180+ Timeless Jane Austen Quotes on Love, Life & Wit

Jane Austen quotes one of the most celebrated authors in English literature, is renowned for her wit, insight, and timeless commentary on society, love, and human nature. Her novels, such as Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Persuasion, are filled with memorable lines that capture the complexities of relationships, the charm of manners, and the strength of personal character. Austen’s quotes continue to resonate with modern readers, offering both humor and wisdom. Whether she’s exploring love, life, friendship, or social status, her words reveal a keen understanding of human behavior wrapped in elegant prose and sharp irony.

Jane Austen Quotes

“There is no charm equal to tenderness of heart.”
“Vanity and pride are different things.”
“To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love.”
“A lady’s imagination is very rapid.”
“Angry people are not always wise.”
“Think only of the past as its remembrance gives you pleasure.”
“One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other.”
“Selfishness must always be forgiven.”
“Our scars make us who we are.”
“We are all fools in love.”

Jane Austen Quotes About Love

“You must allow me to tell you how ardently I love and admire you.”
“To love is to burn, to be on fire.”
“There is no charm equal to a tender heart.”
“My affections and wishes are unchanged.”
“You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope.”
“Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds.”
“Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance.”
“I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified mine.”
“We are all fools in love.”
“A man always likes to be first in love.”

Jane Austen Quotes About Life

“Life seems but a quick succession of busy nothings.”
“It isn’t what we say or think that defines us, but what we do.”
“Know your own happiness.”
“There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort.”
“Silly things do cease to be silly if they are done by sensible people.”
“Wisdom is better than wit.”
“Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery.”
“Surprises are foolish things.”
“There is nothing so bad as parting with one’s friends.”
“Time will explain.”

Emma Jane Austen Quotes

“I always deserve the best treatment because I never put up with any other.”
“Silly things do cease to be silly if they are done by sensible people.”
“Vanity working on a weak head produces every sort of mischief.”
“There is no charm equal to tenderness of heart.”
“If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more.”
“I may have lost my heart, but not my self-control.”
“One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other.”
“Better to be without sense than misapply it as you do.”
“Men of sense do not want silly wives.”
“I am very much obliged to you.”

Famous Jane Austen Quotes

“It isn’t what we say or think that defines us, but what we do.”
“There is no charm equal to tenderness of heart.”
“I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading!”
“You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope.”
“Vanity and pride are different things.”
“My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me.”
“I could not sit seriously down to write a serious romance.”
“A woman, especially, if she have the misfortune of knowing anything, should conceal it.”
“Know your own happiness.”
“We are all fools in love.”

Jane Austen Quotes About Friendship

“Business, you know, may bring you money, but friendship hardly ever does.”
“There is nothing so bad as parting with one’s friends.”
“Friendship is certainly the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love.”
“Real elegance is in the mind.”
“I do not want people to be very agreeable, as it saves me the trouble of liking them a great deal.”
“Everybody likes to go their own way—to choose their own time and manner of devotion.”
“Without knowing what I did, I was in the middle before I knew I had begun.”
“You must learn to be content with being happier than you deserve.”
“A fondness for reading… must be an education in itself.”
“There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort.”

Best Jane Austen Quotes

“There is no charm equal to tenderness of heart.”
“You must be the best judge of your own happiness.”
“Angry people are not always wise.”
“Know your own happiness. You want nothing but patience.”
“My affections and wishes are unchanged.”
“We are all fools in love.”
“To be fond of dancing was a certain step toward falling in love.”
“I always deserve the best treatment because I never put up with any other.”
“You pierce my soul.”
“It is not time or opportunity that is to determine intimacy.”

Sassy Jane Austen Quotes

“I always deserve the best treatment.”
“A lady’s imagination is very rapid.”
“Pictures of perfection make me sick and wicked.”
“A woman, especially if she have the misfortune of knowing anything, should conceal it.”
“I do not want people to be agreeable, it saves me the trouble of liking them.”
“You have delighted us long enough.”
“One man’s style must not be the rule of another’s.”
“Selfishness must always be forgiven you know, because there is no hope of a cure.”
“Men of sense do not want silly wives.”
“Nobody minds having what is too good for them.”

Jane Austen Quotes on Life

“Know your own happiness.”
“Life seems but a quick succession of busy nothings.”
“Surprises are foolish things.”
“Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery.”
“The person who has not pleasure in a good novel must be intolerably stupid.”
“We all have our best guides within us.”
“Time will explain.”
“Every moment has its pleasures and its hope.”
“Silly things cease to be silly when done by sensible people.”
“To sit in the shade on a fine day is the most perfect refreshment.”

