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
I do not know whether it ought to be so, but certainly silly things do cease to be silly if they are done by sensible people in an impudent way. Wickedness is always wickedness, but folly is not always folly.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Silly actions can take on new significance depending on who performs them and how they are presented.
In this quote, Jane Austen explores the complexity of human behavior and the judgment we place on actions based on the context and the character of the individual involved. She suggests that what may seem foolish or silly can be transformed by the demeanor or intention of the person performing the act; therefore, actions are not inherently silly or wicked but can be viewed differently based on interpretation and perspective.
Themes
SillySensibleWickednessFollyPerception
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the nature of humor and irony in literature.
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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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.
Jane AustenRead
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