---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Esther always avoided asking questions of…"
description: "\"“Esther always avoided asking questions of Lydley, who found an answer as she found a key, by pouring out a pocketful of miscellanies.”\" — George Eliot"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4e/george-eliot-84_asking-questions_esther-always-avoided-asking-questions-o_465789.png"
---

#  Esther always avoided asking questions of Lydley, who…

![“Esther always avoided asking questions of Lydley, who found an answer as she found a key, by pouring out a pocketful of miscellanies.” quote by George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4e/george-eliot-84_asking-questions_esther-always-avoided-asking-questions-o_465789.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4e/george-eliot-84_asking-questions_esther-always-avoided-asking-questions-o_465789.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4e/george-eliot-84_asking-questions_esther-always-avoided-asking-questions-o_465789.png)

> ““Esther always avoided asking questions of Lydley, who found an answer as she found a key, by pouring out a pocketful of miscellanies.””

[George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Esther avoids questioning Lydley, preferring to give him assorted answers like keys to unlock his thoughts.

**In simple terms:** She sidesteps direct questions, offering varied responses.

Key Takeaway

Provide thoughtful answers instead of avoiding queries.

Themes

communication avoidance problem solving

Mood

reflective analytical

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- workplace meetings
- personal relationships
- conflict resolution

Key Concepts

psychology conversation dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- How could direct questioning improve outcomes?
- What are risks of vague answers?

A Different Perspective

May lead to misunderstandings or lack of clarity.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Answer Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answer-key-2126605/) [Asking Question](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asking-question/) [Asking questions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asking-questions/) [Avoided Asking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/avoided-asking-4036799/) [Esther Avoided](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/esther-avoided-4036796/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Lydley Answer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lydley-answer-4036797/) [Questions Lydley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/questions-lydley-4036798/)

## Related quotes

> [“Keep in mind that I have seen the answer key.I know what I'm supposed to say to stop you from hitting me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-echols/keep-in-mind-that-i-have-seen-the-answer-key-i-know-what-i-m-supposed/)

[Jennifer Echols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-echols/)

> [“What is the key that unlocks me to be free to be who I want to be? Answer: There is no key. Just choose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truth-devour/what-is-the-key-that-unlocks-me-to-be-free-to-be-who-i-want-to-be/)

[Truth Devour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truth-devour/)

> [“By this time it was well past midnight. You know how that is. It’s a time when you start asking questions about things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nickle/by-this-time-it-was-well-past-midnight-you-know-how-that-is-it-s-a/)

[David Nickle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nickle/)

> [I think all good architecture should challenge you, make you start asking questions. You don't have to understand it. You may not like it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-mayne/i-think-all-good-architecture-should-challenge-you-make-you-start/)

[Thom Mayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-mayne/)

> [In mathematics, the art of asking questions is more valuable than solving problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-cantor/in-mathematics-the-art-of-asking-questions-is-more-valuable-than/)

[Georg Cantor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-cantor/)

> [“Asking questions is an opportunity for creativity and personal expression, both for the person asking and the person answering.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-salzberg/asking-questions-is-an-opportunity-for-creativity-and-personal/)

[Sharon Salzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-salzberg/)

> [To go beyond the mind, you must be silent and quiet. Peace and silence, silence and peace - this is the way beyond. Stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/to-go-beyond-the-mind-you-must-be-silent-and-quiet-peace-and-silence/)

[Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/)

> [If you look at most mainstream filmmaking, to be honest, some of these films aren't even asking questions anymore at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karyn-kusama/if-you-look-at-most-mainstream-filmmaking-to-be-honest-some-of-these/)

[Karyn Kusama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karyn-kusama/)

> [Going online and asking questions is the best way to learn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-felton/going-online-and-asking-questions-is-the-best-way-to-learn/)

[Tom Felton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-felton/)

> [Keep on asking the questions and learn to accept the answers, even if they are not the same as what you would have loved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/keep-on-asking-the-questions-and-learn-to-accept-the-answers-even-if/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [And when I started college, I think I was good at two things: arguing and asking questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hughes/and-when-i-started-college-i-think-i-was-good-at-two-things-arguing/)

