--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I honour your circumspection. A…" description: "\"“I honour your circumspection. A fortnight's acquaintance is certainly very little. One cannot know what a man really is by the end of a fortnight. But..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a50/jane-austen-39_kindness_i-honour-your-circumspection-a-fortnight_232240.jpg" --- # I honour your circumspection. A fortnight's acquaintance… ![“I honour your circumspection. A fortnight's acquaintance is certainly very little. One cannot know what a man really is by the end of a fortnight. But if we do not venture somebody else will; and after all, Mrs. Long and her daughters must stand their chance; and, therefore, as she will think it…” quote by Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a50/jane-austen-39_kindness_i-honour-your-circumspection-a-fortnight_232240.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a50/jane-austen-39_kindness_i-honour-your-circumspection-a-fortnight_232240.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a50/jane-austen-39_kindness_i-honour-your-circumspection-a-fortnight_232240.jpg) > ““I honour your circumspection. A fortnight's acquaintance is certainly very little. One cannot know what a man really is by the end of a fortnight. But if we do not venture somebody else will; and after all, Mrs. Long and her daughters must stand their chance; and, therefore, as she will think it an act of kindness, if you decline the office, I will take it on myself.”” [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker acknowledges brief acquaintance limits judgment, urging action before others intervene, and offers to assume responsibility out of kindness. **In simple terms:** Brief meetings hide true character; act before others do. Key Takeaway Take initiative and offer help when needed. Themes judgment initiative kindness Mood thoughtful considerate Type advice social When to use this quote - courtship - business negotiations - friendship decisions - volunteering Key Concepts social perception responsibility agency Questions to Reflect On - What risks do you face by acting quickly? - How can you balance caution with initiative? A Different Perspective Assuming roles without full knowledge can lead to missteps. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Act Of Kindness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/act-of-kindness/) [Circumspection Fortnight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circumspection-fortnight-2348959/) [End Fortnight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-fortnight-2348962/) [Fortnight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fortnight/) [Fortnight Acquaintance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fortnight-acquaintance-2348960/) [Honour Circumspection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honour-circumspection-2348961/) [Kindness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kindness/) ## Related quotes > [One cannot know what a man really is by the end of a fortnight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/one-cannot-know-what-a-man-really-is-by-the-end-of-a-fortnight/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [Her family had of late been exceedingly fluctuating. For many years of her life she had had two sons; but the crime and annihilation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/her-family-had-of-late-been-exceedingly-fluctuating-for-many-years-of/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [Laurie, you're an angel! How shall I ever thank you?" "Fly at me again. I rather liked it," said Laurie, looking mischievous, a thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/laurie-you-re-an-angel-how-shall-i-ever-thank-you-fly-at-me-again-i/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Since this war began our sympathy has gone out to all the suffering people who have been dragged into it. Further hundreds of millions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eamon-de-valera/since-this-war-began-our-sympathy-has-gone-out-to-all-the-suffering/) [Eamon de Valera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eamon-de-valera/) > [Like all guests, after a fortnight, grief is best beyond the door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/like-all-guests-after-a-fortnight-grief-is-best-beyond-the-door/) [Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/) > [Every year, in the deep midwinter, there descends upon this world a terrible fortnight. ... every shop is a choked mass of humanity ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/every-year-in-the-deep-midwinter-there-descends-upon-this-world-a/) [Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/) > [It is all a question of sensitiveness. Brute force and overbearing may make a terrific effect. 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You see, there is something called a spirit of place, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ackroyd/in-london-i-ve-always-lived-within-10-miles-of-where-i-was-born-you/) [Peter Ackroyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ackroyd/) > [“We fetch fire and water, run about all day among the shops and markets, and get our clothes and shoes made and mended, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/we-fetch-fire-and-water-run-about-all-day-among-the-shops-and-markets/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Have you ever been so melancholy, that you wanted to fit in the palm of your beloved's hand? And lie there, for fortnights, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/have-you-ever-been-so-melancholy-that-you-wanted-to-fit-in-the-palm/) [Sarah Ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/) > [In my local newspaper, they had this advert: 'please look after your neighbours in the cold weather'. I live next door to this 84-year-old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-dee/in-my-local-newspaper-they-had-this-advert-please-look-after-your/) [Jack Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-dee/) ## More by Jane Austen > [Let us have the luxury of silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/let-us-have-the-luxury-of-silence/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [“How earnestly did she then wish that her former opinions had been more reasonable, more moderate!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/how-earnestly-did-she-then-wish-that-her-former-opinions-had-been/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [“it is very well worth-while to be tormented for two or three years of one's life, for the sake of being able to read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/it-is-very-well-worth-while-to-be-tormented-for-two-or-three-years-of/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [ “Everybody is taken in at some period or another. \[...\] In marriage especially. \[...\] There is not one in a hundred of either sex,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/everybody-is-taken-in-at-some-period-or-another-in-marriage/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [She knew that what Marianne and her mother conjectured one moment, they believed the next: that with them, to wish was to hope, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/she-knew-that-what-marianne-and-her-mother-conjectured-one-moment/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [“…for I look upon the Frasers to be about as unhappy as most other married people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/for-i-look-upon-the-frasers-to-be-about-as-unhappy-as-most-other/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [“It raises my spleen more than any thing, to have the pretence of being asked, of being given a choice, and at the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/it-raises-my-spleen-more-than-any-thing-to-have-the-pretence-of-being/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [her spirits wanted the solitude and silence which only numbers could give.