1.6 - Key Quotes
Key quotes - volume 1
| Quote | Character | Theme | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." | Narrator | Marriage and social class | Opens novel with ironic commentary on social expectations |
| "She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me" | Darcy | Pride and prejudice | Establishes Darcy's apparent pride and Elizabeth's initial prejudice |
| "I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified mine." | Elizabeth | Pride and prejudice | Shows Elizabeth's own pride and mutual nature of conflict |
| "Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us." | Mary | Pride and prejudice | Provides thematic definition central to novel's moral framework |
| "Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance" | Charlotte | Marriage and social class | Introduces pragmatic view versus romantic idealism |
| "You have delighted us long enough" | Elizabeth | First impressions and misjudgement | Shows Elizabeth's growing awareness of Wickham's superficiality |
| "Without thinking highly either of men or of matrimony, marriage had always been her object" | Narrator (about Charlotte) | Love versus financial security | Highlights women's limited options and economic necessity |
Key quotes - volume 2
| Quote | Character | Theme | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| "My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you." | Darcy | Love versus financial security | Shows struggle between passion and social expectations |
| "You could not have made me the offer of your hand in any possible way that would have tempted me to accept it." | Elizabeth | Pride and prejudice | Marks climax of pride and prejudice between main characters |
| "Had you behaved in a more gentleman-like manner" | Elizabeth | Social mobility and status | Challenges Darcy's pride and social assumptions |
| "How despicably have I acted! I, who have prided myself on my discernment!" | Elizabeth | First impressions and misjudgement | Marks Elizabeth's recognition of her own errors |
| "Every disposition of the mind which leads to self-complacency has a tendency to pervert the understanding" | Elizabeth | Pride and prejudice | Reflects on dangers of pride and effects on judgement |
Key quotes - volume 3 part 1
| Quote | Character | Theme | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| "And of this place, thought she, I might have been mistress!" | Elizabeth | Social mobility and status | Reveals Elizabeth's recognition of what she rejected |
| "What excellent fathers you have both had!" | Mrs. Reynolds | Family and reputation | Provides external validation of Darcy's true character |
| "She began now to comprehend that he was exactly the man, who, in disposition and talents, would most suit her" | Narrator (about Elizabeth) | First impressions and misjudgement | Shows Elizabeth's growing understanding of compatibility |
| "For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbours, and laugh at them in our turn?" | Mr. Bennet | Family and reputation | Reflects on social relationships and human folly |
Key quotes - volume 3 part 2
| Quote | Character | Theme | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| "I have been a selfish being all my life, in practice, though not in principle" | Darcy | Pride and prejudice | Demonstrates Darcy's self-awareness and capacity for growth |
| "I have been most unconscionably desirous of your good opinion" | Elizabeth | Pride and prejudice | Shows mutual respect developing between the couple |
| "You taught me a lesson, hard indeed at first, but most advantageous" | Darcy | Pride and prejudice | Demonstrates mutual education and growth |
| "I am the happiest creature in the world. Perhaps other people have said so before, but not one with such justice" | Elizabeth | Love versus financial security | Marks resolution of central romantic plot |
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