--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...I thought he was the man I'd been…" description: "\"“...I thought he was the man I'd been waiting for. A hero right out of Austen. The one who would finally make everything okay. Only he wasn't real. Lik..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2e/beth-pattillo-35509_austen_i-thought-he-was-the-man-i-d-been-waitin_235450.jpg" --- # ...I thought he was the man I'd been waiting for. A hero… ![“...I thought he was the man I'd been waiting for. A hero right out of Austen. The one who would finally make everything okay. Only he wasn't real. Like Austen's characters, he was fiction. Mr. Darcy broke my heart.” quote by Beth Pattillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2e/beth-pattillo-35509_austen_i-thought-he-was-the-man-i-d-been-waitin_235450.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2e/beth-pattillo-35509_austen_i-thought-he-was-the-man-i-d-been-waitin_235450.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2e/beth-pattillo-35509_austen_i-thought-he-was-the-man-i-d-been-waitin_235450.jpg) > ““...I thought he was the man I'd been waiting for. A hero right out of Austen. The one who would finally make everything okay. Only he wasn't real. Like Austen's characters, he was fiction. Mr. Darcy broke my heart.”” [Beth Pattillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-pattillo/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She compares an idealized romantic partner to fictional characters, realizing the fantasy cannot fulfill real needs. **In simple terms:** Romantic fantasies often clash with reality. Key Takeaway Seek realistic connections. Themes love fantasy disappointment literature Mood melancholic insightful Type romantic psychological When to use this quote - dating - media influence - personal growth Key Concepts idealization expectations Questions to Reflect On - What qualities do you truly need? - How can you balance fantasy and reality? A Different Perspective Romantic expectations can lead to heartbreak. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [“But as Austen delineates so clearly, you can't stop people from making assumptions if they're so inclined. 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I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-st-george/i-don-t-care-a-whit-for-society-i-think-people-should-only-marry/) Harper St. George > [I grew up on Jane Austen novels and was a massive literature fanatic when I was a kid - I read everything I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-king/i-grew-up-on-jane-austen-novels-and-was-a-massive-literature-fanatic/) [Georgia King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-king/) > [“Gratitude, not merely for having once loved her, but for loving her still well enough, to forgive all the petulance and acrimony of her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/gratitude-not-merely-for-having-once-loved-her-but-for-loving-her/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [Great books are readable anyway. Dickens is readable. Jane Austen is readable. John Updike's readable. Hawthorne's readable. It's a meaningless term. You have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/great-books-are-readable-anyway-dickens-is-readable-jane-austen-is/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [“You know, somewhere a Jane Austen angel just lost her wings over you saying that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nichole-van/you-know-somewhere-a-jane-austen-angel-just-lost-her-wings-over-you/) Nichole Van > [I'm sure I've been influenced by every fine writer I've ever read, from Dickens and Austen to Auden and Jane Hirshfield. And also, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/i-m-sure-i-ve-been-influenced-by-every-fine-writer-i-ve-ever-read/) [Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/) > [I'm kind of a mash-up of taste - Graham Greene and Jane Austen; W.G. Sebald and Alice Munro.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/i-m-kind-of-a-mash-up-of-taste-graham-greene-and-jane-austen-w-g/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [ “\[Jane\] Austen was not a novelist for nothing: she knew that our stories are what make us human, and that listening to someone else's… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-deresiewicz/jane-austen-was-not-a-novelist-for-nothing-she-knew-that-our-stories/) [William Deresiewicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-deresiewicz/) > [Had Elizabeth Bennet known how wildly Darcy's heart beat for her, 'Pride and Prejudice' would barely have made it into a short story. Their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariella-frostrup/had-elizabeth-bennet-known-how-wildly-darcy-s-heart-beat-for-her/) [Mariella Frostrup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariella-frostrup/) > [It has been suggested that Tiptree is female, a theory that I find absurd, for there is to me something ineluctably masculine about Tiptree’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-silverberg/it-has-been-suggested-that-tiptree-is-female-a-theory-that-i-find/) [Robert Silverberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-silverberg/) > [“The celestial brightness of Pride and Prejudice is unequalled even in Jane Austen's other work; after a life of much disappointment and grief, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-jenkins/the-celestial-brightness-of-pride-and-prejudice-is-unequalled-even-in/) [Elizabeth Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-jenkins/) > [The difficulty with poetry is that it doesn't have the life that Shakespeare or Jane Austen have beyond the page. You can't make a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/the-difficulty-with-poetry-is-that-it-doesn-t-have-the-life-that/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) ## More by Beth Pattillo > [“Heartbreak is more common than happiness. No one wants to say that, but it's true. We're taught to believe not only that everyone deserves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-pattillo/heartbreak-is-more-common-than-happiness-no-one-wants-to-say-that-but/) [Beth Pattillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-pattillo/) > [“I was learning, even in my brief time in England, that a cup of tea almost always helped. I didn't know whether it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-pattillo/i-was-learning-even-in-my-brief-time-in-england-that-a-cup-of-tea/) [Beth Pattillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-pattillo/) > [“I could blame my lack of a happy ending on Edward all day long but the truth was that my own dissatisfaction with my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-pattillo/i-could-blame-my-lack-of-a-happy-ending-on-edward-all-day-long-but/) [Beth Pattillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-pattillo/) > [“For many years, biographers and scholars, beginning with her great nephew James Austen-Leigh, presented her as a quiet, reserved, proper woman, but one has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-pattillo/for-many-years-biographers-and-scholars-beginning-with-her-great/) [bETH pATTILLO](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-pattillo/) > [“Have some more tea, dear," Hester said, reaching for the pot and refilling my cup. "I always find that helps.