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
She felt that she could so much more depend upon the sincerity of those who sometimes looked or said a careless or a hasty thing, than of those whose presence of mind never varied, whose tongue never slipped.
Interpretation
Trust is often found in authentic, candid interactions rather than in perfect composure.
In this quote, Jane Austen explores the idea that genuine sincerity is far more trustworthy than a polished facade. She suggests that individuals who occasionally speak or act thoughtlessly often reveal their true selves, making them more relatable and dependable than those who maintain an unwavering composure, which may mask their true feelings or intentions.
In practice
In a discussion about trust in friendships, one might quote this to support the idea that authenticity beats perfection.
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.
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.
He certainly is very agreeable, and I give you leave to like him. You have liked many a stupider person.
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.
True forgiveness is when you can say, "Thank you for that experience.
You know, those of us who leave our homes in the morning and expect to find them there when we go back - it's hard for us to understand what the experience of a refugee might be like.
Whoever is in the distress can call me. I will come running wherever they are.
In general-like not just in fiction but in life-it doesn't work out well when someone imagines someone else as a manic pixie dream girl or an Edward Cullen or anything other than a full, complex human being. That said, while I've tried to reflect that in my books, I don't think I've always succeeded, because I am always running up against my own insufficiencies and biases etc.
You always have to come from the element of 'What do you have in common?' first. It makes it easier to work through your differences.
The difficult task of knowing another soul is not for young gentlemen whose consciousness is chiefly made up of their own wishes.
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