[Karen Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hughes/)

> [“Wise are those who keep asking questions when everyone around them think they know the answers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-bartell/wise-are-those-who-keep-asking-questions-when-everyone-around-them/)

[J. Bartell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-bartell/)

> [“The breakdown of the neighborhoods also meant the end of what was essentially an extended family…With the breakdown of the extended family, too much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/the-breakdown-of-the-neighborhoods-also-meant-the-end-of-what-was/)

[Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/)

> [By questioning all the aspects of our business, we continuously inject improvement and innovation into our culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dell/by-questioning-all-the-aspects-of-our-business-we-continuously-inject/)

[Michael Dell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dell/)

> [And in your new lives you'll have to live entirely for that one sensation-that of imminent truth. And you're going to have to holler…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/and-in-your-new-lives-you-ll-have-to-live-entirely-for-that-one/)

[Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/)

## More by George Eliot

> [There are various orders of beauty, causing men to make fools of themselves in various styles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/there-are-various-orders-of-beauty-causing-men-to-make-fools-of/)

[George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/)

> [But the effect of her being on those around her was incalculably diffusive: for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/but-the-effect-of-her-being-on-those-around-her-was-incalculably/)

[George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/)

> [Scepticismcan never be thoroughly applied, else life would come to a standstill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/scepticismcan-never-be-thoroughly-applied-else-life-would-come-to-a/)

[George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/)

> [Under every guilty secret there is hidden a brood of guilty wishes, whose unwholesome infecting life is cherished by the darkness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/under-every-guilty-secret-there-is-hidden-a-brood-of-guilty-wishes/)

[George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/)

> [The most powerful movement of feeling with a liturgy is the prayer which seeks for nothing special, but is a yearning to escape from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/the-most-powerful-movement-of-feeling-with-a-liturgy-is-the-prayer/)

[George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/)

> [ “\[W\]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… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/w-e-must-learn-to-accommodate-ourselves-to-the-discovery-that-some-of/)

[George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/)

> [“Mr. Casaubon had never had a strong bodily frame, and his soul was sensitive without being enthusiastic: it was too languid to thrill out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/mr-casaubon-had-never-had-a-strong-bodily-frame-and-his-soul-was/)

[George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/)

> [“... she took her husband's jokes and joviality as patiently as everything else, considering that "men would be so", and viewing the stronger sex…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/she-took-her-husband-s-jokes-and-joviality-as-patiently-as-everything/)

[George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/)

> [What is opportunity to the man who can't use it? An unfecundated egg, which the waves of time wash away into nonentity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/what-is-opportunity-to-the-man-who-can-t-use-it-an-unfecundated-egg/)

[George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/)

> [And, of course men know best about everything, except what women know better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/and-of-course-men-know-best-about-everything-except-what-women-know/)

[George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/)

> [“But let the wise be warned against too great readiness at explanation: it multiplies the sources of mistake, lengthening the sum for reckoners sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/but-let-the-wise-be-warned-against-too-great-readiness-at-explanation/)

[George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/)

> [“But any one watching keenly the stealthy convergence of human lots, sees a slow preparation of effects from one life on another, which tells…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/but-any-one-watching-keenly-the-stealthy-convergence-of-human-lots/)

[George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/)

> [Perspective, as its inventor remarked, is a beautiful thing. What horrors of damp huts, where human beings languish, may not become picturesque through aerial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/perspective-as-its-inventor-remarked-is-a-beautiful-thing-what/)

[George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/)

> [“Sane people did what their neighbours did, so that if any lunatics were at large, one might know and avoid them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/sane-people-did-what-their-neighbours-did-so-that-if-any-lunatics/)

[George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/)

> [even those who call themselves 'intimate' know very little about each other - hardly ever know just how a sorrow is felt, and hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/even-those-who-call-themselves-intimate-know-very-little-about-each/)

[George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/)

[Explore all 1,492 George Eliot quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/)

