Vintage Jane Austen Quotes

If you are ever angry at him, threaten to do something to one of his books, as calling him Fred does nothing. ~ Sarah Holman

The heart is a strange thing," Evelyn said, staring off into space. "It can be broken easily and takes a long time to mend, yet it can also withstand so much. ~ Sarah Holman

At last, the details finally settled, Abbey found herself coming to terms with the inevitable: the whole lot of them would go to Cape Cod. It was a dizzying prospect. Thirteen years ago she had said goodbye once and for all to the only man she had ever loved. Now she was setting out with him on a vacation, accompanied by a young woman determined above all else to become his wife. ~ Emily Ann Benedict

We delude ourselves if we think that decency is not rewarded in other people simply because we refuse to practice it ourselves. ~ Sarah Scheele

I don't know how to ask this," Everett began. "You and Mr. Bradley…you're not…" He gestured helplessly with his left hand. "I mean, there's not, uh, something…is there?"
After a bewildered moment Ellen's eyes widened. "Oh, no! Not - not at all."
Everett's breath hitched. "I thought - I thought perhaps there was. That's why I hesitated…but if there isn't…then I got the right color." He studied his crimson bouquet, spinning it
slowly in a mesmerizing circle. Ellen gulped.
Everett looked up, walked forward, and glanced down at his roses, then held them out to her and recaptured her gaze. "I remember you said you liked roses. I think you said white roses,
but they don't have the right meaning." He smiled sheepishly.
Ellen's eyes dropped. She reached out a shaky hand and clasped the firm, cool, de-thorned stems.
"You…do understand me then?" he asked.
"Perfectly." Ellen burst into tears. ~ Kelsey Bryant

Ed frowned. "Well, it's a terrible picture of me! Here, give me that. I'm going to tear it up. There ought to be legal action against publishing a bad picture like that without my permission . . . ."

A wild scuffle ensued as they tried to keep Ed from destroying the article before they could read it. ~ Sarah Scheele

With all dear Emma's little faults, she is an excellent creature. Where shall we see a better daughter, or a kinder sister, or a truer friend? No, no; she has qualities which may be trusted; she will never lead any one really wrong; she will make no lasting blunder; where Emma errs once, she is in the right a hundred times. ~ Jane Austen

What a delightful place Bath is," said Mrs. Allen as they sat down near the great clock, after parading the room till they were tired; "and how pleasant it would be if we had any acquaintance here. ~ Jane Austen

All the world is good and agreeable in your eyes. ~ Jane Austen

Look into your own heart because who looks outside, dreams, but who looks inside awakes. ~ Jane Austen

He was directly invited to join their party, but he declined it, observing that he could imagine but two motives for their choosing to walk up and down the room together, with either of which motives his joining them would interfere. "What could he mean? She was dying to know what could be his meaning?"
and asked Elizabeth whether she could at all understand him?
"Not at all," was her answer; "but depend upon it, he means to be severe on us, and our surest way of disappointing him will be to ask nothing about it. ~ Jane Austen

[Art] would have helped us survive in the Pleistocene - in the period, say, 1.6 million years ago until fairly recently. The kind of imaginative abilities that artists have and that we all have in the appreciation of art - to appreciate Jane Austen, the late quartets of Beethoven. ~ Denis Dutton

That the Miss Lucases and the Miss Bennets should meet to talk over a ball was absolutely necessary; and the morning after the assembly brought the former to Longbourn to hear and to communicate. ~ Jane Austen

It was quite a different sort of thing, a sentiment distinct and independent. Mrs. Weston was the object of a regard which had its basis in gratitude and esteem. Harriet would be loved as one to whom she could be useful. For Mrs. Weston there was nothing to be done; for Harriet every thing. ~ Jane Austen

We will not quarrel for the greater share of blame annexed to that evening," said Elizabeth. "The conduct of neither, if strictly examined, will be irreproachable; but since then, we have both, I hope, improved in civility."
I cannot be so easily reconciled to myself. The recollection of what I then said, of my conduct, my manners, my expressions during the whole of it, is now, and has been many months, inexpressibly painful to me. Your reproof, so well applied, I shall never forget: 'had you behaved in a more gentlemanlike manner.' Those were your words. You know not, you can scarcely conceive, how they have tortured me;–though it was some time, I confess, before I was reasonable enough to allow their justice. ~ Jane Austen

You judge very properly," said Mr. Bennet, "and it is happy for you that you possess the talent of flattering with delicacy. May I ask whether these pleasing attentions proceed from the impulse of the moment, or are the result of previous study?"
"They arise chiefly from what is passing at the time, and thought I sometimes amuse myself with suggesting and arranging such little elegant compliments as may be adapted to ordinary occasions, I always wish to give them as unstudied an air as possible."
Mr. Bennet's expectations were fully answered. His cousin was as absurd as he had hoped, and he listened with the keenest enjoyment, maintaining at the same time the most resolute composure of countenance, and except in an occasional glance at Elizabeth, requiring no partner in his pleasure. ~ Jane Austen

Austen suggests that a gentleman is made, not born - and made only through a process of painful self-reflection and discovery. ~ Emily Auerbach

Marianne's illness, though weakening in its kind, had not been long enough to make her recovery slow; and with youth, natural strength, and her mother's presence in aid, it proceeded so smoothly as to enable her to remove, within four days after the arrival of the latter, into Mrs. Palmer's dressing-room. ~ Jane Austen

It's been many years since I had such an exemplary vegetable. ~ Jane Austen

presence of such a ~ Jane Austen

Advantage, spent the chief of her time with her two elder sisters. In society so superior to what she had generally known, her improvement was great. ~ Jane Austen