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-pattillo/have-some-more-tea-dear-hester-said-reaching-for-the-pot-and/) [Beth Pattillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-pattillo/) > [The thing about obsessing about a happy ending is that you forget to enjoy the journey along the way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-pattillo/the-thing-about-obsessing-about-a-happy-ending-is-that-you-forget-to/) [Beth Pattillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-pattillo/) > [“I’m quiet for a long moment, and Velva just sits with me, waiting. She’s good at that. Just being a companion, not pushing or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-pattillo/i-m-quiet-for-a-long-moment-and-velva-just-sits-with-me-waiting-she-s/) [Beth Pattillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-pattillo/) > [“Heartbreak is more common than happiness. No one wants to say that, but it's true. We're taught to believe not only that everyone deserves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-pattillo/heartbreak-is-more-common-than-happiness-no-one-wants-to-say-that-but-2/) [Beth Pattillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-pattillo/) > [“I took my time, running my fingers along the spines of books, stopping to pull a title from the shelf and inspect it. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-pattillo/i-took-my-time-running-my-fingers-along-the-spines-of-books-stopping/) [Beth Pattillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-pattillo/) > [“Marriages are buffeted by more important things, like money and sex and children and jobs and in-laws, in constantly changing combinations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-pattillo/marriages-are-buffeted-by-more-important-things-like-money-and-sex/) [Beth Pattillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-pattillo/) > [“Women never thought beyond the happy ending. We'd been taught to believe that our world revolved around securing a commitment from a man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-pattillo/women-never-thought-beyond-the-happy-ending-we-d-been-taught-to/) [Beth Pattillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-pattillo/) > [“The thing about obsessing about a happy ending is that you forget to enjoy the journey along the way, You forget to appreciate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-pattillo/the-thing-about-obsessing-about-a-happy-ending-is-that-you-forget-to-2/) [Beth Pattillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-pattillo/) [Explore all 13 Beth Pattillo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-pattillo/) ## More Austen quotes > [The difficulty with poetry is that it doesn't have the life that Shakespeare or Jane Austen have beyond the page. You can't make a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/the-difficulty-with-poetry-is-that-it-doesn-t-have-the-life-that/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [Look at Jane Austen. Her characters derive in a reasonably straight line from fairy tales.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-davies/look-at-jane-austen-her-characters-derive-in-a-reasonably-straight/) [Andrew Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-davies/) > [“The celestial brightness of Pride and Prejudice is unequalled even in Jane Austen's other work; after a life of much disappointment and grief, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-jenkins/the-celestial-brightness-of-pride-and-prejudice-is-unequalled-even-in/) [Elizabeth Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-jenkins/) > [It has been suggested that Tiptree is female, a theory that I find absurd, for there is to me something ineluctably masculine about Tiptree’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-silverberg/it-has-been-suggested-that-tiptree-is-female-a-theory-that-i-find/) [Robert Silverberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-silverberg/) > [Had Elizabeth Bennet known how wildly Darcy's heart beat for her, 'Pride and Prejudice' would barely have made it into a short story. Their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariella-frostrup/had-elizabeth-bennet-known-how-wildly-darcy-s-heart-beat-for-her/) [Mariella Frostrup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariella-frostrup/) > [ “\[Jane\] Austen was not a novelist for nothing: she knew that our stories are what make us human, and that listening to someone else's… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-deresiewicz/jane-austen-was-not-a-novelist-for-nothing-she-knew-that-our-stories/) [William Deresiewicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-deresiewicz/) > [I'm kind of a mash-up of taste - Graham Greene and Jane Austen; W.G. Sebald and Alice Munro.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/i-m-kind-of-a-mash-up-of-taste-graham-greene-and-jane-austen-w-g/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [I'm sure I've been influenced by every fine writer I've ever read, from Dickens and Austen to Auden and Jane Hirshfield. And also, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/i-m-sure-i-ve-been-influenced-by-every-fine-writer-i-ve-ever-read/) [Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/) > [“You know, somewhere a Jane Austen angel just lost her wings over you saying that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nichole-van/you-know-somewhere-a-jane-austen-angel-just-lost-her-wings-over-you/) Nichole Van > [Great books are readable anyway. Dickens is readable. Jane Austen is readable. John Updike's readable. Hawthorne's readable. It's a meaningless term. You have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/great-books-are-readable-anyway-dickens-is-readable-jane-austen-is/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [“Gratitude, not merely for having once loved her, but for loving her still well enough, to forgive all the petulance and acrimony of her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/gratitude-not-merely-for-having-once-loved-her-but-for-loving-her/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [I grew up on Jane Austen novels and was a massive literature fanatic when I was a kid - I read everything I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-king/i-grew-up-on-jane-austen-novels-and-was-a-massive-literature-fanatic/) [Georgia King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-king/) > [“I don't care a whit for Society. I think people should only marry someone who can offer them some bit of affection. I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-st-george/i-don-t-care-a-whit-for-society-i-think-people-should-only-marry/) Harper St. George > [“Does everybody know everything in this town!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaishnavi-nair-k/does-everybody-know-everything-in-this-town/) [Vaishnavi Nair K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaishnavi-nair-k/) > [“People don't say what they mean very often. You have to read between the lines of their behavior, of what they say, to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-frank/people-don-t-say-what-they-mean-very-often-you-have-to-read-between/) [M.C. Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-frank/) Browse all 292 Austen quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“...I thought he was the man I'd been waiting for. A hero right out of Austen. The one who would finally make everything okay. Only he wasn't real. Like Austen's characters, he was fiction. 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