Love Quote by Charlotte Brontë
““Meantime, let me ask myself one question--Which is better?--To have surrendered to temptation; listened to passion; made no painful effort--no struggle;--but to have sunk down in the silken snare; fallen asleep on the flowers covering it; wakened in a southern clime, amongst the luxuries of a pleasure villa: to have been now living in France, Mr. Rochester's mistress; delirious with his love half my time--for he would--oh, yes, he would have loved me well for a while. He DID love me--no one will ever love me so again. I shall never more know the sweet homage given to beauty, youth, and grace--for never to any one else shall I seem to possess these charms. He was fond and proud of me--it is what no man besides will ever be.--But where am I wandering, and what am I saying, and above all, feeling? Whether is it better, I ask, to be a slave in a fool's paradise at Marseilles--fevered with delusive bliss one hour- -suffocating with the bitterest tears of remorse and shame the next- -or to be a village-schoolmistress, free and honest, in a breezy mountain nook in the healthy heart of England?””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Jane Eyre, 1847
The narrator wrestles with choosing between a passionate, possibly destructive love and a modest, honest life, questioning which offers true fulfillment.
In simple terms: Choosing between intense love and simple honesty.
Consider what truly fulfills you.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- romantic relationship
- career decisions
- personal integrity
- life direction
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- What does “true fulfillment” mean to you?
- Can love and honesty coexist?
Passion can lead to pain; honesty may feel limiting.