Academic Quote by George Eliot
““Oh, he dreams footnotes, and they run away with all his brains.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Middlemarch, 1871
Intellectual pursuits can become obsessive, draining the mind.
In simple terms: Obsessions hijack thinking.
Key Takeaway
Guard against mental overload.
Themes
knowledge
obsession
mental health
Mood
thoughtful
cautious
Type
philosophical
psychological
When to use this quote
- studying
- writing
- research
- creative work
Key Concepts
cognition
focus
balance
Questions to Reflect On
- What limits do you set?
- How to balance depth and breadth?
A Different Perspective
Intense focus may limit broader perspective.
![“[Footnote:] Pliny the Elder described a Whale called "Balaena or Whirlpool, which is so long and broad as to take up more in length and breadth than two acres of ground." This brings up again the old question: Are the classics doomed? Our ancestors believed that four years of this sort of…” quote by Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/1c1/will-cuppy-7569_acres_footnote-pliny-the-elder-described-a-wha_84284.jpg)
![“[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)
