Only those who know the supremacy of the intellectual lifeโโthe life which has a seed of ennobling thought and purpose withinโโcan understand the grief of one who falls from that serene activity into the absorbing soul-wasting struggle with worldly annoyances.
George EliotHobbies are apt to run away with us, you know; it doesn't do to be run away with. We must keep the reins.
George Eliot... when one's outward lot is perfect, the sense of inward imperfection is the more pressing.
George Eliot