Average Quote by George Eliot
![“Can anything be more disgusting than to hear people called 'educated' making small jokes about eating ham, and showing themselves empty of any real knowledge as to the relation of their own social and religious life to the history of the people they think themselves witty in insulting? [...] The…” quote by George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/cee/george-eliot-84_average_can-anything-be-more-disgusting-than-to_2808257.jpg)
“Can anything be more disgusting than to hear people called 'educated' making small jokes about eating ham, and showing themselves empty of any real knowledge as to the relation of their own social and religious life to the history of the people they think themselves witty in insulting? [...] The best thing that can be said of it is, that it is a sign of the intellectual narrowness—in plain English, the stupidity which is still the average mark of our culture.”
About This Quote
Source Novel: Middlemarch by George Eliot, 1871
Intellectual pretentiousness is mocked when self‑styled educated people lack true knowledge and cultural awareness.
In simple terms: People who claim education but lack depth are shallow.
Key Takeaway
Seek genuine learning over superficial wit.
Themes
education
pretension
culture
humility
Mood
critical
ironic
Type
analytical
satirical
When to use this quote
- academic settings
- public discourse
- media commentary
- social gatherings
Key Concepts
intellectual narrowness
social critique
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we encourage depth over display?
- What role does humility play in learning?
A Different Perspective
Such criticism may overlook systemic factors limiting access to education.
![“[W]e must learn to accommodate ourselves to the discovery that some of those cunningly-fashioned instruments called human souls have only a very limited range of music, and will not vibrate in the least under a touch that fills others with tremulous rapture or quivering agony.” quote by George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/9be/george-eliot-84_agony_w-e-must-learn-to-accommodate-ourselves_12409.jpg)
