Go forward with joyful confidence.
George EliotRead
Every woman is supposed to have the same set of motives, or else to be a monster.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights societal expectations for women to conform to a uniform set of motivations or face stigmatization.
George Eliot's quote reflects the rigid social norms imposed on women, suggesting that society often expects them to possess a commonality in their aspirations and desires. Deviating from this expected set of motives can lead to being labeled as 'monstrous,' illustrating a lack of acceptance for diversity in women's identities and ambitions. Eliot critiques this narrow view, advocating for the recognition of individuality and the complexity of human motivations.
Themes
WomenSocietyMotivesExpectationsIndividuality
In practice
Example use cases
In a women's rights seminar to emphasize the need for individuality beyond societal norms.
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
Similar quotes
When you feel confused or burdened by problems focus on THIS INSTANT and ask yourself: WHAT PROBLEM DO I HAVE RIGHT NOW? You will find that there is no problem NOW. A challenge that requires action, possibly, but not a problem.
Eckhart TolleRead
The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.
Henry David ThoreauRead
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Do you know who will go first on the Day of Resurrection to the shade of God...Those who when given what is right accept it, when asked for something give freely and who judge in favor of others as they do for themselves."
Muhammad Ibn Isa At-TirmidhiRead
The essence of the liberal outlook lies not in what opinions are held, but in how they are held; instead of being held dogmatically, they are held tentatively, and with a consciousness that new evidence may at any moment lead to their abandonment.
Bertrand RussellRead
The doctor sees all the weakness of mankind; the lawyer all the wickedness, the theologian all the stupidity.
Arthur SchopenhauerRead
We on Earth have just awakened to the great oceans of space and time from which we have emerged. We are the legacy of 15 billion years of cosmic evolution. We have a choice: We can enhance life and come to know the universe that made us, or we can squander our 15 billion-year heritage in meaningless self-destruction. What happens in the first second of the next cosmic year depends on what we do, here and now, with our intelligence and our knowledge of the cosmos.
Carl SaganRead