--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: After breakfast, determined to pass as…" description: "\"“After breakfast, determined to pass as little of the day as possible in company with Lady Lowborough, I quietly stole away from the company and retire..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aaf/anne-bronte-1444_business_after-breakfast-determined-to-pass-as-li_905719.jpg" --- # After breakfast, determined to pass as little of the day… ![“After breakfast, determined to pass as little of the day as possible in company with Lady Lowborough, I quietly stole away from the company and retired to the library. Mr. Hargrave followed me thither, under pretence of coming for a book; and first, turning to the shelves, he selected a volume…” quote by Anne Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aaf/anne-bronte-1444_business_after-breakfast-determined-to-pass-as-li_905719.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aaf/anne-bronte-1444_business_after-breakfast-determined-to-pass-as-li_905719.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aaf/anne-bronte-1444_business_after-breakfast-determined-to-pass-as-li_905719.jpg) > ““After breakfast, determined to pass as little of the day as possible in company with Lady Lowborough, I quietly stole away from the company and retired to the library. Mr. Hargrave followed me thither, under pretence of coming for a book; and first, turning to the shelves, he selected a volume, and then quietly, but by no means timidly, approaching me, he stood beside me, resting his hand on the back of my chair, and said softly, ‘And so you consider yourself free at last?’ ‘Yes,’ said I, without moving, or raising my eyes from my book, ‘free to do anything but offend God and my conscience.”” [Anne Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator asserts that true freedom is living according to moral conscience and divine law, not merely escaping social constraints. **In simple terms:** Freedom means obeying conscience and God. Key Takeaway Live responsibly, not just independently. Themes conscience freedom morality individualism Mood thoughtful reflective Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - personal reflection - religious devotion - social expectations Key Concepts Ethics autonomy spirituality Questions to Reflect On - What does true freedom mean to you? - How do you balance personal desire with moral duty? A Different Perspective Freedom without moral grounding can lead to selfishness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Conscience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscience/) [Free At Last](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-at-last/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Honor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honor/) [Morals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morals/) ## Related quotes > [Ah, words are poor receipts for what time hath stole away...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-clare/ah-words-are-poor-receipts-for-what-time-hath-stole-away/) [John Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-clare/) > [“I thought you were no longer tempted to partake.” “I wasn’t, until Preshea came along and stole him away from me.” “Dimity!” “Well, it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carriger/i-thought-you-were-no-longer-tempted-to-partake-i-wasn-t-until/) [Gail Carriger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carriger/) > [“O words are poor receipts for what time hath stole away”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-clare/o-words-are-poor-receipts-for-what-time-hath-stole-away/) [John Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-clare/) > [“Every day stole away more of her presence, leaving in its place faint wisps of memories devoid of color, scent, and sound.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/every-day-stole-away-more-of-her-presence-leaving-in-its-place-faint/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [“The effects of her words stung me, and after she stole away I stood a long while before her looking glass, studying my profile,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/the-effects-of-her-words-stung-me-and-after-she-stole-away-i-stood-a/) [Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/) > [To the bitch who stole HIM away, I want him back...!!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/navi-malik/to-the-bitch-who-stole-him-away-i-want-him-back/) Navi Malik > [Words mean little unless you realize the truth of it yourself. 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