"When we get to wishing a great deal for ourselves, whatever we get soon turns into mere limitation and exclusion."

Wisdom

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Insight & Reflection

The theme of wisdom is universal, yet George Eliot manages to capture its essence in a uniquely profound way. Taking a moment to internalize this can shift our mindset, reminding us that our perspective on wisdom often shapes our reality.

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.

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

More by George Eliot

"It is a unyielding truth that stillness is not emptiness; it is the presence of unencumbered clarity — an essential principle for the reflective life."

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"Clear thinking requires courage even more than intellect. For where clarity resides, peace inevitably follows."

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More about Wisdom

"I'm trying to get a thicker skin. I like to be aware of people's perceptions of me, but when you put it as a priority, as a means to judging your worth, that's when it can be dangerous."

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