This has been paraphrased as: "Be courteous, be obliging, but don't give yourself over to be melted down for the benefit of the tallow trade."
β
It is good to be unselfish and generous; but don't carry that too far. It will not do to give yourself to be melted down for the benefit of the tallow-trade; you must know where to find yourself.
— George Eliot
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "It is good to be unselfish and generous; but don't carry that too far. It will not do to give yourself to be melted down for the benefit of the tallow-trade; you must know where to find yourself." in the context of "This has been paraphrased as: "Be courteous, be obliging, but don't give yourself over to be melted down for the benefit of the tallow trade."" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "George Eliot" (Quotes, Daniel Deronda (1876): Full text online)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
About George Eliot
George Eliot (born Mary Ann Evans; 22 November 1819 β 22 December 1880) was an English novelist and poet. Despite the strong social customs of her times against such arrangements, she lived unmarried with fellow writer George Henry Lewesββ for over 20 years.
About George Eliot
George Eliot (born Mary Ann Evans; 22 November 1819 β 22 December 1880) was an English novelist and poet. Despite the strong social customs of her times against such arrangements, she lived unmarried with fellow writer George Henry Lewesββ for over 20 years.
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