Victoria's Favorite Persuasion Quotes

“...we know how difficult it is to keep the actions and designs of one part of the world from the notice and curiosity of the other...” (Chapter 3)

“Anne hoped she had outlived the age of blushing; but the age of emotion she certainly had not.” (Chapter 6)

“Her spirits wanted the solitude and silence which only numbers could give.” (Chapter 10)

[Mrs. Croft to her husband while they are driving a carriage] “‘My dear Admiral, that post! we shall certainly take that post.’ But by coolly giving the reins a better direction herself they happily passed the danger; and by once afterwards judiciously putting out her hand they neither fell into a rut, nor ran foul of a dung-cart; and Anne, with some amusement at their style of driving, which she imagined no bad representation of the general guidance of their affairs, found herself safely deposited by them at the Cottage.” (Chapter 10)

(A letter from Mary) “The holidays, however, are over at last: I believe no children ever had such long ones…Mrs Harville must be an odd mother to part with them so long. I do not understand it…(in the same letter) “But perhaps if she were to leave the room vacant, we might not be invited…I do not expect my children to be asked, you know. I can leave them at the Great House very well, for a month or six weeks.” (Chapter 18)

“She [Anne] now felt a great inclination to go to the outer door; she wanted to see if it rained. Why was she to suspect herself of another motive? Captain Wentworth must be out of sight. She left her seat, she would go; one half of her should not be always so much wiser than the other half, or always suspecting the other of being worse than it was. She would see if it rained.” (Chapter 19)

“It was but a card party, it was but a mixture of those who had never met before, and those who met too often; a commonplace business, too numerous for intimacy, too small for variety...” (Chapter 23)

-Victoria