乔治艾略特曾热情澎湃地追求过斯宾塞，但是被斯宾塞拒绝，因为斯宾塞说“她长得太丑了”。

       她认为使用语言的准确性和德性之间是有关联的，并且毫不妥协地维护这个观点。她自己从不惧于说出清楚明晰的论断来。她给Chapman写过一封很精彩的信，其中批评后者的文体，批评他的不准确和无逻辑。“I have a logical objection to the phrases 'it would seem', 'it would appear', 'we would remark'. Would - under what condition? The real meaning is - it does seem, it does appear, we do remark. These phrses are rarely found in good writers, and ought never to be found."  作为一个编辑和散文家，她自己就坚持了自己的这些原则。