Bears Quote by George Eliot
“The soul of man, when it gets fairly rotten, will bear you all sorts of poisonous toad-stools, and no eye can see whence came the seed thereof.”
About This Quote
Source Novel: Middlemarch by George Eliot, 1871
When a person's moral character deteriorates, they produce harmful influences that are hard to trace back to their origin.
In simple terms: Rotten character creates hidden harm.
Key Takeaway
Watch for hidden damage from bad character.
Themes
morality
corruption
consequences
Mood
cautious
reflective
Type
philosophical
warning
When to use this quote
- personal relationships
- leadership
- community health
Key Concepts
human nature
ethical decay
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you detect hidden harm from someone's character?
- What safeguards can prevent spread of such influence?
A Different Perspective
Even a rotten soul can affect many, but its source may stay hidden.
![“[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)
![“The rationale which accompanies that imposition of male authority euphemistically referred to as 'the battle of the sexes' bears a certain resemblance to the formulas of nations at war, where any heinousness is justified on the grounds that the enemy is either an inferior [part of the] species or…” quote by Kate Millett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/895/kate-millett-7301_accompany_the-rationale-which-accompanies-that-imp_8896.jpg)
