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
A single woman with a very narrow income must be a ridiculous, disagreeable old maid - the proper sport of boys and girls; but a single woman of good fortune is always respectable, and may be as sensible and pleasant as anybody else.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The societal perceptions of single women vary significantly based on their financial status.
In this quote, Jane Austen highlights the double standard placed on single women, suggesting that a woman's respectability and societal value are often tied to her wealth. A woman with limited financial means is perceived negatively, while a woman of wealth enjoys a higher status, demonstrating the unfairness of gender and economic biases in society.
Themes
SingleWomenSocietyWealthRespectability
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a discussion about gender roles in society.
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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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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