---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is always incomprehensible to a man…"
description: "\"It is always incomprehensible to a man that a woman should ever refuse an offer of marriage.\" — Jane Austen"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be9/jane-austen-39_incomprehensible_it-is-always-incomprehensible-to-a-man-t_321474.jpg"
---

#  It is always incomprehensible to a man that a woman should…

![“It is always incomprehensible to a man that a woman should ever refuse an offer of marriage.” quote by Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be9/jane-austen-39_incomprehensible_it-is-always-incomprehensible-to-a-man-t_321474.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be9/jane-austen-39_incomprehensible_it-is-always-incomprehensible-to-a-man-t_321474.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be9/jane-austen-39_incomprehensible_it-is-always-incomprehensible-to-a-man-t_321474.jpg)

> “It is always incomprehensible to a man that a woman should ever refuse an offer of marriage.”

[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.

A man often cannot understand why a woman would decline a marriage proposal, reflecting gender expectations of the era.

**In simple terms:** Men may not grasp women's choices about marriage.

Key Takeaway

Respect women's autonomy.

Themes

gender roles marriage misunderstanding

Mood

conflicted reflective

Type

literary social commentary

When to use this quote

- dating
- arranged marriage
- family pressure

Key Concepts

social norms agency courtship

Questions to Reflect On

- How do modern perspectives on consent change this view?
- What pressures influence marriage decisions?

A Different Perspective

Cultural context may differ; not all proposals are desirable.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Incomprehensible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incomprehensible/) [Incomprehensible Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incomprehensible-man-637686/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Offer Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/offer-marriage-637685/) [Refuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/refuse/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Woman Refuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/woman-refuse-637687/)

## Related quotes

> [“It is always incomprehensible to a man that a woman should ever refuse an offer of marriage. A man always imagines a woman to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/it-is-always-incomprehensible-to-a-man-that-a-woman-should-ever-2/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [“Oh! to be sure," cried Emma, "it is always incomprehensible to a man that a woman should ever refuse an offer of marriage. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/oh-to-be-sure-cried-emma-it-is-always-incomprehensible-to-a-man-that/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [The most incomprehensible thing in the world to a man, is a woman who rejects his offer of marriage!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/the-most-incomprehensible-thing-in-the-world-to-a-man-is-a-woman-who/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [If God is incomprehensible to man, it would seem rational never to think of Him at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-meslier/if-god-is-incomprehensible-to-man-it-would-seem-rational-never-to/)

[Jean Meslier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-meslier/)

> [“ Coward. She was not! No woman who would refuse the fate her family intended for her and strike off on her own, determined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josie-litton/coward-she-was-not-no-woman-who-would-refuse-the-fate-her-family/)

[Josie Litton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josie-litton/)

> [Men are perfectly willing to abandon a woman but they refuse to be abandoned by her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/men-are-perfectly-willing-to-abandon-a-woman-but-they-refuse-to-be/)

[Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/)

> [What well-bred woman would refuse her heart to a man who had just saved her life? Not one; and gratitude is a short cut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophile-gautier/what-well-bred-woman-would-refuse-her-heart-to-a-man-who-had-just/)

[Theophile Gautier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophile-gautier/)

> [“I did not think you would be angry, Jem burst out, and it was like ice cracking across a frozen waterfall, freeing a torrent.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/i-did-not-think-you-would-be-angry-jem-burst-out-and-it-was-like-ice/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [“Ismae, I would offer you marriage if you would have it.” My whole body stills, shocked at the honor he would do me, an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-lafevers/ismae-i-would-offer-you-marriage-if-you-would-have-it-my-whole-body/)

[Robin LaFevers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-lafevers/)

> [“Sophie.” He said her name softly. If her life depended on it, she could not have looked anywhere but into the flat, silver depths…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-jewel/sophie-he-said-her-name-softly-if-her-life-depended-on-it-she-could/)

[Carolyn Jewel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-jewel/)

> [“Matthew 22:4 (“Everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast”), he addresses the issue of “those to whom the offer is made”: It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-b-ferguson/matthew-22-4-everything-is-ready-come-to-the-wedding-feast-he/)

[Sinclair B. Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-b-ferguson/)

> [“You may find this hard to believe, Mr. Pinter," she went on defensively, "but some men enjoy my company. They consider me easy to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-jeffries/you-may-find-this-hard-to-believe-mr-pinter-she-went-on-defensively-2/)

[Sabrina Jeffries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-jeffries/)

> [“I see.” A smile played on his lips. “I must do the thing properly, then. If you’ll rise?” He pressed her to her feet,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theresa-romain/i-see-a-smile-played-on-his-lips-i-must-do-the-thing-properly-then-if/)

