A man would always wish to give a woman a better home than the one he takes her from; and he who can do it, where there is no doubt of her regard, must, I think, be the happiest of mortals.
Jane Austen
A mind lively and at ease, can do with seeing nothing, and can see nothing that does not answer.
Jane Austen
A single woman, with a very narrow income, must be a ridiculous, disagreeable, old maid! the proper sport of boys and girls; but a single woman, of good fortune, is always respectable, and may be as sensible and pleasant as anybody else.
Jane Austen
General benevolence, but not general friendship, made a man what he ought to be.
Jane Austen
Human nature is so well disposed towards those who are in interesting situations, that a young person, who either marries or dies, is sure of being kindly spoken of.
Jane Austen
It is always incomprehensible to a man that a woman should ever refuse an offer of marriage. A man always imagines a woman to be ready for anybody who asks her.
Jane Austen
It is very unfair to judge any body’s conduct, without an intimate knowledge of their situation. Nobody, who has not been in the interior of a family, can say what difficulties of any individual of that family may be.
Emma
One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other.
Emma
Respect for right conduct is felt by every body.
Jane Austen
Seldom, very seldom, does complete truth belong to any human disclosure; seldom can it happen that something is not a little disguised, or a little mistaken.
Jane Austen
Surprizes are foolish things. The pleasure is not enhanced, and the inconvenience is often considerable.
Jane Austen
The ladies here probably exchanged looks which meant, “Men never know when things are dirty or not;” and the gentlemen perhaps thought each to himself, “Women will have their little nonsense and needless cares.”
Jane Austen
The post-office had a great charm at one period of our lives. When you have lived to my age, you will begin to think letters are never worth going through the rain for.
Jane Austen
There are people, the more you do for them, the less they do for themselves.
Jane Austen
There are secrets in all families.
Jane Austen
There is no charm equal to tenderness of heart.
Jane Austen
There is safety in reserve, but no attraction. One cannot love a reserved person.
Jane Austen
The truth is, that in London it is always a sickly season. Nobody is healthy in London, nobody can be.
Jane Austen
Vanity working on a weak head, produces every sort of mischief.
Jane Austen
What did she say?-Just what she ought, of course. A lady always does.-She said enough to show there need not be despair-and to invite him to say more himself.
Jane Austen
What is right to be done cannot be done too soon.
Jane Austen
Where shall we see a better daughter, or a kinder sister, or a truer friend?
Jane Austen
With men he can be rational and unaffected, but when he has ladies to please, every feature works.
Jane Austen
Young ladies are delicate plants. They should take care of their health and their complexion.
Jane Austen