QuoteProject
...I will not allow books to prove any thing." "But how shall we prove any thing?" "We never shall.
Jane Austen
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote emphasizes the limitations of books in proving truths or realities.

In this exchange, Jane Austen highlights the inherent uncertainty of knowledge and truth, suggesting that books, while valuable, cannot conclusively establish facts or meanings. It reflects a philosophical perspective on the nature of understanding and the subjective interpretation of information.

Themes

KnowledgeTruthBooksPhilosophyUnderstanding

In practice

Example use cases

This quote can be used during a book club discussion to reflect on the subjective nature of literary interpretation.

More from Jane Austen

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
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.
Jane AustenRead
He certainly is very agreeable, and I give you leave to like him. You have liked many a stupider person.
Jane AustenRead
A person who is knowingly bent on bad behavior, gets upset when better behavior is expected of them.
Jane AustenRead
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.
Jane AustenRead
She hoped to be wise and reasonable in time; but alas! Alas! She must confess to herself that she was not wise yet.
Jane AustenRead

Similar quotes

A myth is an image in terms of which we try to make sense of the world.
Alan WattsRead
Wherever capitalism appears, in pursuit of its mission of exploitation, there will Socialism, fertilized by misery, watered by tears, and vitalized by agitation be also found, unfurling its class-struggle banner and proclaiming its mission of emancipation.
Eugene V. DebsRead
Ego brings unnatural desires in you; it drives you crazy. Life is simple, but to be simple one has to be purposeless. Any goal, and you can`t be simple. Any goal and you can`t be herenow. Any goal and the desire will rock you. Any goal, and you are on the way, again moving - you cannot enjoy this moment, the grace of this moment, the benediction of herenow.
RajneeshRead
Sacred Activism is the fusion of the mystic's passion for God with the activist's passion for justice, creating a third fire, which is the burning sacred heart that longs to help, preserve, and nurture every living thing.
Andrew HarveyRead
We will walk on our own feet; we will work with our own hands; we will speak our own minds... A nation of men will for the first time exist, because each believes himself inspired by the Divine Soul which also inspires all men.
Ralph Waldo EmersonRead
If this were played upon a stage now, I could condemn it as an improbable fiction.
William ShakespeareRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.