I pay very little regard...to what any young person says on the subject of marriage. If they profess a disinclination for it, I only set it down that they have not yet seen the right person.
Jane AustenRead
If you will thank me '' he replied let it be for yourself alone. That the wish of giving happiness to you might add force to the other inducements which led me on I shall not attempt to deny. But your family owe me nothing. Much as I respect them I believe I thought only of you.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the importance of selflessness in love and the notion that true affection seeks happiness for the beloved rather than for recognition.
In this quote, Jane Austen reflects on the nature of love and personal sacrifice. The speaker acknowledges that their motivations for giving happiness stem from a desire for the other's well-being, but they clarify that any gratitude should be directed towards oneself, as it is the recipient's happiness that matters most. This highlights the idea that true affection is not self-serving, and love is best expressed as an act of giving without the expectation of return or debt.
Themes
LoveHappinessSelflessnessRelationshipsGratitude
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a wedding toast to highlight the importance of love and selflessness in a marriage.
More from Jane Austen
All quotes →Nobody could catch cold by the sea; nobody wanted appetite by the sea; nobody wanted spirits; nobody wanted strength. Sea air was healing, softening, relaxing - fortifying and bracing - seemingly just as was wanted - sometimes one, sometimes the other. If the sea breeze failed, the seabath was the certain corrective; and where bathing disagreed, the sea air alone was evidently designed by nature for the cure.
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He certainly is very agreeable, and I give you leave to like him. You have liked many a stupider person.
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A person who is knowingly bent on bad behavior, gets upset when better behavior is expected of them.
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You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone for ever.
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She hoped to be wise and reasonable in time; but alas! Alas! She must confess to herself that she was not wise yet.
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