Funny Jane Austen Quotes

“I do not want people to be agreeable. It saves me the trouble of liking them.”
“You have delighted us long enough.”
“Selfishness must always be forgiven, you know.”
“A large income is the best recipe for happiness I ever heard of.”
“My idea of good company is the company of clever, well-informed people.”
“What strange creatures brothers are!”
“Men have had every advantage of us in telling their own story.”
“One cannot be always laughing at a man without now and then stumbling on something witty.”
“Next to being married, a girl likes to be crossed in love.”
“There are people who the more you do for them, the less they will do for themselves.”

Persuasion Jane Austen Quotes

“You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope.”
“My affections and wishes are unchanged.”
“All the privilege I claim for my own sex is that of loving longest.”
“Dare not say that man forgets sooner than woman.”
“A man does not recover from such a devotion of the heart to such a woman!”
“Time will explain.”
“She had been forced into prudence in her youth.”
“There could have been no two hearts so open, no tastes so similar.”
“Men have had every advantage of us in telling their own story.”
“I can listen no longer in silence.”

Jane Austen Quotes on Love

“You pierce my soul.”
“We are all fools in love.”
“My affections and wishes are unchanged.”
“To love is to burn, to be on fire.”
“A lady’s imagination is very rapid.”
“Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance.”
“If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more.”
“There is no charm equal to a tender heart.”
“Love is not love which alters.”
“A man always likes to be first in love.”

Jane Austen Quotes About Reading

“I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading!”
“A fondness for reading… must be an education in itself.”
“The person who has not pleasure in a good novel must be intolerably stupid.”
“How much sooner one tires of anything than of a book!”
“A large income is the best recipe for happiness I ever heard of—and reading next.”
“There is no enjoyment like reading!”
“Without reading, we are poor indeed.”
“Books—delightful companions!”
“To sit in the shade and read is perfect refreshment.”
“Let us have the luxury of books.”

Short Jane Austen Quotes

“Think only of the past as its remembrance gives you pleasure.”
“Angry people are not always wise.”
“Know your own happiness.”
“Time will explain.”
“Life seems but a quick succession of busy nothings.”
“Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery.”
“A girl likes to be crossed in love a little.”
“My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me.”
“Silly things cease to be silly if done by sensible people.”
“Nothing ever fatigues me but doing what I do not like.”

Jane Austen Quotes on Friendship

“Friendship is certainly the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love.”
“There is nothing so bad as parting with one’s friends.”
“I do not want people to be very agreeable.”
“Real elegance is in the mind.”
“True friends are the ones who stand by.”
“You must learn to be content with being happier than you deserve.”
“Everybody likes to go their own way.”
“One cannot have too many holds on happiness.”
“Without friendship, life loses flavor.”
“There is no charm like constancy in friendship.”

Quote Jane Austen Quotes

“Vanity and pride are different things.”
“It isn’t what we say or think, but what we do.”
“A woman should conceal her knowledge.”
“One man’s style must not be the rule of another’s.”
“I always deserve the best treatment.”
“There is no charm equal to tenderness of heart.”
“Silly things do cease to be silly when done by sensible people.”
“The more I know of the world, the more I am dissatisfied with it.”
“To be fond of dancing is a step toward love.”
“Selfishness must always be forgiven.”

Jane Austen Quotes Short

“Know your own happiness.”
“Time will explain.”
“We are all fools in love.”
“Let other pens dwell on guilt.”
“Think only of the past if it gives you pleasure.”
“My courage always rises.”
“A lady’s imagination is very rapid.”
“Life is a busy nothing.”
“Happiness is entirely a matter of chance.”
“Angry people are not always wise.”

Jane Austen Quotes About Family

“A fond mother… is a creature to be pitied.”
“To be unaffected was all that a pretty girl could want.”
“Family ties are stronger than wealth.”
“There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort.”
“The family of Dashwood had long been settled in Sussex.”
“You take delight in vexing me. You have no compassion on my poor nerves!”
“I do not think I ever opened a book in my life which had not something to say upon woman’s inconstancy.”
“Happiness in marriage is not always possible—but family helps.”
“Home is the nicest word there is.”
“Let’s not quarrel—family must be united.”

Jane Austen Quotes from Pride and Prejudice

“I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified mine.”
“My good opinion once lost is lost forever.”
“You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.”
“I am only resolved to act in that manner, which will, in my own opinion, constitute my happiness.”
“Till this moment I never knew myself.”
“What are men to rocks and mountains?”
“Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously.”
“I am excessively diverted.”
“A lady’s imagination is very rapid.”
“You have bewitched me, body and soul.”

Conclusion

Jane Austen’s quotes endure not just because of their literary brilliance, but because they speak universal truths with elegance and wit. Her ability to distill deep emotions and social observations into a single, striking sentence is what makes her work so memorable. Whether you’re seeking insight into love, navigating life’s choices, or enjoying the humor of everyday situations, her words provide clarity and comfort. Through her characters and clever narration, Austen reminds us of the value of authenticity, kindness, and self-awareness. Her legacy lives on in these short quotes—compact yet rich with meaning for every generation.