Absent Quote by Jane Austen
“Not keep a journal! How are your absent cousins to understand the tenor of your life in Bath without one? How are the civilities and compliments of every day to be related as they ought to be, unless noted down every evening in a journal? How are your various dresses to be remembered, and the particular state of your complexion, and curl of your hair to be described in all their diversities, without having constant recourse to a journal?”
About This Quote
Source Novel: Emma by Jane Austen, 1815
The passage stresses the importance of keeping a journal to preserve personal memories, daily interactions, and details of one’s life for future reflection.
In simple terms: Journals help remember life’s details.
Key Takeaway
Keep a journal to capture daily life.
Themes
memory
self‑reflection
writing habit
Mood
nostalgic
contemplative
Type
literary
personal
When to use this quote
- travel diaries
- family histories
- creative writing practice
- mental health tracking
Key Concepts
Narrative identity
historical documentation
personal archive
Questions to Reflect On
- What moments would you miss without a journal?
- How does writing affect your perception of events?
A Different Perspective
Journaling may become burdensome or intrusive for some.
![“We had Bob's [Gordon] records, and he's on Clifford Brown's first record as a leader. I believe it was Clifford Brown's first record as a leader and had the original versions of Daahoud and Joy Spring that were arranged by Bob's best friend, the West Coast tenor player named Jack Montrose, who I…” quote by Jon Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/fdd/jon-gordon-1655_believe_we-had-bob-s-gordon-records-and-he-s-on_213132.jpg)
![“Everybody is taken in at some period or another. [...] In marriage especially. [...] There is not one in a hundred of either sex, who is not taken in when they marry. Look where I will, I see that it is so; and I feel that it must be so, when I consider that it is, of all transactions, the one in…” quote by Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/37a/jane-austen-39_marriage_everybody-is-taken-in-at-some-period-or_7175.jpg)
