Witty Remarks From Jane: Jane Austen Quotables

by Laura Moninger
 
There are various times when I find myself in need of a suitable response during conversation. If you, too, find yourself desiring clever, silly, or perhaps somewhat unusual replies, look no further. Jane Austen is your solution. Well-known for her witty novels, she has a wealth of superb utterances from which to draw. I have collected several appropriate remarks from the Jane Austen movie “Emma” and “Pride and Prejudice” for your express benefit. Peruse to your delight and prepare to both captivate and confuse your fellow conversationalists.
At a dance, when a gentleman friend asks with whom you’re going to dance with:
“With you if you’ll ask me. After all, we are not brother and sister.”When those around you are not speaking:
“I believe we must have some conversation…a very little will suffice.”

When you are asked of your hobbies:
“I take pleasure in many things.”

When someone asks what you think of them:
“I hear such different accounts of you as to puzzle me exceedingly.”

When a friend announces her engagement:
“Strawberries! You must have strawberries at your wedding!”

When someone inquires if you are too hot or too cold:
“I am in the perfect state of…warmness.”

When someone is acting particularly hard to please:
“I wouldn’t be as fastidious as you are for a kingdom.”

When there is an awkward gap in a conversation:
“Allow me to interpret the silence.”

When your advice is sought about a certain action:
“I think it would be a wise and relieving thing to do.”

When you are in want of exercise and there is another near you:
“Do take a turn about the room with me. It is so refreshing.”

When asked what you thought of a phenomenal happening:
“We were quite speechless, I tell you, and we have not stopped talking of it since.”

And finally, it is a truth universally acknowledged that when one is uncertain how to answer a statement, the most convenient response is: “Indeed!”


And some additions by Lisa!

Don’t forget:
When asked your opinion of another person on whom you have not given much thought, “Very elegant.”

and when faced with being accused of perfection, being a goodie-two-shoes, or some similar character, “It has been my study to avoid those weaknesses which expose a good understanding to ridicule.”

From Sense and Sensibility: when in an especially good mood, “Is there any felicity in the world superior to this?”

9 Comments

  1. LOL! Oh yes — Jane Austen saves the day with her witty lines. Love it. 🙂 I’ll have to remember the strawberry line the next time a friend announces her engagement!

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