But her mind had never been in such perturbation; and it needed a very strong effort to appear attentive and cheerful till the usual hour of separating allowed her the relief of quiet reflection. ~ Jane Austen

poor families in this neighbourhood. She has a large acquaintance, of course professionally, ~ Jane Austen

Perfection should not have come quite so soon. ~ Jane Austen

Nobody meant to be unkind, but nobody put themselves out of their way to secure her comfort. ~ Jane Austen

We certainly do not forget you, so soon as you forget us. It is, perhaps, our fate rather than our merit. We cannot help ourselves. ~ Jane Austen

He listened to her with perfect indifference while she chose to entertain herself in this manner; and as his composure convinced her that all was safe, her wit flowed long. ~ Jane Austen

The beautiful unruliness of literature is what makes it so much fun to wander through: you read Jane Austen and you say, oh, that is IT. And then you turn around and read Sterne, and you say, Man, that is IT. And then you wander across a century or so, and you run into Kafka, or Calvino, or Cortazar, and you say, well that is IT. And then you stroll through what Updike called the grottos of Ulysses, and after that you consort with Baldwin or Welty or Spencer, or Morrison, or Bellow or Fitzgerald and then back to W. Shakespeare, Esq; the champ, and all the time you feel the excitement of being in the presence of IT. And when you yourself spend the good time writing, you are not different in kind than any of these people, you are part of that miracle of human invention. So get to work. Get on with IT, no matter how difficult IT is. Every single gesture, every single stumble, every single uninspired-feeling hour, is worth IT. Richard Bausch ~ Kathy Fish

There is something in the eloquence of the pulpit, when it is really eloquence, which is entitled to the highest praise and honour. The preacher who can touch and affect such an heterogeneous mass of hearers, on subjects limited, and long worn thread-bare in all common hands; who can say any thing new or striking, any thing that rouses the attention, without offending the taste, or wearing out the feelings of his hearers, is a man whom one could not (in his public capacity) honour enough. ~ Jane Austen

Every body has their taste in noises as well as other matters; and sounds are quite innoxious, or most distressing, by their sort rather than their quantity. ~ Jane Austen

We met Dr. Hall in such deep mourning that either his mother, his wife, or himself must be dead. ~ Jane Austen

My dear Mr. Bennet," said his lady to him one day, "have you heard that Netherfield Park is let at last?" Mr. Bennet ~ Jane Austen

the rent here may be low but i believe we have it on very hard terms --sense & sensibility ~ Jane Austen

Elizabeth had been a good deal disappointed in not finding a letter from Jane on their first arrival at Lambton; and this disappointment had been renewed on each of the mornings that had now been spent there; but on the third her repining was over, and her sister justified, by the receipt of two letters from her at once, on one of which was marked that it had been missent elsewhere. Elizabeth was not surprised at it, as Jane had written the direction remarkably ill. ~ Jane Austen

I do assure you that I am not one of those young ladies (if such ladies there are) who are so daring as to risk their happiness on the chance of being asked a second time. I am perfectly serious in my refusal. ~ Jane Austen

It may be possible to do without dancing entirely. Instances have been known of young people passing many, many months successively, without being at any ball of any description, and no material injury accrue either to body or mind;
but when a beginning is made
when the felicities of rapid motion have once been, though slightly, felt
it must be a very heavy set that does not ask for more. ~ Jane Austen

Well, he certainly is very agreeable, and I give you leave to like him. You have liked many a stupider person." "Dear Lizzy! ~ Jane Austen

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. ~ Jane Austen

There's no way on God's green earth that I'm dressing up like Mr. Darcy." Brooks stretched out on Caroline's bed, hanging his suede wing tips off the edge and crossing his ankles. He laced his fingers behind his head and looked infuriatingly cool and relaxed.
"Not Mr. Darcy. That's the guy from Pride and Prejudice. You're supposed to come as Mr. Knightley. ~ Mary Jane Hathaway

As a brother, a landlord, a master, she considered how many people's happiness were in his guardianship!
How much of pleasure or pain it was in his power to bestow!
How much of good or evil must be done by him! ~ Jane Austen

Elinor had some difficulty here to refrain from observing, that she thought Fanny might have borne with composure, an acquisition of wealth to her brother, by which neither she nor her child could be possibly impoverished. ~ Jane Austen

I'm totally in love with Jane Austen and have always been in love with Jane Austen. I did my dissertation at university on black people in eighteenth-century Britain - so I'd love to do a Jane Austen-esque film but with black people. ~ Naomie Harris

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. ~ Jane Austen

And so ended his affection," said Elizabeth impatiently. "There has
been many a one, I fancy, overcome in the same way. I wonder who first
discovered the efficacy of poetry in driving away love!"
"I have been used to consider poetry as the food of love," said Darcy. ~ Jane Austen

When once married people begin to attack me with, 'Oh! you will think very differently, when you are married,' I can only say, 'No I shall not'; and then they say again, 'Yes you will,' and there is an end to it. ~ Jane Austen

The wisest and the best of men, nay, the wisest and best of their actions, may be rendered ridiculous by a person whose first object in life is a joke. ~ Jane Austen

There is so much of gratitude or vanity in almost every attachment, that it is not safe to leave any to itself. 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 women had better show MORE affection than she feels. Bingley likes your sister undoubtedly; but he may never do more than like her, if she does not help him on. ~ Jane Austen

She has nothing, in short, to recommend her, but being an excellent walker. I shall never forget her appearance this morning. She really looked almost wild. ~ Jane Austen

It does not appear to me that my hand is unworthy your acceptance, or that the establishment I can offer would be any other than highly desirable. ~ Jane Austen

If her case was pitiable, his was hopeless. His imprudence had made her miserable for a while; but it seemed to have deprived himself of all chance of ever being otherwise. ~ Jane Austen