---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Fred dislikes the idea going into the…"
description: "\"“Fred dislikes the idea going into the ministry partly because he doesn't like \"feeling obligated to look serious\", and he centers his doubts on \"what ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04c/george-eliot-84_joy_fred-dislikes-the-idea-going-into-the-mi_1428230.png"
---

#  Fred dislikes the idea going into the ministry partly…

![“Fred dislikes the idea going into the ministry partly because he doesn't like &quot;feeling obligated to look serious&quot;, and he centers his doubts on &quot;what people expect of a clergyman&quot;.” quote by George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04c/george-eliot-84_joy_fred-dislikes-the-idea-going-into-the-mi_1428230.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04c/george-eliot-84_joy_fred-dislikes-the-idea-going-into-the-mi_1428230.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04c/george-eliot-84_joy_fred-dislikes-the-idea-going-into-the-mi_1428230.png)

> ““Fred dislikes the idea going into the ministry partly because he doesn't like "feeling obligated to look serious", and he centers his doubts on "what people expect of a clergyman".””

[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.

He doubts the clergy because he feels pressured to appear solemn and meet societal expectations of a clergyman.

**In simple terms:** He worries about being forced to act serious and meet expectations.

Key Takeaway

Question those expectations and define your own role.

Themes

identity expectations career faith self-doubt

Mood

reflective thoughtful

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- choosing a vocation
- navigating workplace culture
- personal integrity
- religious calling

Key Concepts

social pressure role conflict authenticity

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you let others' expectations shape your choices?
- How can you stay authentic in a demanding role?

A Different Perspective

His concerns may overlook the personal fulfillment that can come from genuine service.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Doubts People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubts-people-3092310/) [Expect Clergyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expect-clergyman-5077989/) [Fred Dislikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fred-dislikes-5077986/) [Going Ministry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-ministry-5077987/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [Ministry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ministry/) [Ministry Partly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ministry-partly-5077988/) [Popularity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/popularity/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/)

## Related quotes

> [“Not everyone rejects Christianity solely on the basis of intellectual doubts. Some people reject it simply because they don’t want it to be true,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-minton/not-everyone-rejects-christianity-solely-on-the-basis-of-intellectual/)

[Evan Minton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-minton/)

> [I still harbor lingering doubts about most people. I guess I always will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-taylor/i-still-harbor-lingering-doubts-about-most-people-i-guess-i-always/)

[Corey Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-taylor/)

> [Only greatly insolent people establish a religious law which is to be taken for granted by others, which should be accepted by everyone on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/only-greatly-insolent-people-establish-a-religious-law-which-is-to-be/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [“Some people live in cages with bars built from their own fears and doubts. Some people live in cages with bars built from other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-joybell-c/some-people-live-in-cages-with-bars-built-from-their-own-fears-and/)

[C. JoyBell C](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-joybell-c/)

> [“What right have such men to represent Christianity—as if it were an institution for getting up idiots genteelly?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/what-right-have-such-men-to-represent-christianity-as-if-it-were-an/)

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

> [“what secular avocation on earth was there for a young man (whose friends could not get him an ‘appointment’) which was at once gentlemanly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/what-secular-avocation-on-earth-was-there-for-a-young-man-whose/)

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

> [To cut off the sinner from all reliance upon himself, his merits and his powers; and throw him, naked and helpless, into the hands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ichabod-spencer/to-cut-off-the-sinner-from-all-reliance-upon-himself-his-merits-and/)

[Ichabod Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ichabod-spencer/)

> [Our covering ministry is Challenge for Christ ministries, and Travel the Road was solely our mission arm, designed to expose people to what missions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scott/our-covering-ministry-is-challenge-for-christ-ministries-and-travel/)

[Michael Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scott/)

> [When we struggle for human rights, for freedom, for dignity, when we feel that it is a ministry of the church to concern itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-we-struggle-for-human-rights-for-freedom-for-dignity-when-we/)

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

> [“Any ministry to black people which is not designed to effect their empowerment is designed to perpetuate their enslavement.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/any-ministry-to-black-people-which-is-not-designed-to-effect-their/)

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

> [The earth endured Christ's ministry only three years;--not three weeks after his real character and purposes were generally known.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/the-earth-endured-christ-s-ministry-only-three-years-not-three-weeks/)

[Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/)

> [“Great thoughts go best with common duties. Whatever therefore may be you office regard it as a fragment in an immeasurable ministry of love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-foss-westcott/great-thoughts-go-best-with-common-duties-whatever-therefore-may-be/)

[Brooke Foss Westcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-foss-westcott/)

> [Natural history is not taught in seminary. This is curious, as most people in pastoral ministry are about 567 times more likely to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-maitland/natural-history-is-not-taught-in-seminary-this-is-curious-as-most/)

