Elizabeth Gaskell Quotes: Sources, Meanings & Themes
Browse quotations by Elizabeth Gaskell with named works, context notes, meanings and recurring themes.
Source identified1
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“Reason always means what someone else has got to say.”
Meaning & context
Martha jokingly dismisses “reason” when it threatens her determination to stay loyal to Miss Matty, revealing how people can rename disagreement as irrationality when affection fixes their decision.
Source details
Cranford, Project Gutenberg #394. Martha says the line during a comic but affectionate refusal to leave Miss Matty after financial trouble; it is character dialogue, not Gaskell’s definition of reason.
Source identified2
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“I simply look upon them with contempt for their poorness of character.”
Meaning & context
Thornton distinguishes his response to self-indulgence from hatred, revealing the severe ethic of self-denial through which he judges character.
Source details
North and South, represented by Project Gutenberg #4276. John Thornton speaks this sentence while recounting family hardship and the disciplined habits his mother taught him; it is historically situated fictional characterization, not Gaskell issuing a universal moral ranking.
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“But sometimes one likes foolish people for their folly, better than wise people for their wisdom.”
Meaning & context
Mr. Gibson affectionately suggests that an imprudent act motivated by care can sometimes make a person more lovable than detached good judgment.
Source details
Wives and Daughters, Chapter LIV, “Molly Gibson’s Worth Is Discovered,” Project Gutenberg #4274. Mr. Gibson smiles at Cynthia after she returns because she heard Molly was ill and says that one may like foolish people for their folly better than wise people for wisdom. It is affectionate fictional dialogue about a specific act of care, not Gaskell’s general rule against wisdom.