A small brass padlock inside a gold-rimmed teacup and saucer against a dusty rose background.

Original artwork, not a still

Sense and Sensibility  ·  1811

Jane Austen

I am afraid that the pleasantness of an employment does not always evince its propriety.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

The speaker politely distinguishes the pleasure of an activity from its propriety. Enjoyment, in this view, does not establish that something is appropriate. The careful wording turns a possible objection into a restrained caution, separating what feels pleasant from what can be justified.

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