Quotes from Jane Austen

Keep your breath to cool your porridge'; and I shall keep mine to swell my song.

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.

Only the deepest love will persuade me into matrimony, which is why I will end up an old maid.

It is wonderful, for almost all his actions may be traced to pride;-and pride has often been his best friend.

Her passion for ancient edifices was next in degree to her passion for Henry Tilney-- and castles and abbeys made usually the charm of those reveries which his image did not fill.

Upon my word, said her ladyship, you give your opinion very decidedly for so young a person. Pray, what is your age?

She hated herself more than she could express.

We women love longest even when all hope is gone.

after all that is bewitching in the idea of a single and constant attachment, and all that can be said of one's happiness depending entirely on any particular person, it is not meant--it is not fit--it is not possible that it should be so. --Edward will marry Lucy

He was in love, very much in love; and it was a love which, operating on an active, sanguine spirit, of more warmth than delicacy, made her affection appear of greater consequence, because it was witheld, and determined him to have the glory, as well as the felicity of forcing her to love him.

Shyness is only the effect of a sense of inferiority in some way or other.

Do not deceive yourself; do not be run away with by gratitude and compassion.

The season, the scene, the air, were all favourable to tenderness and sentiment.

A person who is knowingly bent on bad behavior, gets upset when better behavior is expected of them.

Unhappy as the event must be for Lydia, we may draw from it this useful lesson: that loss of virtue in a female is irretrievable; that one false step involves her in endless ruin; that her reputation is no less brittle than it is beautiful; and that she cannot be too much guarded in her behaviour towards the undeserving of the other sex.

You are very right in supposing how my money would be spent – some of it, at least – my loose cash would certainly be employed in improving my collection of music and books." – Marianne Dashwood

A persuadable temper might sometimes be as much in favor of happiness, as a very resolute character.

Affectation of candour is common enough—one meets with it everywhere. But to be candid without ostentation or design—to take the good of everybody's character and make it still better, and say nothing of the bad—belongs to you alone.

What should I do with your strong, manly, spirited sketches, full of variety and glow? How could I possibly join them on to the little bit (two inches wide) of ivory on which I work with so fine a brush, as produces little effect after much labour?

I can always live by my pen.

Mr. Darcy sends you all the love in the world that he can spare from me.

JANE: Will you tell me how long you have loved him? ELIZABETH: I believe it must date it from my first seeing his beautiful grounds at Pemberley.

Well, evil to some is always good to others.

I do suspect that he is not really necessary to my happiness.  So much the better.  I certainly will not persuade myself to feel more than I do.  I am quite enough in love.  I should be sorry to be more.