George Eliot

The beginning of compunction is the beginning of a new life.

Who has not felt the beauty of a woman’s arm? The unspeakable suggestions of tenderness that lie in the dimpled elbow, and all the varied gently-lessening curves, down to the delicate wrist, with its tiniest, almost imperceptible nicks in the firm softness.

Breed is stronger than pasture.

I think I should have no other mortal wants, if I could always have plenty of music.

A friend is one to whom one may pour out the contents of one’s heart, chaff and grain together, knowing that gentle hands will take and sift it, keep what is worth keeping, and with a breath of kindness, blow the rest away.

Harold, like the rest of us, had many impressions which saved him the trouble of distinct ideas.

Every man believes that he has greater possibilities.

There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in.

We must beware of trying to build a society in which nobody counts for anything except a politician or an official, a society where enterprise gains no reward and thrift no privileges.

Beauty rests on necessities.

The sun is but a morning star.

There are a whole lot of things in this world of ours you haven’t started wondering about yet.

No comment is a splendid expression. I am using it again and again.

A man seldom thinks with more earnestness of anything than he does of his dinner.

How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours.

Be confident, not certain

The mob is man voluntarily descending to the nature of the beast. Its fit hour of activity is night. Its actions are insane like its whole constitution. It persecutes a principle; it would whip a right; it would tar and feather justice, by inflicting fire and outrage upon the houses and persons of those who have these. It resembles the prank of boys, who run with fire-engines to put out the ruddy aurora streaming to the stars.

I at least have so much to do in unraveling certain human lots, and seeing how they were woven and interwoven, that all the light I can command must be concentrated on this particular web, and not dispersed over that tempting range of relevancies called the universe.

Our moments of inspiration are not lost though we have no particular poem to show for them; for those experiences have left an indelible impression, and we are ever and anon reminded of them.

Do that which is assigned to you and you cannot hope too much or dare too much.

The end of life is to be like God, and the soul following God will be like Him.