Pride and Prejudice Quotes

They owed the restoration of Lydia, her character, every thing, to him. Oh! how heartily did she grieve over every ungracious sensation she had ever encouraged, every saucy speech she had ever directed towards him. For herself she was humbled; but she was proud of him. Proud that in a cause of compassion and honour, he had been able to get the better of himself.

– Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 52. Elizabeth feels humbled after her aunt Mrs. Gardiner reveals in a letter that it was Darcy who found Lydia and Wickham when they ran off together. He tracked them down at their London love nest. He also paid Wickham the money to facilitate their marriage, but asked that Mr. Gardiner take the credit for it. Elizabeth is proud of Darcy and the "compassion and honour" he showed through his actions and generosity. She also repents her previous dislike of and prejudice that she displayed to him.

"He is as fine a fellow," said Mr. Bennet, as soon as they were out of the house, "as ever I saw. He simpers, and smirks, and makes love to us all. I am prodigiously proud of him. I defy even Sir William Lucas himself to produce a more valuable son-in-law."

– Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 53. Mr. Bennet is having a little joke here as he engages in ironic mockery of his son-in-law George Wickham. Seemingly praising Lydia’s husband, Mr. Bennet is actually being sarcastic and insulting, letting Mrs. Bennet know that he can see through the smooth operator Wickham’s deceptive charms. He also sneers at Sir William Lucas’s "charming" son-in-law Mr. Collins, whom he can only tolerate for short periods of time.

Elizabeth did not know what to make of it. Had she not seen him in Derbyshire, she might have supposed him capable of coming there with no other view than what was acknowledged; but she still thought him partial to Jane, and she wavered as to the greater probability of his coming there with his friend’s permission, or being bold enough to come without it.

– Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 53. After reports that Charles Bingley is returning to Netherfield, Jane claims to be unaffected by the news, but Elizabeth thinks that Bingley still has feelings for Jane. She also wonders if Bingley is coming with the "permission" of his friend Darcy, or is brave enough to come without it.

No, no. You forced me into visiting him last year, and promised, if I went to see him, he should marry one of my daughters. But it ended in nothing, and I will not be sent on a fool’s errand again.

– Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 53. Mr. Bennet refuses when Mrs. Bennet instructs him to visit Charles Bingley as soon as he returns to Netherfield. But Mr. Bennet makes clear that he will not visit Bingley because he didn’t marry his daughter Jane. However three days after Bingley’s arrival to Netherfield he comes to the Bennets’ home with Darcy.

Her astonishment at his coming – at his coming to Netherfield, to Longbourn, and voluntarily seeking her again, was almost equal to what she had known on first witnessing his altered behaviour in Derbyshire.

– Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 53. Elizabeth doesn’t know what to think when Charles Bingley calls to her Longbourn home with his friend Mr. Darcy. She is astonished but delighted that Darcy has come to seek her out. She recalls his "altered behaviour" in Derbyshire, where he was the perfect gentleman, polite and civil. Elizabeth’s reaction to the visit is described in the next paragraph: "The colour which had been driven from her face, returned for half a minute with an additional glow, and a smile of delight added lustre to her eyes, as she thought for that space of time that his affection and wishes must still be unshaken. But she would not be secure."

Mrs. Bennet had been strongly inclined to ask them to stay and dine there that day; but, though she always kept a very good table, she did not think anything less than two courses could be good enough for a man on whom she had such anxious designs, or satisfy the appetite and pride of one who had ten thousand a year.

– Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 53. Mrs. Bennet, who is proud of her good table, invites Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy to dinner at Longbourn in a few days time. She wants to impress the man she has designs on her daughter Jane – Bingham – and also his ten thousand a year friend Darcy. That means pulling out all the stops with no less than two courses.

A man who has once been refused! How could I ever be foolish enough to expect a renewal of his love? Is there one among the sex who would not protest against such a weakness as a second proposal to the same woman? There is no indignity so abhorrent to their feelings!

– Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 54. Elizabeth says this as Darcy walks away to another part of the room at Longbourn and she envies everyone he speaks to. She is angry at herself for being "so silly" in refusing his first proposal. She doesn’t expect a second.

On opening the door, she perceived her sister and Bingley standing together over the hearth, as if engaged in earnest conversation; and had this led to no suspicion, the faces of both, as they hastily turned round and moved away from each other, would have told it all. Their situation was awkward enough; but hers she thought was still worse.

– Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 55. Elizabeth describes walking in on her sister Jane and Charles Bingley at an intimate and awkward moment. While readers are provided with a front row seat to Mr. Collins’s and Mr. Darcy’s proposals, this is all we get of Mr. Bingley’. Elizabeth adds two and two together to intepret what she sees.

Jane could have no reserves from Elizabeth where confidence would give pleasure; and instantly embracing her, acknowledged with the liveliest emotion that she was the happiest creature in the world.
"’Tis too much!" she added, "by far too much. I do not deserve it. Oh! why is not everybody as happy?"

– Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 55. Jane is overcome with emotion after Charles Bingley proposes marriage to her. She embraces her sister Elizabeth and says that she is the happinest creature in the world.

"And this," said she, "is the end of all his friend’s anxious circumspection! of all his sister’s falsehood and contrivance! – the happiest, wisest, most reasonable end!"

– Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 55. Elizabeth is delighted and relieved that after months of "suspense and vexation" Mr. Bingley and Jane have got engaged. For her it is a happy ending to Darcy’s "anxious circumspection" about the match and Caroline Bingley’s "falsehood and contrivance" in her deception towards Jane.

I have not a doubt of your doing very well together. Your tempers are by no means unlike. You are each of you so complying, that nothing will ever be resolved on; so easy, that every servant will cheat you; and so generous, that you will always exceed your income.

– Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 55. When Mr. Bennet’s good-natured eldest daughter Jane gets engaged to the very likeable Mr. Bingley, he congratulates her. But he has a funny way of saying it. Here he makes an attempt at misplaced irony, joking about the similarity of their tempers, their servants cheating them, and being so generous they will exceed their income. But Mr. Bennet is never good at expressing his feelings, he is either unable to do so or unwilling.

They shook hands with great cordiality; and then till her sister came down, she had to listen to all he had to say, of his own happiness, and of Jane’s perfections; and in spite of his being a lover, Elizabeth really believed all his expectations of felicity, to be rationally founded, because they had for basis the excellent understanding, and super-excellent disposition of Jane, and a general similarity of feeling and taste between her and himself.

– Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 55. Charles Bingley asks for Elizabeth’s best wishes on his engagement to Jane. Elizabeth is happy for both of them. She believes that Bingley’s hopes of their happiness together is based not just on love, but on reason also. She refers to their compatibility, shared tastes and Jane’s "super-excellent" temperment. Elizabeth has learned the lesson of the dangers of a marriage based solely on passion from the disastrous example of her young sister Lydia’s blind infatuation for Wickham. Elizabeth also doesn’t share Lady Catherine de Bourgh’s view on marriage, that it should be arranged within your class to promote the material prosperity of the families, with no regard to the individuals involved. We gain this insight into the aristocratic lady’s thinking on marriage in the next chapter in the famous battle of wills between her and Elizabeth. For Elizabeth a good marriage is best achieved with a mix of love and reason. This very considered view on love and marriage is what makes Jane Austen so much more than a simple romance novel writer. She satirizes the conventional romantic novel, exposing the risks of "love at first sight" and promoting a love that grows from a knowledge of the other’s character.

"That is the most unforgiving speech," said Elizabeth, "that I ever heard you utter. Good girl!"

– Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 55. Elizabeth lauds Jane when she makes a critical remark about Caroline Bingley’s efforts to keep her brother Charles from seeing Jane. Elizabeth goes on to say: "It would vex me, indeed, to see you again the dupe of Miss Bingley’s pretended regard." Jane is a person who rarely attributes bad motives to anyone and instead tries to see the good in all. So Elizabeth is delighted that she at last sees through Caroline Bingley’s deceit .

This naturally introduced a panegyric from Jane on his diffidence, and the little value he put on his own good qualities. Elizabeth was pleased to find that he had not betrayed the interference of his friend; for, though Jane had the most generous and forgiving heart in the world, she knew it was a circumstance which must prejudice her against him.

– Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 55. Jane is understanding of Mr. Bingley for initially abandoning her and taking off to London, and she praises his shyness and modesty. Elizabeth is relieved that her sister doesn’t know the role Darcy had in Bingley’s departure, otherwise the usually forgiving Jane would be prejudiced against him.

If you were to give me forty such men, I never could be so happy as you. Till I have your disposition, your goodness, I never can have your happiness. No, no, let me shift for myself; and, perhaps, if I have very good luck, I may meet with another Mr. Collins in time.

– Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 55. This is Elizabeth’s response when Jane gets engaged to Bingley and wishes that there could be a man made perfectly for Elizabeth, just like Bingley! Here Elizabeth holds Jane up as a example of moral goodness, as she does throughout the novel, and jokes about finding another Mr. Collins.

The Bennets were speedily pronounced to be the luckiest family in the world, though only a few weeks before, when Lydia had first run way, they had been generally proved to be marked out for misfortune.

– Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 55. After Jane’s engagement to Bingley is announced, the Bennets are seen as the luckiest family in the world. But after the good news, bad news is about to comes knocking at their front door once more – in the shape of Lady Catherine de Bourgh gunning for Elizabeth.

A report of a most alarming nature reached me two days ago. I was told that not only your sister was on the point of being most advantageously married, but that you, that Miss Elizabeth Bennet, would in all likelihood be soon afterwards united to my nephew – my own nephew – Mr. Darcy.

– Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 56. Lady Catherine de Bourgh pays an unexpected call on the Bennet family, where she targets Elizabeth. What follows is of the most fascinating and captivating battle of wits in all of English literature. In her opening shot Lady Catherine expresses her alarm over a report she received that Elizabeth is likely to marry her nephew Mr. Darcy.

Though I know it must be a scandalous falsehood, though I would not injure him so much as to suppose the truth of it possible, I instantly resolved on setting off for this place, that I might make my sentiments known to you.

– Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 56. Lady Catherine de Bourgh says this to Elizabeth on hearing the rumor that her nephew Mr. Darcy is to propose marriage to her. A member of the upper class, Lady Catherine represents the view that people from her class should not marry someone from an inferior social class such as Elizabeth, who is middle class. She believes she has the right to tell others what do do.
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