Privately Quote by George Eliot
““Mrs. Cadwallader said, privately, 'You will certainly go mad in that house alone, my dear. You will see visions. We have all got to exert ourselves a little to keep sane, and call things by the same names as other people call them by. To be sure, for younger sons and women who have no money, it is a sort of provision to go mad: they are taken care of then. But you must not run into that. I daresay you are a little bored here with our good dowager; but think what a bore you might become yourself to your fellow-creatures if you were always playing tragedy queen and taking things sublimely. Sitting alone in that library at Lowick you may fancy yourself ruling the weather; you must get a few people round you who wouldn't believe you if you told them. That is a good lowering medicine.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Middlemarch by George Eliot, 1871
The passage warns that isolation can drive one to madness, urging social interaction and shared reality to maintain sanity.
In simple terms: Isolation can cause madness; stay connected to stay sane.
Key Takeaway
Seek community, avoid solitary delusion.
Themes
loneliness
mental health
social interaction
Mood
thoughtful
cautious
Type
advisory
literary
When to use this quote
- living alone
- working remotely
- creative writing
- academic study
- elder care
Key Concepts
psychology
social conformity
madness
Questions to Reflect On
- How does community protect mental health?
- When is solitude beneficial?
A Different Perspective
It may overlook the value of solitary reflection for creativity.
![“[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)
