"Northanger Abbey" Quotes

I leave it to be settled by whomsoever it may concern, whether the tendency of this work be altogether to recommend parental tyranny, or reward filial disobedience.

But remember that the pain of parting from friends will be felt by everybody at times, whatever be their education or state. Know your own happiness.

I cannot speak well enough to be unintelligible.

A woman, especially, if she have the misfortune of knowing anything, should conceal it as well as she can.

I have no notion of loving people by halves; it is not my nature.

I do not pretend to fix on times or places, but I must tell you that I have good reason to believe your little friend will soon hear of something to her advantage.

I must continue to have my way.

The advantages of natural folly in a beautiful girl have been already set forth by the capital pen of a sister author; and to her treatment of the subject I will only add, in justice to men, that though to the larger and more trifling part of the sex, imbecility in females is a great enhancement of their personal charms, there is a portion of them too reasonable and too well informed themselves to desire anything more in woman than ignorance.

I am sure there is some great mismanagement in the education of those two young men. The unreasonable way in which they are indulging their daughters— the very great way in which the mother is indulging herself— merely because the children are under age, and for fear of losing them, is enough to spoil them for any thing.

To come with a well-informed mind is to come with an inability of administering to the vanity of others, which a sensible person would always wish to avoid.