Jane Ostin — Quotes from Author's Books

When she is secure of him, there will be more leisure for falling in love as much as she chooses.

Friendship is certainly the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love.

But that expression of ‘violently in love’ is so hackneyed, so doubtful, so indefinite, that it gives me very little idea. It is as often applied to feelings which arise only from a half hour’s acquaintance, as to a real, strong attachment.

— And your defect is to hate everybody.

— And yours, — he replied with a smile, — is willfully to misunderstand them.

Pride is a very common failing, I believe. By all that I have ever read, I am convinced that it is very common indeed; that human nature is particularly prone to it, and that there are very few of us who do not cherish a feeling of self-complacency on the score of some quality or other, real or imaginary. Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us.

he is so very much occupied by the idea of not being in love with her, that I should not wonder if it were to end in his being so at last.

A lady's imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony, in a moment.

I wish as well as every body else to be perfectly happy; but, like every body else it must be in my own way.

I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified mine.

A man who has nothing to do with his own time has no conscience in his intrusion on that of others.

My being charming is not quite enough to induce me to marry.

There is, I believe, in every disposition a tendency to some particular evil, a natural defect, which not even the best education can overcome.

I certainly have not the talent which some people possess,”said Darcy,“of conversing easily with those I have never seen before. I cannot catch their tone of conversation, or appear interested in their concerns, as I often see done.

Seven years would be insufficient to make some people acquainted with each other, and seven days are more than enough for others.

One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other.

We can all begin freely — a slight preference is natural enough; but there are very few of us who have heart enough to be really in love without encouragement. In nine cases out of ten, a woman had better show more affection than she feels.