--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How much it is to be regretted, that the…" description: "\"How much it is to be regretted, that the British ladies should ever sit down contented to polish, when they are able to reform; to entertain, when they..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/268/hannah-more-2695_able_how-much-it-is-to-be-regretted-that-the_455747.png" --- # How much it is to be regretted, that the British ladies… ![“How much it is to be regretted, that the British ladies should ever sit down contented to polish, when they are able to reform; to entertain, when they might instruct; and to dazzle for an hour, when they are candidates for eternity!” quote by Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/268/hannah-more-2695_able_how-much-it-is-to-be-regretted-that-the_455747.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/268/hannah-more-2695_able_how-much-it-is-to-be-regretted-that-the_455747.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/268/hannah-more-2695_able_how-much-it-is-to-be-regretted-that-the_455747.png) > “How much it is to be regretted, that the British ladies should ever sit down contented to polish, when they are able to reform; to entertain, when they might instruct; and to dazzle for an hour, when they are candidates for eternity!” [Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Women should prioritize reform and instruction over superficial entertainment, as true value lies in lasting impact. **In simple terms:** Prioritize lasting change over fleeting applause. Key Takeaway Focus on meaningful contributions. Themes social reform education gender roles Mood thoughtful inspirational Type philosophical advocacy When to use this quote - public speaking - teaching - community service Key Concepts moral duty cultural critique Questions to Reflect On - How can individuals influence lasting change? - What role does education play in reform? A Different Perspective Societal constraints limit women's agency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [British](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/british/) [Eternity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eternity/) [Reform](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reform/) [Teaching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teaching/) ## Related quotes > [The moon of a bright silver, which dazzles by its shining, illumines a world which surely is no longer ours; for it resembles in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-loti/the-moon-of-a-bright-silver-which-dazzles-by-its-shining-illumines-a/) [Pierre Loti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-loti/) > [PERORATION, n. The explosion of an oratorical rocket. It dazzles, but to an observer having the wrong kind of nose its most conspicuous peculiarity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/peroration-n-the-explosion-of-an-oratorical-rocket-it-dazzles-but-to/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [“Be the man who has the spirit of a ruthless tiger, ravaging every dusty corner of my soul. Be the man for whom I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malak-el-halabi/be-the-man-who-has-the-spirit-of-a-ruthless-tiger-ravaging-every/) [Malak El Halabi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malak-el-halabi/) > [“Everyone has one or two secrets they never want to reveal to others. But they also want at least one person to accept everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minari-endou/everyone-has-one-or-two-secrets-they-never-want-to-reveal-to-others/) [Minari Endou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minari-endou/) > [You may dazzle the mind with a thousand brilliant discoveries of natural science; you may open new worlds of knowledge which were never dreamed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-philippine-duchesne/you-may-dazzle-the-mind-with-a-thousand-brilliant-discoveries-of/) [Rose Philippine Duchesne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-philippine-duchesne/) > [It is as if my heart and my brain did not belong to the same person. Feelings come quicker than lightning and fill my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/it-is-as-if-my-heart-and-my-brain-did-not-belong-to-the-same-person/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [The Truth must dazzle gradually or every man be blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/the-truth-must-dazzle-gradually-or-every-man-be-blind/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [There is a glare about worldly success which is very apt to dazzle men's eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-william-hare/there-is-a-glare-about-worldly-success-which-is-very-apt-to-dazzle/) [Augustus William Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-william-hare/) > [Scholes was playing tiki-taka football when nobody in England knew what it was. He was another of those players, like Denis Law or Bobby…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-redknapp/scholes-was-playing-tiki-taka-football-when-nobody-in-england-knew/) [Harry Redknapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-redknapp/) > [There is a homely directness about these rustic apothegms which makes them far more palatable than the strained and sophisticated epigrams of the characters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brander-matthews/there-is-a-homely-directness-about-these-rustic-apothegms-which-makes/) [Brander Matthews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brander-matthews/) > [I do feel pretty lucky that I'm not so great at playing and singing, it forces me to make sure I've really got something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-lewis/i-do-feel-pretty-lucky-that-i-m-not-so-great-at-playing-and-singing/) [Jeffrey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-lewis/) > [May your trails be dim, lonesome, stony, narrow, winding and only slightly uphill. May the wind bring rain for the slickrock potholes fourteen miles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/may-your-trails-be-dim-lonesome-stony-narrow-winding-and-only/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [Our senses will not admit anything extreme. Too much noise confuses us, too much light dazzles us, too great distance or nearness prevents vision,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/our-senses-will-not-admit-anything-extreme-too-much-noise-confuses-us/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [I dazzle you with that footwork.