Proportions Quote by Jane Austen
““Personal size and mental sorrow have certainly no necessary proportions. A large bulky figure has as good a right to be in deep affliction, as the more graceful set of limbs in the world. But, fair or not fair, there are unbecoming conjunctions, which reason will patronize in vain, — which taste cannot tolerate, — which ridicule will seize.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Emma, 1815
Physical appearance does not dictate depth of suffering; both large and graceful bodies can experience profound grief
In simple terms: Size doesn’t determine emotional pain
Key Takeaway
Recognize that suffering isn’t tied to looks
Themes
appearance
suffering
reason
ridicule
Mood
thoughtful
critical
Type
philosophical
literary
When to use this quote
- healthcare empathy
- body positivity campaigns
Key Concepts
body image
emotional health
social judgment
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we decouple appearance from assumed emotional states?
- What role does reason play in judging others?
A Different Perspective
Society often links appearance to emotional states
![“[M]y sensitivity was unfortunately even more monstrous than my grotesqueness. Yes, my grotesqueness; I possess the courage to judge myself without pity, and to call things by their proper names. If only you knew... how I hate my own self, how much I hate my ugliness, yet never so much as I detest…” quote by Igino Ugo Tarchetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b67/igino-ugo-tarchetti-243529_courage_m-y-sensitivity-was-unfortunately-even-m_1456709.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)
