Go forward with joyful confidence.
George EliotRead
Blessed is the man, who having nothing to say, abstains from giving wordy evidence of the fact.
Interpretation
What this quote means
It is wise to remain silent when one has nothing of value to contribute.
This quote by George Eliot emphasizes the virtue of silence and restraint in conversation. It suggests that rather than feeling compelled to speak or fill the air with words, a wise person knows when to hold their tongue, thereby demonstrating the strength of their character and understanding of the situation at hand.
Themes
SilenceWisdomRestraintConversationCommunication
In practice
Example use cases
During a meeting where opinions may clash, I recalled Eliot's wisdom to stay quiet and listen.
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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