Go forward with joyful confidence.
George EliotRead
What should I do—how should I act now, this very day . . . What she would resolve to do that day did not yet seem quite clear, but something that she could achieve stirred her as with an approaching murmur which would soon gather distinctness.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of taking decisive actions in the present, even when clarity is lacking.
George Eliot's quote reflects on the struggle of decision-making in the face of uncertainty. It conveys that while the future may not be entirely clear, the act of contemplating our actions for the day can spark motivation and lead us toward clarity. The 'murmur' that stirs one indicates an intrinsic drive, suggesting that taking any achievable step can help in the pursuit of purpose and understanding.
Themes
DecisionActionPresentPurposeClarity
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a motivational speech to inspire someone who is uncertain about their path.
More from George Eliot
All quotes →You 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 – 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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