## More Asking questions quotes

> [And in your new lives you'll have to live entirely for that one sensation-that of imminent truth. And you're going to have to holler…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/and-in-your-new-lives-you-ll-have-to-live-entirely-for-that-one/)

[Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/)

> [By questioning all the aspects of our business, we continuously inject improvement and innovation into our culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dell/by-questioning-all-the-aspects-of-our-business-we-continuously-inject/)

[Michael Dell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dell/)

> [“The breakdown of the neighborhoods also meant the end of what was essentially an extended family…With the breakdown of the extended family, too much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/the-breakdown-of-the-neighborhoods-also-meant-the-end-of-what-was/)

[Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/)

> [“Wise are those who keep asking questions when everyone around them think they know the answers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-bartell/wise-are-those-who-keep-asking-questions-when-everyone-around-them/)

[J. Bartell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-bartell/)

> [And when I started college, I think I was good at two things: arguing and asking questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hughes/and-when-i-started-college-i-think-i-was-good-at-two-things-arguing/)

[Karen Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hughes/)

> [Keep on asking the questions and learn to accept the answers, even if they are not the same as what you would have loved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/keep-on-asking-the-questions-and-learn-to-accept-the-answers-even-if/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Going online and asking questions is the best way to learn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-felton/going-online-and-asking-questions-is-the-best-way-to-learn/)

[Tom Felton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-felton/)

> [If you look at most mainstream filmmaking, to be honest, some of these films aren't even asking questions anymore at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karyn-kusama/if-you-look-at-most-mainstream-filmmaking-to-be-honest-some-of-these/)

[Karyn Kusama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karyn-kusama/)

> [To go beyond the mind, you must be silent and quiet. Peace and silence, silence and peace - this is the way beyond. Stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/to-go-beyond-the-mind-you-must-be-silent-and-quiet-peace-and-silence/)

[Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/)

> [“Asking questions is an opportunity for creativity and personal expression, both for the person asking and the person answering.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-salzberg/asking-questions-is-an-opportunity-for-creativity-and-personal/)

[Sharon Salzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-salzberg/)

> [In mathematics, the art of asking questions is more valuable than solving problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-cantor/in-mathematics-the-art-of-asking-questions-is-more-valuable-than/)

[Georg Cantor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-cantor/)

> [I think all good architecture should challenge you, make you start asking questions. You don't have to understand it. You may not like it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-mayne/i-think-all-good-architecture-should-challenge-you-make-you-start/)

[Thom Mayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-mayne/)

> [“By this time it was well past midnight. You know how that is. It’s a time when you start asking questions about things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nickle/by-this-time-it-was-well-past-midnight-you-know-how-that-is-it-s-a/)

[David Nickle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nickle/)

> [The first time I had a secretary, I was sheepish about being demanding or even asking questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bing-gordon/the-first-time-i-had-a-secretary-i-was-sheepish-about-being-demanding/)

[Bing Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bing-gordon/)

> [“Instead of seeking out communities that almost guarantee the potential for large successful churches, the best planters are asking questions like, “which are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-benesh/instead-of-seeking-out-communities-that-almost-guarantee-the/)

[Sean Benesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-benesh/)

[Browse all 480 Asking questions quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asking-questions/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Esther always avoided asking questions of Lydley, who found an answer as she found a key, by pouring out a pocketful of miscellanies.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "George Eliot"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/esther-always-avoided-asking-questions-of-lydley-who-found-an-answer/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Asking questions"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/esther-always-avoided-asking-questions-of-lydley-who-found-an-answer/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4e/george-eliot-84_asking-questions_esther-always-avoided-asking-questions-o_465789.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4e/george-eliot-84_asking-questions_esther-always-avoided-asking-questions-o_465789.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4e/george-eliot-84_asking-questions_esther-always-avoided-asking-questions-o_465789.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Esther always avoided asking questions of Lydley, who found an answer as she found a key, by pouring out a…” — George Eliot",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "George Eliot",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Esther always avoided asking questions of...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/esther-always-avoided-asking-questions-of-lydley-who-found-an-answer/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/esther-always-avoided-asking-questions-of-lydley-who-found-an-answer/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
