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
No one who had ever seen Catherine Morland in her infancy, would have supposed her born to be a heroine... But from fifteen to seventeen she was in training for a heroine.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that outward appearance doesn't define one's potential, as Catherine Morland evolves into a heroine despite unremarkable beginnings.
In this quote, Jane Austen reflects on the development of Catherine Morland, indicating that initial expectations can be misleading. The transformation from a seemingly ordinary girl into a heroine underscores the idea that personal growth and experience shape who we become, rather than our beginnings or how others perceive us. It conveys that with time and effort, anyone can evolve into their true potential, which may not be apparent to others at first.
Themes
HeroineTransformationGrowthPotentialDevelopment
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about personal development at a graduation ceremony.
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.
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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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