Middlemarch (AmazonClassics Edition)

it would not be necessary to pay for everything at

we insignificant people with our daily words and acts are preparing the lives of many Dorotheas, some of which may present a far sadder sacrifice than that of the Dorothea whose story we know. Her finely-touched spirit had still its fine issues, though they were not widely visible. Her full nature, like that river of which Cyrus broke the strength,

and I will learn what everything costs.”

She sat down in the library before her particular little heap of books on political economy and kindred matters, out of which she was trying to get light as to the best way of spending money so as not to injure one’s neighbors, or—what comes to the same thing—so as to do them the most good.

But it had never occurred to him that he should live in any other than what he would have called an ordinary way, with green glasses for hock, and excellent waiting at table. In warming himself at French social theories he had brought away no smell of scorching. We may handle even extreme opinions with impunity while our furniture, our dinner-givin

“I have not taken a bribe yet. But there is a pale shade of bribery which is sometimes called prosperity.

What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult to each other?

very little achievement is required in order to pity another man’s shortcomings.

I should like not to have so much more than my share without doing anything for others. But I have a belief of my own, and it comforts me.” “What is that?” said Will, rather jealous of the belief. “That by desiring what is perfectly good, even when we don’t quite know what it is and cannot do what we would, we are part of the divine power against e