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.
He certainly is very agreeable, and I give you leave to like him. You have liked many a stupider person.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the value of appreciating agreeable company, even if it may not always be the most intellectually stimulating.
In this quote, Jane Austen subtly points out the importance of social compatibility in relationships. The speaker suggests that it is perfectly acceptable to be fond of someone who may not possess extraordinary intellect, as social interactions often prioritize amiability over cognitive prowess. This highlights the nuances of human connection, where affection may sometimes arise from agreeable personalities rather than pure intelligence.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion about friendships, one might use this quote to stress the importance of enjoying the company of agreeable friends.
More from Jane Austen
All quotes βNobody 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.
A person who is knowingly bent on bad behavior, gets upset when better behavior is expected of them.
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.
She hoped to be wise and reasonable in time; but alas! Alas! She must confess to herself that she was not wise yet.
Yes," replied Darcy, who could contain himself no longer, "but that was when I first knew her; for it is many months since I have considered her as one of the handsomest women of my acquaintance.
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Everything he'd done with regard to her in the last three years had been calculated to foreclose the intensely personal sort of talks they'd had when he was younger: to get her to shut up, to train her to contain herself, to make her stop pestering him with her overfull heart and her uncensored self. And now that the training was complete and she was obediently trivial with him, he felt bereft of her and wanted to undo it.