[Theresa Romain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theresa-romain/)

> [To say that a work of art is good, but incomprehensible to the majority of men, is the same as saying of some kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/to-say-that-a-work-of-art-is-good-but-incomprehensible-to-the/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [“All the same I keep on looking for someone incomprehensible who won't understand me either, because I have a terrible thirst for brotherhood”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emile-ajar/all-the-same-i-keep-on-looking-for-someone-incomprehensible-who-won-t/)

[Emile Ajar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emile-ajar/)

## 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 Incomprehensible quotes

> [“All the same I keep on looking for someone incomprehensible who won't understand me either, because I have a terrible thirst for brotherhood”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emile-ajar/all-the-same-i-keep-on-looking-for-someone-incomprehensible-who-won-t/)

[Emile Ajar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emile-ajar/)

> [To say that a work of art is good, but incomprehensible to the majority of men, is the same as saying of some kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/to-say-that-a-work-of-art-is-good-but-incomprehensible-to-the/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [“O how incomprehensible everything was, and actually sad, although it was also beautiful. One knew nothing. One lived and ran about the earth and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-hesse/o-how-incomprehensible-everything-was-and-actually-sad-although-it/)

[Herman Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-hesse/)

> [I know by myself how incomprehensible God is, seeing I cannot comprehend the parts of my own being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-of-clairvaux/i-know-by-myself-how-incomprehensible-god-is-seeing-i-cannot/)

[Bernard of Clairvaux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-of-clairvaux/)

> [I do not want to found anything on the incomprehensible. I want to know whether I can live with what I know and with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/i-do-not-want-to-found-anything-on-the-incomprehensible-i-want-to/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [He has to live in the midst of the incomprehensible, which is also detestable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/he-has-to-live-in-the-midst-of-the-incomprehensible-which-is-also/)

[Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/)

> [Sometimes people accuse me of being incomprehensible only because they look for an explicative side to my pictures which is not there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gauguin/sometimes-people-accuse-me-of-being-incomprehensible-only-because/)

[Paul Gauguin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-gauguin/)

> [In Tasmania, an island the size of Ireland whose primeval forests astonished 19th-century Europeans, an incomprehensible ecological tragedy is being played out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/in-tasmania-an-island-the-size-of-ireland-whose-primeval-forests/)

[Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/)

> [Be warned in time, James, and remain, as I do, incomprehensible: to be great is to be misunderstood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/be-warned-in-time-james-and-remain-as-i-do-incomprehensible-to-be/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [You can't explain the unknown in terms of the incomprehensible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-schick/you-can-t-explain-the-unknown-in-terms-of-the-incomprehensible/)

[Theodore Schick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-schick/)

> [Incomprehensible jargon is the hallmark of a profession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingman-brewster-jr/incomprehensible-jargon-is-the-hallmark-of-a-profession/)

[Kingman Brewster, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingman-brewster-jr/)

> [What I like best about your system? It is as incomprehensible as the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-i-like-best-about-your-system-it-is-as-incomprehensible-as-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Belief acts as a temporary bridge when we are trying to accept something that seems incomprehensible. We use belief and simply accept the workings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-browning/belief-acts-as-a-temporary-bridge-when-we-are-trying-to-accept/)

[L.M. Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-browning/)

> [I accept that there may be things far grander and more incomprehensible than we can possibly imagine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/i-accept-that-there-may-be-things-far-grander-and-more/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [When the nature of the thing is incomprehensible, I can acquiesce in the Scripture: but when the signification of words is incomprehensible, I cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hobbes/when-the-nature-of-the-thing-is-incomprehensible-i-can-acquiesce-in/)

[Thomas Hobbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hobbes/)

[Browse all 120 Incomprehensible quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incomprehensible/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It is always incomprehensible to a man that a woman should ever refuse an offer of marriage.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jane Austen"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/it-is-always-incomprehensible-to-a-man-that-a-woman-should-ever/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Incomprehensible"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/it-is-always-incomprehensible-to-a-man-that-a-woman-should-ever/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be9/jane-austen-39_incomprehensible_it-is-always-incomprehensible-to-a-man-t_321474.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be9/jane-austen-39_incomprehensible_it-is-always-incomprehensible-to-a-man-t_321474.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be9/jane-austen-39_incomprehensible_it-is-always-incomprehensible-to-a-man-t_321474.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It is always incomprehensible to a man that a woman should ever refuse an offer of marriage.” — Jane Austen",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Jane Austen",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It is always incomprehensible to a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/it-is-always-incomprehensible-to-a-man-that-a-woman-should-ever/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/it-is-always-incomprehensible-to-a-man-that-a-woman-should-ever/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
