George Eliot

All meanings, we know, depend on the key of interpretation.

Men's men: gentle or simple, they're much of a muchness.

We hand folks over to God's mercy, and show none ourselves.

Might, could, would - they are contemptible auxiliaries.

Debasing the moral currency

Perhaps the most delightful friendships are those in which there is much agreement, much disputation, and yet more personal liking.

Mighty is the force of motherhood! It transforms all things by its vital heat.

A mother's yearning feels the presence of the cherished child even in the degraded man.

But the mother's yearning, that completest type of the life in another life which is the essence of real human love, feels the presence of the cherished child even in the debased, degraded man.

There is no feeling, except the extremes of fear and grief, that does not find relief in music.