A really cultured woman, like a really cultured man, is all the simpler and the less obtrusive for her knowledge; it has made her see herself and her opinions in something like just proportions; she does not make it a pedestal from which she flatters herself that she commands a complete view of men and things, but makes it a point of observation from which to form a right estimate of herself. She neither spouts poetry nor quotes Cicero on slight provocation; not because she thinks that a sacrifice must be made to the prejudices of men, but because that mode of exhibiting her memory and Latinity does not present itself to her as edifying or graceful .George Eliot
About This Quote
According to a very wise man, a really cultured woman keeps her thoughts and feelings in check. She is not pretentious about her knowledge but is humble enough to know her limitations. She does not make it a pedestal from which she flatters herself that she commands a complete view of men and things, but makes it a point of observation from which to form a right estimate of herself. She neither spouts poetry nor quotes Cicero on slight provocation because she thinks that a sacrifice must be made to the prejudices of men. Even though she knows that her knowledge is incomplete, she does not advertise it as an end in itself, but as a means to understanding and improvement.
Source: Silly Novels By Lady Novelists
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