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-darin/i-dazzle-you-with-that-footwork/) [Bobby Darin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-darin/) > [To dazzle let the vain design, To raise the thought and touch the heart, be thine!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pope/to-dazzle-let-the-vain-design-to-raise-the-thought-and-touch-the/) [Alexander Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pope/) ## More by Hannah More > [I am persuaded that there is no affection of the human heart more exquisitely pure, than that which is felt by a grateful son…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/i-am-persuaded-that-there-is-no-affection-of-the-human-heart-more/) [Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/) > [Wisdom views with an indifferent eye all finite joys, all blessings born to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/wisdom-views-with-an-indifferent-eye-all-finite-joys-all-blessings/) [Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/) > [Yes, thou art ever present, power divine; not circumscribed by time, nor fixed by space, confined to altars, nor to temples bound. In wealth,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/yes-thou-art-ever-present-power-divine-not-circumscribed-by-time-nor/) [Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/) > [All reformations seem formidable before they are attempted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/all-reformations-seem-formidable-before-they-are-attempted/) [Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/) > [He who has once taken to drink can seldom be said to be guilty of one sin only.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/he-who-has-once-taken-to-drink-can-seldom-be-said-to-be-guilty-of-one/) [Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/) > [We are too ready to imagine that we are religious, because we know something of religion. We appropriate to ourselves the pious sentiments we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/we-are-too-ready-to-imagine-that-we-are-religious-because-we-know/) [Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/) > [A corrupt practice may be abolished, but a soiled imagination is not easily cleansed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/a-corrupt-practice-may-be-abolished-but-a-soiled-imagination-is-not/) [Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/) > [A faint endeavor ends in a sure defeat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/a-faint-endeavor-ends-in-a-sure-defeat/) [Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/) > [Oh! the joy Of young ideas painted on the mind, In the warm glowing colors fancy spreads On objects not yet known, when all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/oh-the-joy-of-young-ideas-painted-on-the-mind-in-the-warm-glowing/) [Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/) > [The world does not require so much to be informed as to be reminded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/the-world-does-not-require-so-much-to-be-informed-as-to-be-reminded/) [Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/) > [If we commit any crime, or do any good here, it must be in thought; for our words are few and our deeds none…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/if-we-commit-any-crime-or-do-any-good-here-it-must-be-in-thought-for/) [Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/) > [nothing is more common than to mistake the sign for the thing itself; nor is any practice more frequent than that of endeavoring to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/nothing-is-more-common-than-to-mistake-the-sign-for-the-thing-itself/) [Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/) > [“Forgiveness spares the expense of anger, the cost of hatred, the waste of spirits.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/forgiveness-spares-the-expense-of-anger-the-cost-of-hatred-the-waste/) [Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/) > [Who are those ever multiplying authors that with unparalleled fecundity are overstocking the world with their quick succeeding progeny? They are novel-writers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/who-are-those-ever-multiplying-authors-that-with-unparalleled/) [Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/) > [Anger is a violent act, envy a constant habit - no one can be always angry, but he may be always envious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/anger-is-a-violent-act-envy-a-constant-habit-no-one-can-be-always/) [Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/) [Explore all 154 Hannah More quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/) ## More Able quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/) Greg Perry > [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. 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