“One can begin so many things with a new person!—even begin to be a better man”

The expression “One can begin so many things with a new person!—even begin to be a better man” names the promise of renewal attached to meeting someone unfamiliar. Its immediate context is Lydgate’s arrival in Middlemarch: the narrator observes that his newness itself helps explain why Bulstrode and Rosamond respond favorably to him, and suggests that a fresh acquaintance can make self-improvement seem possible.

Context and Meaning

The expression follows a description of Lydgate’s manner. His voice can be deep and sonorous, yet low and gentle; his ordinary bearing combines fearless confidence in his powers with an unaffected goodwill that makes his pride more likable. He expects success and disdains petty obstacles, though he has not yet experienced the seductions they may present. The thought of beginning again therefore belongs to a portrait of character, not to a claim that Lydgate has already changed.

The Newcomer’s Appeal

The narrator says that Bulstrode likes Lydgate partly because their manners differ, and likes him, as Rosamond does, for being a stranger in Middlemarch. The expression makes that novelty a source of imaginative possibility: a person not yet absorbed into local expectations can be approached through hopes about what might begin between them. Its reference to becoming a better man extends the possibility beyond a new connection to the prospect of moral renewal.

Narrative Significance

The sentence balances genuine openness with an awareness of projection. Lydgate’s goodwill and confidence are established features of his character, but the hope that a new person will make someone better is presented as a possibility, not a guaranteed result. In this context, the line links personal attraction to the wish for a fresh beginning, while leaving the difference between promise and achievement unresolved.