Go forward with joyful confidence.
George EliotRead
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Embrace your work and take pride in it, rather than constantly desiring something else.
George Eliot emphasizes the importance of finding joy and pride in one's work rather than being distracted by the desire for leisure or comparing oneself negatively to others. True fulfillment comes from engaging fully with what you do and valuing your efforts, as they contribute to your growth and identity.
Themes
WorkPrideLovePassionEmbodiment
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech about career fulfillment.
More from George Eliot
All quotes →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
Perhaps the most delightful friendships are those in which there is much agreement, much disputation, and yet more personal liking.
George EliotRead
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