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/her-spirits-wanted-the-solitude-and-silence-which-only-numbers-could/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [“But in such cases as these a good memory is unpardonable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/but-in-such-cases-as-these-a-good-memory-is-unpardonable/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [“...the pleasantness of an employment does not always evince its propriety.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/the-pleasantness-of-an-employment-does-not-always-evince-its-propriety/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [Such squeamish youths as cannot bear to be connected with a little absurdity are not worth a regret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/such-squeamish-youths-as-cannot-bear-to-be-connected-with-a-little/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [“I must tell you what you will not ask, though I may wish it unsaid the next moment”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/i-must-tell-you-what-you-will-not-ask-though-i-may-wish-it-unsaid-the/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [“Lady Catherine seemed quite astonished at not receiving a direct answer; and Elizabeth suspected herself to be the first creature who had ever dared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/lady-catherine-seemed-quite-astonished-at-not-receiving-a-direct/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [“He had suffered, and he had learnt to think, two advantages that he had never known before…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/he-had-suffered-and-he-had-learnt-to-think-two-advantages-that-he-had/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [“Vanity was the beginning and the end of Sir Walter Eliot's character; vanity of person and of situation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/vanity-was-the-beginning-and-the-end-of-sir-walter-eliot-s-character/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) [Explore all 2,013 Jane Austen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) ## More Fortnight quotes > [In my local newspaper, they had this advert: 'please look after your neighbours in the cold weather'. I live next door to this 84-year-old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-dee/in-my-local-newspaper-they-had-this-advert-please-look-after-your/) [Jack Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-dee/) > [Have you ever been so melancholy, that you wanted to fit in the palm of your beloved's hand? And lie there, for fortnights, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/have-you-ever-been-so-melancholy-that-you-wanted-to-fit-in-the-palm/) [Sarah Ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/) > [“We fetch fire and water, run about all day among the shops and markets, and get our clothes and shoes made and mended, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/we-fetch-fire-and-water-run-about-all-day-among-the-shops-and-markets/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [One cannot know what a man really is by the end of a fortnight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/one-cannot-know-what-a-man-really-is-by-the-end-of-a-fortnight/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [In London, I've always lived within 10 miles of where I was born. You see, there is something called a spirit of place, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ackroyd/in-london-i-ve-always-lived-within-10-miles-of-where-i-was-born-you/) [Peter Ackroyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ackroyd/) > [Arraigned at my own bar, Memory having given her evidence of the hopes, wishes, sentiments I had been cherishing since last night-- of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/arraigned-at-my-own-bar-memory-having-given-her-evidence-of-the-hopes/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [Ah," said the jailer, "do not always brood over what is impossible, or you will be mad in a fortnight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-dumas/ah-said-the-jailer-do-not-always-brood-over-what-is-impossible-or-you/) [Alexandre Dumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-dumas/) > [I am fussy, about my diet and straining my voice. I know, sounds a bit over the top. But I'm not as bad as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-jenkins/i-am-fussy-about-my-diet-and-straining-my-voice-i-know-sounds-a-bit/) [Katherine Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-jenkins/) > [I was never molested by any person but those who represented the State. I had no lock nor bolt but for the desk which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-was-never-molested-by-any-person-but-those-who-represented-the/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [It is all a question of sensitiveness. Brute force and overbearing may make a terrific effect. But in the end, that which lives by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/it-is-all-a-question-of-sensitiveness-brute-force-and-overbearing-may/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [Every year, in the deep midwinter, there descends upon this world a terrible fortnight. ... every shop is a choked mass of humanity ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/every-year-in-the-deep-midwinter-there-descends-upon-this-world-a/) [Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/) > [Like all guests, after a fortnight, grief is best beyond the door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/like-all-guests-after-a-fortnight-grief-is-best-beyond-the-door/) [Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/) > [Since this war began our sympathy has gone out to all the suffering people who have been dragged into it. Further hundreds of millions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eamon-de-valera/since-this-war-began-our-sympathy-has-gone-out-to-all-the-suffering/) [Eamon de Valera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eamon-de-valera/) > [Laurie, you're an angel! How shall I ever thank you?" "Fly at me again. I rather liked it," said Laurie, looking mischievous, a thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/laurie-you-re-an-angel-how-shall-i-ever-thank-you-fly-at-me-again-i/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Some people in England only have their wheelie bins collected once a fortnight. Their suffering is unimaginable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/some-people-in-england-only-have-their-wheelie-bins-collected-once-a/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) [Browse all 41 Fortnight quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fortnight/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I honour your circumspection. A fortnight's acquaintance is certainly very little. One cannot know what a man really is by the end of a fortnight. 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