[Sara Maitland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-maitland/)

> [ \[P\]rogress, however, has not sufficiently infiltrated the Interior Ministry, affording protection to those who participated in the Bytyqi murders and other egregious Milosevic-era crimes. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avis-bohlen/p-rogress-however-has-not-sufficiently-infiltrated-the-interior/)

[Avis Bohlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avis-bohlen/)

> [On the McLaughlin Report, August 26, 1990: 'There are only two groups that are beating the drums for war in the middle East, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/on-the-mclaughlin-report-august-26-1990-there-are-only-two-groups/)

[Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/)

## 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 Joy quotes

> [These joys were so trifling as to be as imperceptible as grains of gold among the sand, and in moments of depression she saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/these-joys-were-so-trifling-as-to-be-as-imperceptible-as-grains-of/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [Remember that your natural state is joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/remember-that-your-natural-state-is-joy/)

[Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/)

> [A thing of beauty is a joy for ever;It's loveliness increase;it will never pass into nothingness;but still will keep a bower quiet for us,and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/a-thing-of-beauty-is-a-joy-for-ever-it-s-loveliness-increase-it-will/)

[John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/)

> [“When you finally realize your gifts and talents, joy and satisfaction come as you walk in your purpose.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanya-richards-ross/when-you-finally-realize-your-gifts-and-talents-joy-and-satisfaction/)

[Sanya Richards-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanya-richards-ross/)

> [When I first started, my message was about joy, but I didn't really have the vocabulary and life experience to fully deliver it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mraz/when-i-first-started-my-message-was-about-joy-but-i-didn-t-really/)

[Jason Mraz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mraz/)

> [The size of a man's understanding might always be justly measured by his mirth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-size-of-a-man-s-understanding-might-always-be-justly-measured-by/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [The more perfect the sight is the more delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. The more musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/the-more-perfect-the-sight-is-the-more-delightful-the-beautiful/)

[Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/)

> [Of everything I have done, 'The Archers' always gets the most excitement; there's a sort of uncontrollable joy from fans of the program.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/of-everything-i-have-done-the-archers-always-gets-the-most-excitement/)

[Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/)

> [Safin, in his way, is very talented. It is a joy to watch them play; it is tennis of a very high quality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-krajicek/safin-in-his-way-is-very-talented-it-is-a-joy-to-watch-them-play-it/)

[Richard Krajicek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-krajicek/)

> [The writings of latter-day prophets clearly teach that the sorrows and sufferings endured by Adam and Eve upon their leaving the Garden of Eden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-k-judd/the-writings-of-latter-day-prophets-clearly-teach-that-the-sorrows/)

[Daniel K Judd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-k-judd/)

> [“Start the daily practice of joyful living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/start-the-daily-practice-of-joyful-living/)

[Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/)

> [I have touched with a sense of art some people-they felt the love and the life. Can you offer me anything to compare to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-cassatt/i-have-touched-with-a-sense-of-art-some-people-they-felt-the-love-and/)

[Mary Cassatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-cassatt/)

> [“Reverend Veronica Goines sums this up as, “Peace is joy at rest, and joy is peace on its feet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/reverend-veronica-goines-sums-this-up-as-peace-is-joy-at-rest-and-joy/)

[Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/)

> [Be in a state of gratitude for everything that shows up in your life. Be thankful for the storms as well as the smooth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/be-in-a-state-of-gratitude-for-everything-that-shows-up-in-your-life/)

[Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/)

> [Spiritually, life is a festival, a celebration. Joy is of the essence of life;](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnivesh/spiritually-life-is-a-festival-a-celebration-joy-is-of-the-essence-of/)

[Agnivesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnivesh/)

[Browse all 15,003 Joy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Fred dislikes the idea going into the ministry partly because he doesn't like \"feeling obligated to look serious\", and he centers his doubts on \"what people expect of a clergyman\".”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "George Eliot"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/fred-dislikes-the-idea-going-into-the-ministry-partly-because-he/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Joy"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/fred-dislikes-the-idea-going-into-the-ministry-partly-because-he/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04c/george-eliot-84_joy_fred-dislikes-the-idea-going-into-the-mi_1428230.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04c/george-eliot-84_joy_fred-dislikes-the-idea-going-into-the-mi_1428230.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04c/george-eliot-84_joy_fred-dislikes-the-idea-going-into-the-mi_1428230.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Fred dislikes the idea going into the ministry partly because he doesn't like \"feeling obligated to look…” — 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": "“Fred dislikes the idea going into...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/fred-dislikes-the-idea-going-into-the-ministry-partly-because-he/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/fred-dislikes-the-idea-going-into-the-ministry-partly-because-he/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
