--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The existence of insignificant people has…" description: "\"“The existence of insignificant people has very important consequences in the world. It can be shown to affect the price of bread and the rate of wages..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a75/george-eliot-84_insignificant_the-existence-of-insignificant-people-ha_3009446.png" --- # The existence of insignificant people has very important… ![“The existence of insignificant people has very important consequences in the world. It can be shown to affect the price of bread and the rate of wages, to call forth many evil tempers from the selfish and many heroisms from the sympathetic, and, in other ways, to play no small part in the tragedy…” quote by George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a75/george-eliot-84_insignificant_the-existence-of-insignificant-people-ha_3009446.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a75/george-eliot-84_insignificant_the-existence-of-insignificant-people-ha_3009446.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a75/george-eliot-84_insignificant_the-existence-of-insignificant-people-ha_3009446.png) > ““The existence of insignificant people has very important consequences in the world. It can be shown to affect the price of bread and the rate of wages, to call forth many evil tempers from the selfish and many heroisms from the sympathetic, and, in other ways, to play no small part in the tragedy of life.”” [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. People deemed insignificant still affect economies and emotions, influencing prices, wages, and moral behavior, showing every life matters in societal outcomes. **In simple terms:** Even small individuals impact the world. Key Takeaway Recognize the ripple effect of every person. Themes economics social impact human value Mood reflective serious Type social economic When to use this quote - policy making - community planning - social research Key Concepts interdependence moral responsibility economic influence Questions to Reflect On - How do we value seemingly insignificant lives? - What policies reflect this interconnectedness? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Existence Insignificant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence-insignificant-4818239/) [Important Consequences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important-consequences-1799992/) [Insignificant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insignificant/) [Insignificant People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insignificant-people-1829533/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Mass culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass-culture/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-important-306657/) ## Related quotes > [If you're not the brightest or if you're not great at sports, or if you're not artistic, then you've got to find a way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-horgan/if-you-re-not-the-brightest-or-if-you-re-not-great-at-sports-or-if/) [Sharon Horgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-horgan/) > [The most insignificant people are the most apt to sneer at others. They are safe from reprisals. And have no hope of rising in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-most-insignificant-people-are-the-most-apt-to-sneer-at-others/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [“We insignificant people with our daily words and acts are preparing the lives of many Dorotheas, some of which may present a far sadder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/we-insignificant-people-with-our-daily-words-and-acts-are-preparing/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [A duty religiously performed carries with it several other important consequences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/a-duty-religiously-performed-carries-with-it-several-other-important/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [One of the hardest things to teach a child is that the truth is more important than the consequences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-hardest-things-to-teach-a-child-is-that-the-truth-is-more/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The important consequences to the American States from this Declaration of Independence, considered as the ground and foundation of a future government, naturally suggest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hancock/the-important-consequences-to-the-american-states-from-this/) [John Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hancock/) > [You know it's love when the tiny details about another person, ones that are insignificant to most people, seem fascinating and incredible to you...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-know-it-s-love-when-the-tiny-details-about-another-person-ones/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [William Hazlitt quotes The most insignificant people are the most apt to sneer at others. They are safe from reprisals. And have no hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/william-hazlitt-quotes-the-most-insignificant-people-are-the-most-apt/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [Some gentlemen have made an amazing figure in literature by general discontent with the universe as a trap of dulness into which their great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/some-gentlemen-have-made-an-amazing-figure-in-literature-by-general/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [Realize that the banality around us that passes as "hipness" or "mass culture" is as satisfying as "mass food"-only it comes in much more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perry-brass/realize-that-the-banality-around-us-that-passes-as-hipness-or-mass/) [Perry Brass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perry-brass/) > [“In truth, the epoch is gone in which we had the impression that the masses of society could be guided by reason and by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-schlamm/in-truth-the-epoch-is-gone-in-which-we-had-the-impression-that-the/) [William S. Schlamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-schlamm/) > [“The beauty myth sets it up this way: A high rating as an art object is the most valuable tribute a woman can exact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/the-beauty-myth-sets-it-up-this-way-a-high-rating-as-an-art-object-is/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [“Mass culture is enlightenment in reverse. Its goal is precisely to wipe out that last little garrison of human autonomy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-roderick/mass-culture-is-enlightenment-in-reverse-its-goal-is-precisely-to/) [Rick Roderick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-roderick/) > [The more hideous the mental contortions, the greater the delight and bravos of the mass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/the-more-hideous-the-mental-contortions-the-greater-the-delight-and/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [Those who know New York City primarily through tourism or mass culture may think of us natives as possessing certain shared characteristics, not all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/those-who-know-new-york-city-primarily-through-tourism-or-mass/) [Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/) ## 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 Insignificant quotes > [If ever I did a man any goodof course it was something exceptional and insignificant compared with the good or evil which I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-ever-i-did-a-man-any-goodof-course-it-was-something-exceptional/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Pound St. Paul's Church into atoms, and consider any single atom; it is to be sure, good for nothing; but put all these atoms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/pound-st-paul-s-church-into-atoms-and-consider-any-single-atom-it-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [You are Insignificant. One of millions, neither special nor unique. I did not ask for this ignominy, and I resent the comparison. Fine. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/you-are-insignificant-one-of-millions-neither-special-nor-unique-i/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [“Don't you get it yet? The minute we decide that one person doesn't matter anymore, they've won."..."Beneath a sky crowded with a billion stars.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/don-t-you-get-it-yet-the-minute-we-decide-that-one-person-doesn-t/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [As much as I don't care about those things, I think it's human nature to not want to feel totally insignificant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-mccafferty/as-much-as-i-don-t-care-about-those-things-i-think-it-s-human-nature/) [Megan McCafferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-mccafferty/) > [I look back, now, and I know that the naming moment, which seemed so insignificant then, which seemed to demand no more than an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/i-look-back-now-and-i-know-that-the-naming-moment-which-seemed-so/) [Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/) > [Our life is what we make it. An insignificant game or a noble trial; a dream or a reality; a play of the senses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-hubbel-chapin/our-life-is-what-we-make-it-an-insignificant-game-or-a-noble-trial-a/) [Edwin Hubbel Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-hubbel-chapin/) > [Am I foolish and insignificant or am I great? I gave all the individuals in the world cause to kneel down in front of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-myung-moon/am-i-foolish-and-insignificant-or-am-i-great-i-gave-all-the/) [Sun Myung Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-myung-moon/) > [Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the western spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/far-out-in-the-uncharted-backwaters-of-the-unfashionable-end-of-the/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [Of all human events, perhaps, the publication of a first volume of verses is the most insignificant; but though a matter of no moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/of-all-human-events-perhaps-the-publication-of-a-first-volume-of/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note, song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-marley/the-things-that-seem-insignificant-to-most-people-such-as-a-note-song/) [Bob Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-marley/) > [I found myself back in the sepulchral city resenting the sight of people hurrying through the streets to filch a little money from each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/i-found-myself-back-in-the-sepulchral-city-resenting-the-sight-of/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“Our century is so shallow, its desires scattered so widely, our knowledge so encyclopedic, that we are absolutely unable to focus our designs on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-gogol/our-century-is-so-shallow-its-desires-scattered-so-widely-our/) [Nikolai Gogol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-gogol/) > [The first time you blow someone away is not an insignificant event. That said, there are some \*\*\*\*\*\*\*s in the world that just need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/the-first-time-you-blow-someone-away-is-not-an-insignificant-event/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) > [Rather than feeling lost and unimportant and meaningless, set against galaxies which go beyond the reach of the furthest telescopes, I feel that my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/rather-than-feeling-lost-and-unimportant-and-meaningless-set-against/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) [Browse all 625 Insignificant quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insignificant/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The existence of insignificant people has very important consequences in the world. 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