Capable Quote by George Eliot
“There is no general doctrine which is not capable of eating out our morality if unchecked by the deep-seated habit of direct fellow-feeling with individual fellow-men.”
About This Quote
Source Novel: Middlemarch, 1871
Unchecked doctrines can erode morality without empathy.
In simple terms: Doctrine without empathy harms morality.
Key Takeaway
Cultivate empathy to guard morals.
Themes
morality
empathy
dogma
Mood
analytical
serious
Type
philosophical
ethical
When to use this quote
- political discourse
- religious teaching
- social policy
- education
Key Concepts
ethical philosophy
humanism
Questions to Reflect On
- How does empathy counteract harmful doctrines?
- When is doctrine necessary?
A Different Perspective
Rigid doctrines can also provide social cohesion.
![“[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 Community's] crosses and trials give me confidence. But I derive my hope above all, and most especially, from our utter incapacity, for it is always upon nothingness that God is pleased to rear His works. If at any day we accomplish some good here, the glory will certainly be His alone, since…” quote by Theodore Guerin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2b8/theodore-guerin-54729_accomplish_the-community-s-crosses-and-trials-give_7176.jpg)
