Jane Austen Quotes

An interval of meditation, serious and grateful, was the best corrective of everything dangerous in such a high-wrought felicity; and she went to her room, and grew steadfast and fearless in the thankfulness of her enjoyment.

Her mind was all disorder. The past, present, future, every thing was terrible.

My style of writing is very diffrent from yours.

The mere habit of learning to love is the thing; and a teachableness of disposition in a young lady is a great blessing

..that sanguine expectation of happiness which is happiness itself

She was humbled, she was grieved; she repented, though she hardly knew of what. She became jealous of his esteem, when she could no longer hope to be benefited by it. She wanted to hear of him, when there seemed the least chance of gaining intelligence. She was convinced that she could have been happy with him, when it was no longer likely they should meet.

I particularly recollect your saying one night, after they had been dining at Netherfield, 'SHE a beauty!--I should as soon call her mother a wit.' But afterwards she seemed to improve on you, and I believe you thought her rather pretty at one time." "Yes," replied Darcy, who could contain himself no longer, "but THAT was only when I first saw her, for it is many months since I have considered her as one of the handsomest women of my acquaintance.

The evil of the actual disparity in their ages (and Mr. Woodhouse had not married early) was much increased by his constitution and habits; for having been a valetudinarian all his life, without activity of mind or body, he was a much older man in ways than in years; and though everywhere beloved for the friendliness of his heart and his amiable temper, his talents could not have recommended him at any time.

But Shakespeare one gets acquainted with without knowing how. It is a part of an Englishman's constitution. His thoughts and beauties are so spread abroad that one touches them everywhere; one is intimate with him by instinct. No man of any brain can open at a good part of one of his plays without falling into the flow of his meaning immediately.

It was a delightful visit;-perfect, in being much too short.

Never could I expect to be so truly beloved and important; so always first and always right in any man's eyes as I am in my father's.

Nothing is more deceitful than the appearance of humility.

but a sanguine temper, though for ever expecting more good than occurs, does not always pay for its hopes by any proportionate depression. it soon flies over the present failure, and begins to hope again.

We neither of us perform to strangers.

Every man is surrounded by a neighborhood of voluntary spies.

for he is such a disagreeable man, that it would be quite a misfortune to be liked by him.

She tried to explain the real state of the case to her sister. "I do not attempt to deny," said she, "that I think very highly of him--that I greatly esteem, that I like him." Marianne here burst with forth with indignation: "Esteem him! Like him! Cold-hearted Elinor. Oh! worse than cold-hearted! Ashamed of being otherwise. Use those words again, and I will leave the room this moment." Elinor could not help laughing. "Excuse me," said she, "and be assured that I meant no offence to you, by speaking, in so quiet a way, of my own feelings.

Selfishness must always be forgiven you know, because there is no hope of a cure.

Her heart did whisper that he had done it for her.

Mr. Bennet's expectations were fully answered. His cousin was as absurd as he had hoped, and he listened to him with the keenest enjoyment.

One half of her should not be always so much wiser than the other half.

…she felt depressed beyond any thing she had ever known before.

What dreadful hot weather we have! It keeps one in a continual state of inelegance.

I mean to be too rich to lament or to feel anything of the sort. A large income is the best recipe for happiness I ever heard of. It certainly may secure all the myrtle and turkey part of it.

I pay very little regard...to what any young person says on the subject of marriage. If they profess a disinclination for it, I only set it down that they have not yet seen the right person.

Woe betide him, and her too, when it comes to things of consequence, when they are placed in circumstances requiring fortitude and strength of mind, if she have not resolution enough to resist idle interference ... It is the worst evil of too yielding and indecisive a character, that no influence over it can be depended on. You are never sure of a good impression being durable; everybody may sway it. Let those who would be happy be firm.

I have always maintained the importance of Aunts

Nobody can tell what I suffer! But it is always so. Those who do not complain are never pitied.

Those who have not more must be satisfied with what they have.

Miss Morland, no one can think more highly of the understanding of women than I do. In my opinion, nature has given them so much, that they never find it necessary to use more than half.

Catherine had never wanted comfort more, and he [Henry] looked as if he was aware of it.

I will not allow it to be more man's nature than woman's to be inconstant.

General benevolence, but not general friendship, made a man what he ought to be.

From a night of more sleep than she had expected, Marianne awoke the next morning to the same consciousness of misery in which she had closed her eyes.

that you seemed almost as fearful of notice and praise as other women were of neglect. (Edmund to Fanny)

Had I not been bound to silence I could have provided proof enough of a broken heart, even for you.

a vast deal may be done by those who dare to act.

I will only add, God bless you.

I could not be happy with a man whose taste did not in every point coincide with my own. He must enter in all my feelings; the same books, the same music must charm us both.

You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope...I have loved none but you.

But if I were you, I would stand by the nephew. He has more to give.

What strange creatures brothers are!

It was, perhaps, one of those cases in which advice is good or bad only as the event decides.

The power of doing any thing with quickness is always much prized by the possessor, and often without any attention to the imperfection of the performance. - Mr Darcy

The enthusiasm of a woman's love is even beyond the biographer's.

If there is any thing disagreeable going on, men are always sure to get out of it.

Every impulse of feeling should be guided by reason; and, in my opinion, exertion should always be in proportion to what is required.

To sit in the shade on a fine day and look upon verdure is the most perfect refreshment.