Life Quote by George Eliot
““Mrs. Tulliver had lived thirteen years with her husband, yet she retained in all the freshness of her early married life a facility of saying things which drove him in the opposite direction to the one she desired. Some minds are wonderful for keeping their bloom in this way, as a patriarchal goldfish apparently retains to the last its youthful illusion that it can swim in a straight line beyond the encircling glass. Mrs. Tulliver was an amiable fish of this kind, and after running her head against the same resisting medium for thirteen years would go at it again to-day with undulled alacrity.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Middlemarch by George Eliot, 1871
A wife’s manipulative communication can thwart her husband’s desires, reflecting stubbornness and futile effort.
In simple terms: Manipulation leads to conflict.
Key Takeaway
Communicate honestly.
Themes
marriage
communication
manipulation
stubbornness
illusion
Mood
ironic
critical
Type
literary
satirical
When to use this quote
- marital counseling
- conflict resolution
- personal growth
Key Concepts
psychology
gender dynamics
literary satire
Questions to Reflect On
- Can you identify when you’re being manipulative?
- How can you break cycles of futile effort?
A Different Perspective
Honesty may not always change outcomes.
![“[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)
