From The Student Room

TSR Wiki > Study Help > Subjects and Revision > Revision Notes > English > Jane Austen - Pride and Prejudice Quotes

---

• It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.

• " . . . I could easily forgive HIS pride, if he had not mortified MINE."

• "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."

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

• "The power of doing anything with quickness is always prized much by the possessor, and often without any attention to the imperfection of the performance."

• "Mr. Wickham is blessed with such happy manners as may ensure his MAKING friends--whether he may be equally capable of RETAINING them, is less certain."

• Mr. Collins was not a sensible man, and the deficiency of nature had been but little assisted by education or society . . .

• "Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance."

• "For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbours, and laugh at them in our turn?"

• " . . . 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?"

• “Lizzie was least dear to her of all her daughters.”

• It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.

• She [Mrs. Bennet] was a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper. (Ch. 1)

Lizzy does not lose much by not suiting his fancy; for he is a most disagreeable, horrid man, not at all worth pleasing. So high and so conceited that there was no enduring him

• “You never see a fault in anybody. All the world are good and agreeable in your eyes.”

• "I would not wish to be hasty in censuring anyone; but I always speak what I think."

• " your good sense, to be so honestly blind to the follies and nonsense of others!

• And so you like this man's sisters, too, do you? Their manners are not equal to his." (Elizabeth to Jane; Ch. 4)

• "I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified mine." (Elizabeth about Darcy; Ch. 5)

• "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." (Mary; Ch. 5)

• If a woman is partial to a man, and does not endeavour to conceal it, he must find it out. (Ch. 6)

• “Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance.” (Charlotte Lucas and Lizzy; Ch. 6)

• " have been meditating on the very great pleasure which a pair of fine eyes in the face of a pretty woman can bestow." (Darcy to Miss Bingley; Ch. 6)

• A lady's imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony, in a moment. (Ch. 6)

• "If my children are silly, I must hope to be always sensible of it... I must so far differ from you as to think our two youngest daughters uncommonly foolish." (Mr Bennet to his wife; Ch. 7)

• "Nothing is more deceitful," said Darcy, "than the appearance of humility. It is often only carelessness of opinion, and sometimes an indirect boast." (Ch. 10)

• "You expect me to account for opinions which you choose to call mine, but which I have never acknowledged." (Ch. 10)

• “He really believed, that were it not for the inferiority of her connections, he should be in some danger”. (Ch. 10)

• "And your defect is to hate everybody."

• "And yours," he replied with a smile, "is willfully to misunderstand them." (Ch. 11)

• Mr. Collins had only to change from Jane to Elizabeth—and it was soon done—done while Mrs. Bennet was stirring the fire. (Ch. 15)

• "Mr. Wickham is blessed with such happy manners as may ensure his making friends— whether he may be equally capable of retaining them, is less certain." (Ch. 18)

• "I remember hearing you once say, Mr. Darcy, that you hardly ever forgave, that your resentment once created was unappeasable. You are very cautious, I suppose, as to its being created." (Ch. 18)

• "It is particularly incumbent on those who never change their opinion, to be secure of judging properly at first." (Ch. 18)

• I could wish, Miss Bennet, that you were not to sketch my character at the present moment, as there is reason to fear that the performance would reflect no credit on either."

(Ch. 18)

• "I do assure you that I am not one of those young ladies (if such young ladies there are) who are so daring as to risk their happiness on the chance of being asked a second time.

• You could not make me happy, and I am convinced that I am the last woman in the world who could make you so." (Ch. 19)

• You must give me leave to judge for myself, and pay me the compliment of believing what I say. (Ch. 19)

• An unhappy alternative is before you, Elizabeth. From this day you must be a stranger to one of your parents. Your mother will never see you again if you do not marry Mr. Collins, and I will never see you again if you do." (Ch. 20)

• "I have no wish of denying that I did everything in my power to separate my friend from your sister, or that I rejoice in my success. Towards him I have been kinder than towards myself."

• "You have said quite enough, madam. I perfectly comprehend your feelings, and have now only to be ashamed of what my own have been. Forgive me for having taken up

• ""The conduct of neither, if strictly examined, will be irreproachable; but since then, we have both, I hope, improved in civility."

• "It has been coming on so gradually, that I hardly know when it began. But I believe I must date it from my first seeing his beautiful grounds at Pemberley.”

• "To Elizabeth it appeared, that had her family made an agreement to expose themselves as much as they could during the evening, it would have been impossible for them to play their parts with more spirit, or finer success; and happy did she think it for Bingley and her sister that some of the exhibition had escaped his notice, and that his feelings were not of a sort to be much distressed by the folly which he must have witnessed

Comments

These notes are aimed at people studying A Level English Literature.

Originally posted by BelleReve on TSR Forums.