--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Two angels guide The path of man, both…" description: "\"Two angels guide The path of man, both aged and yet young. As angels are, ripening through endless years, On one he leans: some call her Memory, And so..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52d/george-eliot-84_accord_two-angels-guide-the-path-of-man-both-ag_2486614.jpg" --- # Two angels guide The path of man, both aged and yet young… ![“Two angels guide The path of man, both aged and yet young. As angels are, ripening through endless years, On one he leans: some call her Memory, And some Tradition; and her voice is sweet, With deep mysterious accords: the other, Floating above, holds down a lamp with streams A light divine and…” quote by George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52d/george-eliot-84_accord_two-angels-guide-the-path-of-man-both-ag_2486614.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52d/george-eliot-84_accord_two-angels-guide-the-path-of-man-both-ag_2486614.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52d/george-eliot-84_accord_two-angels-guide-the-path-of-man-both-ag_2486614.jpg) > “Two angels guide The path of man, both aged and yet young. As angels are, ripening through endless years, On one he leans: some call her Memory, And some Tradition; and her voice is sweet, With deep mysterious accords: the other, Floating above, holds down a lamp with streams A light divine and searching on the earth, Compelling eyes and footsteps. Memory yields, Yet clings with loving check, and shines anew, Reflecting all the rays of that bright lamp Our angel Reason holds. We had not walked But for Tradition; we walk evermore To higher paths by brightening Reason's lamp.” [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. Two guiding forces—Memory and Tradition—support Reason, illuminating humanity’s path toward higher understanding. **In simple terms:** Memory and Tradition help Reason shine brighter. Key Takeaway Balance past insights with present reason. Themes wisdom history reason Mood reflective inspirational Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - education - cultural preservation - personal growth Key Concepts memory tradition guidance Questions to Reflect On - How do you integrate memory with new ideas? - What role does tradition play in your decisions? A Different Perspective Relying solely on tradition can hinder progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accord/) [Angel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angel/) [Angel Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angel-reason-920895/) [Angels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angels/) [Angels Ripening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angels-ripening-920894/) [Checks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/checks/) [Compelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compelling/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Endless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/endless/) [Evermore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evermore/) [Eye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eye/) [Floating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/floating/) [Footsteps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/footsteps/) [Guides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guides/) [Higher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/higher/) [Journey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journey/) [Lamp Angel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lamp-angel-920893/) [Lamps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lamps/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Mysterious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mysterious/) [Path](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/path/) [Rays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rays/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Reflecting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reflecting/) [Ripening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ripening/) [Shining](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shining/) [Streams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/streams/) [Sweet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sweet/) [Tradition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tradition/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice/) [Walks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walks/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) [Yield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yield/) [Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young/) ## Related quotes > [Minds fettered by this doctrine no longer inquire concerning a proposition whether it is attested by sufficient evidence, but whether it accords with Scripture;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/minds-fettered-by-this-doctrine-no-longer-inquire-concerning-a/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [The spring rains woke the dormant tillers, and bright green shoots sprang from the moist earth and rose like sleepers stretching after a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/the-spring-rains-woke-the-dormant-tillers-and-bright-green-shoots/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [I speak of the war as fruitless; for it is clear that, prosecuted upon the basis of the proclamations of September 22d and September…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-pierce/i-speak-of-the-war-as-fruitless-for-it-is-clear-that-prosecuted-upon/) [Franklin Pierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-pierce/) > [In creativity the way will be found for subject to pass into object, the identity of subject with object will be restored. All the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/in-creativity-the-way-will-be-found-for-subject-to-pass-into-object/) [Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/) > [There is a succession of experiences which together constitute the educational and developmental ripening of the learner, according to the Sufis. People who think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/there-is-a-succession-of-experiences-which-together-constitute-the/) [Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/) > [Art is a ripening, an evolution, an uplifting which enables us to emerge from darkness into a blaze of light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerzy-grotowski/art-is-a-ripening-an-evolution-an-uplifting-which-enables-us-to/) [Jerzy Grotowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerzy-grotowski/) > [The whole world is one immense woman, and we are in her very womb, we are not yet born, we are joyfully ripening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yevgeny-zamyatin/the-whole-world-is-one-immense-woman-and-we-are-in-her-very-womb-we/) [Yevgeny Zamyatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yevgeny-zamyatin/) > [There are different kinds and degrees of love, and they change over time, ripening and deepening and changing us in the process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-king/there-are-different-kinds-and-degrees-of-love-and-they-change-over/) [Cassandra King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-king/) > [With the ripening of the fruits in Autumn the leaves begin to wither and the trees, taking up their sap from the earth through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-vitruvius-pollio/with-the-ripening-of-the-fruits-in-autumn-the-leaves-begin-to-wither/) [Marcus Vitruvius Pollio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-vitruvius-pollio/) > [Live in this world, because this world gives a ripening, maturity, integrity. The challenges of this world give you a centering, an awareness. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/live-in-this-world-because-this-world-gives-a-ripening-maturity/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I had begun to think my ripening body would wither untasted on the vine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/i-had-begun-to-think-my-ripening-body-would-wither-untasted-on-the/) [Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/) > [Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep Do not stand at my grave and weep, I am not there, I do not sleep.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-elizabeth-frye/do-not-stand-at-my-grave-and-weep-do-not-stand-at-my-grave-and-weep-i/) [Mary Elizabeth Frye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-elizabeth-frye/) > [May I die like a dog rather than hasten the ripening of a sentence by a single second!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/may-i-die-like-a-dog-rather-than-hasten-the-ripening-of-a-sentence-by/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [If woman is inconstant, good, I am faithful to ebb and flow, I fall in season and now is a time of ripening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-levertov/if-woman-is-inconstant-good-i-am-faithful-to-ebb-and-flow-i-fall-in/) [Denise Levertov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-levertov/) > [Way out in the country tonight he could smell the pumpkins ripening toward the knife and the triangle eye and the singeing candle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/way-out-in-the-country-tonight-he-could-smell-the-pumpkins-ripening/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) ## 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 Accord quotes > [To an ever greater extent out experience is governed by pictures, pictures in newspapers and magazines, on television and in the cinema. Next to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-crimp/to-an-ever-greater-extent-out-experience-is-governed-by-pictures/) [Douglas Crimp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-crimp/) > [Society understands the architecture of academia and knows there are relevant qualifications in different fields, and the media accepts the idea of specialisations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-griffiths/society-understands-the-architecture-of-academia-and-knows-there-are/) [Jay Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-griffiths/) > [Christian obligation cannot be made to accord with a law of expediency. The Christian's maxims are, Do right because you are bound to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-landey-patton/christian-obligation-cannot-be-made-to-accord-with-a-law-of/) [Francis Landey Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-landey-patton/) > [I've never had a very quiet voice. I tried in choir to make it smaller, and it just didn't work out. 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As angels are, ripening through endless years, On one he leans: some call her Memory, And some Tradition; and her voice is sweet, With deep mysterious accords: the other, Floating above, holds down a lamp with streams A light divine and searching on the earth, Compelling eyes and footsteps. Memory yields, Yet clings with loving check, and shines anew, Reflecting all the rays of that bright lamp Our angel Reason holds. 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