Go forward with joyful confidence.
George EliotRead
Character is not cut in marble - it is not something solid and unalterable. It is something living and changing, and may become diseased as our bodies do.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Character is fluid and can change over time, just like the human body.
This quote by George Eliot conveys the idea that character is not a fixed trait like a statue carved in marble; rather, it is a dynamic and evolving aspect of our identity. Just as our physical bodies can experience growth, decay, and change, so too can our character be shaped by our experiences, thoughts, and choices, highlighting the importance of self-awareness and personal development.
Themes
CharacterChangeGrowthDynamicSelf-Development
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about personal growth, one might say, 'As George Eliot reminds us, character is not cut in marble; it is always evolving.'
More from George Eliot
All quotes βYou must love your work, and not be always looking over the edge of it, wanting your play to begin. And the other is, you must not be ashamed of your work, and think it would be more honorable to you to be doing something else. You must have a pride in your own work and in learning to do it well.
George EliotRead
She thought it was part of the hardship of her life that there was laid upon her the burthen of larger wants than others seemed to feel β that she had to endure this wide hopeless yearning for that something, whatever it was, that was greatest and best on this earth.
George EliotRead
Life seems to go on without effort when I am filled with music.
George EliotRead
I think I should have no other mortal wants, if I could always have plenty of music. It seems to infuse strength into my limbs and ideas into my brain. Life seems to go on without effort, when I am filled with music.
George EliotRead
Our dead are never dead to us until we have forgotten them: they can be injured by us, they can be wounded; they know all our penitence, all our aching sense that their place is empty, all the kisses we bestow on the smallest relic of their presence.
George EliotRead
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Our faith in others betrays that we would rather have faith in ourselves. Our longing for a friend is our betrayer. And often with our love we want merely to overcome envy. And often we attack and make ourselves enemies, to conceal that we are vulnerable.
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