanish Drama (1846)

The history of the race is but that of the individual "writ large".

The Foundations of a Creed (1874)

Among the many strange servilities mistaken for pieties, one of the least lovely is that which hopes to flatter God by despising the world, and vilifying human nature.

The Foundations of a Creed (1874)

We must never assume that which is incapable of proof.

The moral nature of man is more sacred in my eyes than his intellectual nature.

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: George Henry Lewes (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.