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George Eliot Quotes about Writing

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The finest language is mostly made up of simple unimposing words.

The finest language is mostly made up of simple unimposing words.

George Eliot
Writing, Simple, Language Words

I don't want the world to give me anything for my books except money enough to save me from the temptation to write only for money.

George Eliot
Book, Writing, Giving
George Eliot (1954). “The George Eliot Letters: 1859-1861”

Life is too precious to be spent in this weaving and unweaving of false impressions, and it is better to live quietly under some degree of misrepresentation than to attempt to remove it by the uncertain process of letter-writing.

George Eliot
Life, Writing, Letters
Letter to Mrs Peter Taylor, 8 June 1856

The words of genius have a wider meaning than the thought that prompted them.

George Eliot
Writing, Genius
George Eliot (2005). “Four Novels of George Eliot”, p.244, Wordsworth Editions

I don't mind how many letters I receive from one who interests me as much as you do. The receptive part of correspondence I can carry on with much alacrity. It is writing answers that I groan over.

George Eliot
Writing, Mind, Answers
George Eliot (1860). “Life and Letters”, p.635

I have the conviction that excessive literary production is a social offence.

George Eliot
Writing, Conviction, Social
George Eliot (1860). “Life and Letters”, p.565

All writing seems to me worse in the state of proof than in any other form. In manuscript one's own wisdom is rather remarkable to one, but in proof it has the effect of one's private furniture repeated in the shop windows. And then there is the sense that the worst errors will go to press unnoticed!

George Eliot
Writing, Errors, Furniture
George Eliot (1955). “The George Eliot Letters: 1874-1877”

Letter-writing I imagine is counted as 'work' from which you must abstain, and I scribble this letter simply from the self-satisfied notion that you will like to hear from me. You see, I have asked no questions, which are the torture-screws of correspondence. Hence you have nothing to answer.

George Eliot
Writing, Self, Answers
George Eliot (1860). “Life and Letters”, p.671

I beg your pardon: correct English is the slang of prigs who write history and essays. And the strongest slang of all is the slang of poets.

George Eliot
Writing, Poet, Pardon
George Eliot (2015). “Middlemarch”, p.108, Booklassic

I have no courage to write much unless I am written to. I soon begin to think that there are plenty of other correspondents more interesting - so if you all want to hear from me you know the conditions.

George Eliot
Writing, Thinking, Interesting
George Eliot (1954). “The George Eliot Letters: 1836-1851”

I think the effective use of quotation is an important point in the art of writing. Given sparingly, quotations serve admirably as a climax or as a corroboration, but when they are long and frequent, they seriously weaken the effect of a book. We lose sight of the writer - he scatters our sympathy among others than himself - and the ideas which he himself advances are not knit together with our impression of his personality.

George Eliot
Art, Book, Writing

The worst service, I fancy, that anyone can do for truth, is to set silly people writing on its behalf.

George Eliot
Silly, Writing, People

People who write finely must not expect to be left in repose; they will be molested with thanks, at least.

George Eliot
Writing, People, Thanks
George Eliot (1954). “The George Eliot Letters: 1859-1861”

When one is grateful for something too good for common thanks, writing is less unsatisfactory than speech-one does not, at least, hear how inadequate the words are.

George Eliot
Grateful, Writing, Speech
George Eliot (1873). “Wit and Wisdom of George Eliot”, p.247

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