Jane Austen published Pride and Prejudice in 1813, and its language has been living in readers’ heads ever since. Some lines have become so woven into the way we talk about love, class, and human nature that people quote them without even knowing the source. That famous opening sentence about a single man in possession of a good fortune? It has been referenced in everything from wedding toasts to political speeches. Austen had a gift for sentences that sound effortless but land with real precision. She could be funny and devastating in the same breath.
The quotes below are drawn from across the novel, and I’ve included page numbers so you can find them in context. Each one reflects something essential about the characters, the social world they move through, and the choices Austen was making as a writer. If you want a full walkthrough of the novel’s plot, characters, and themes, check out our Pride and Prejudice Summary and Character Analysis .
Pride and Prejudice Quotes
Here some interesting quotes from Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’:
1. “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” ― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (p. 1).
2. “I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of anything than of a book! — When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.” ― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (p. 38).
3. “The more I see of the world, the more am I dissatisfied with it; and every day confirms my belief of the inconsistency of all human characters, and of the little dependence that can be placed on the appearance of merit or sense.” ― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (p. 95).
4. “There is a stubbornness about me that never can bear to be frightened at the will of others. My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me.” ― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (p. 122).
5. “A lady’s imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony in a moment.” ― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (p. 18).
6. “Angry people are not always wise.” ― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (p. 187).
7. “You must learn some of my philosophy. Think only of the past as its remembrance gives you pleasure.” ― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (p. 258).
8. “Nobody can tell what I suffer! But it is always so. Those who do not complain are never pitied.” ― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (p. 81).
9. “One word from you shall silence me forever.” ― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, p. 256.
Related: Some of The Best Classic Adventure Books of All Time
10. “Have a little compassion on my nerves. You tear them to pieces.” ― Jane Austin, Pride and Prejudice, (p. 3).
11. “The men shan’t come and part us, I am determined. We want none of them; do we?” ― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (p. 238).
12. “Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us.” ― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (p. 13).
13. “We do not suffer by accident.” ― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (p. 99).
14. “Follies and nonsense, whims and inconsistencies do divert me, I own, and I laugh at them whenever I can.” ― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (p. 9).
15. “Yes, vanity is a weakness indeed. But pride – where there is a real superiority of mind, pride will be always under good regulation.” ― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice (p. 40).
Related: Best Classic Children’s Books
Final Thoughts
These quotes last because Austen could write about power, money, and love without ever losing her sense of humor. She could take apart a character in a single sentence and then, a page later, show you exactly why that same character deserves your sympathy. Elizabeth’s sharp tongue, Darcy’s slow growth, Mrs. Bennet’s frantic energy, Mr. Bennet’s detached wit: all of it comes through in the language itself. Two centuries later, readers are still finding new layers in these lines.
The quotes here are a starting point. The full novel is the real experience. If you want a closer look at how the story unfolds, what drives each character, and why the legal and social world of Regency England gives the plot its real stakes, our Pride and Prejudice Summary and Character Analysis breaks it all down.
