 It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. |
| My idea of good company is the company of clever, well-informed people who have a great deal of conversation; that is what I call good company. |
| Husbands and wives generally understand when opposition will be vain. |
| Human nature is so well disposed towards those who are in interesting situations, that a young person, who either marries or dies, is sure of being kindly spoken of. |
| It is always incomprehensible to a man that a woman should ever refuse an offer of marriage. |
| One cannot be always laughing at a man without now and then stumbling on something witty. |
| An engaged woman is always more agreeable than a disengaged. She is satisfied with herself. Her cares are over, and she feels that she may exert all her powers of pleasing without suspicion. All is safe with a lady engaged; no harm can be done. |
| To sit in the shade on a fine day and look upon verdure is the most perfect refreshment. |
| My sore throats are always worse than anyone's. |
| I do not want people to be very agreeable, as it saves me the trouble of liking them a great deal. |
| Good-humoured, unaffected girls, will not do for a man who has been used to sensible women. They are two distinct orders of being. |
| What is right to be done cannot be done too soon. |
| A person who can write a long letter with ease, cannot write ill. |
| It will, I believe, be everywhere found, that as the clergy are, or are not what they ought to be, so are the rest of the nation. |
| Life seems but a quick succession of busy nothings. |
| There is something so amiable in the prejudices of a young mind, that one is sorry to see them give way to the reception of more general opinions. |
| There are people, who the more you do for them, the less they will do for themselves. |
| Nobody minds having what is too good for them. |
| I am afraid that the pleasantness of an employment does not always evince its propriety. |
| Surprises are foolish things. The pleasure is not enhanced, and the inconvenience is often considerable. |
