Beauty Quote by Jane Austen
““The manner in which they spoke of the Meryton assembly was sufficiently characteristic. Bingley had never met with more pleasant people or prettier girls in his life; everybody had been most kind and attentive to him; there had been no formality, no stiffness; he had soon felt acquainted with all the room; and, as to Miss Bennet, he could not conceive an angel more beautiful. Darcy, on the contrary, had seen a collection of people in whom there was little beauty and no fashion, for none of whom he had felt the smallest interest, and from none received either attention or pleasure. Miss Bennet he acknowledged to be pretty, but she smiled too much.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Pride and Prejudice, 1813
Bingley loves the lively, attractive Meryton crowd, while Darcy finds them dull and uninteresting, noting only Bennet’s excessive smile.
In simple terms: Bingley is charmed; Darcy is unimpressed.
Key Takeaway
Notice how personal taste shapes perception.
Themes
social interaction
first impressions
class
gender
beauty
Mood
amused
reflective
Type
literary
character analysis
When to use this quote
- first meetings at parties
- courtship negotiations
- social gatherings
- character judgments
Key Concepts
Romanticism
social hierarchy
character contrast
Questions to Reflect On
- Do first impressions always reflect true character?
- How does social class influence attraction?
A Different Perspective
Darcy’s disdain may overlook deeper qualities beyond surface appearance.
![“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)
