Skip to content

We mortals sometimes cut a pitiable figure in our attempts at display. We may be sure of our own merits, yet fatally ignorant of the point of view from which we are regarded by our neighbour. Our fine patterns in tattooing may be far from throwing him into a swoon of admiration, though we turn ourselves all round to show them.

— George Eliot Felix Holt, the Radical (1866)

Another quote →

More quotes by George Eliot

The blessed work of helping the world forward, happily does not wait to be done by perfect men.

Blessed is the man who, having nothing to say, abstains from giving us wordy evidence of the fact.

The happiest women, like the happiest nations, have no history.

The Mill on the Floss (1860)

Every man who is not a monster, a mathematician, or a mad philosopher, is the slave of some woman or other.

Howiver, I'm not denyin' the women are foolish: God Almighty made 'em to match the men.

Adam Bede (1859)

All George Eliot quotes →

Attribution

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