Quotes

“A woman's heart must be of such a size and no larger, else it must be pressed small, like Chinese feet; her happiness is to be made as cakes are, by a fixed recipe.” George Eliot

“Science is properly more scrupulous than dogma. Dogma gives a charter to mistake, but the very breath of science is a contest with mistake, and must keep the conscience alive.” George Eliot

“Will not a tiny speck very close to our vision blot out the glory of the world, and leave only a margin by which we see the blot? I know no speck so troublesome as self.” George Eliot

“Worldly faces never look so worldly as at a funeral. They have the same effect of grating incongruity as the sound of a coarse voice breaking the solemn silence of night.” George Eliot

“There are some cases in which the sense of injury breeds not the will to inflict injuries and climb over them as a ladder, but a hatred of all injury.” George Eliot

“I should like to know what is the proper function of women, if it is not to make reasons for husbands to stay at home, and still stronger reasons for bachelors to go out.” George Eliot

“Play not with paradoxes. That caustic which you handle in order to scorch others may happen to sear your own fingers and make them dead to the quality of things.” George Eliot

“Is it not rather what we expect in men, that they should have numerous strands of experience lying side by side and never compare them with each other?” George Eliot

“I'm proof against that word failure. I've seen behind it. The only failure a man ought to fear is failure of cleaving to the purpose he sees to be best.” George Eliot

“The best years of your life are the ones in which you decide your problems are your own. You do not blame them on your mother, the ecology, or the president. You realize that you control your own destiny.” Albert Ellis

“The art of love is largely the art of persistence.” Albert Ellis

“Acceptance is not love. You love a person because he or she has lovable traits, but you accept everybody just because they're alive and human.” Albert Ellis

“There are three musts that hold us back: I must do well. You must treat me well. And the world must be easy.” Albert Ellis

“By not caring too much about what people think, I'm able to think for myself and propagate ideas which are very often unpopular. And I succeed.” Albert Ellis

“There's no evidence whatsoever that men are more rational than women. Both sexes seem to be equally irrational.” Albert Ellis

“Self-esteem is the greatest sickness known to man or woman because it's conditional.” Albert Ellis

“I think it's unfair, but they have the right as fallible, screwed-up humans to be unfair; that's the human condition.” Albert Ellis

“You largely constructed your depression. It wasn't given to you. Therefore, you can deconstruct it.” Albert Ellis

“People don't just get upset. They contribute to their upsetness.” Albert Ellis

“I think the future of psychotherapy and psychology is in the school system. We need to teach every child how to rarely seriously disturb himself or herself and how to overcome disturbance when it occurs.” Albert Ellis

“We teach people that they upset themselves. We can't change the past, so we change how people are thinking, feeling and behaving today.” Albert Ellis

“People could rationally decide that prolonged relationships take up too much time and effort and that they'd much rather do other kinds of things. But most people are afraid of rejection.” Albert Ellis

“People have motives and thoughts of which they are unaware.” Albert Ellis

“I get people to truly accept themselves unconditionally, whether or not their therapist or anyone loves them.” Albert Ellis

“Most people would have given up when faced with all the criticism I've received over the years.” Albert Ellis

“People got insights into what was bothering them, but they hardly did a damn thing to change.” Albert Ellis

“Rational beliefs bring us closer to getting good results in the real world.” Albert Ellis

“If something is irrational, that means it won't work. It's usually unrealistic.” Albert Ellis

“For that again, is what all manner of religion essentially is: childish dependency.” Albert Ellis

“Freud had a gene for inefficiency, and I think I have a gene for efficiency.” Albert Ellis