"An idea is a delicate seed; water it with curiosity and protect it from cynicism. In this truth lies the bedrock of all virtue."

Food

Create & Download Quote Image

Select Template

Insight & Reflection

This reflection on food by George Eliot resonates across generations. It highlights a fundamental truth about human nature: our continuous search for meaning in food is what ultimately defines our character and our path forward.

About George Eliot

Mary Ann Evans, known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, poet, journalist, translator, and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. She wrote seven novels: Adam Bede (1859), The Mill on the Floss (1860), Silas Marner (1861), Romola (1862–1863), Felix Holt, the Radical (1866), Middlemarch (1871–1872) and Daniel Deronda (1876). Her novels are known for their realism, psychological insight, sense of place, and detailed depiction of the countryside. Middlemarch was described by the novelist Virginia Woolf as "one of the few English novels written for grown-up people" and by Martin Amis and Julian Barnes as the greatest novel in the English language.

More quotes by George Eliot  ’
Editorial Note: This quote is curated and fact-checked by the Quotes Archive Editorial Team. Verified Literature Specialist.

More by George Eliot

"It seems to me we can never give up longing and wishing while we are thoroughly alive. There are certain things we feel to be beautiful and good, and we must hunger after them."

Read more  ’

More about Food

"It is a profound truth that an idea is a delicate seed; water it with curiosity and protect it from cynicism — an essential principle for the reflective life."

Read more  ’

"You know, if I listened to Michael Dukakis long enough, I would be convinced we're in an economic downturn and people are homeless and going without food and medical attention and that we've got to do something about the unemployed."

Read more  ’
View all Food quotes  ’