--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: John Thorpe [...] was a stout young man…" description: "\"“John Thorpe [...] was a stout young man of middling height, who, with a plain face and ungraceful form, seemed fearful of being too handsome unless he..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af6/jane-austen-39_young-man_john-thorpe-was-a-stout-young-man-of-mid_672494.jpg" --- # John Thorpe \[...\] was a stout young man of middling… ![“John Thorpe [...] was a stout young man of middling height, who, with a plain face and ungraceful form, seemed fearful of being too handsome unless he wore the dress of a groom, and too much like a gentleman unless he were easy where he ought to be civil, and impudent where he might be allowed to…” quote by Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af6/jane-austen-39_young-man_john-thorpe-was-a-stout-young-man-of-mid_672494.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af6/jane-austen-39_young-man_john-thorpe-was-a-stout-young-man-of-mid_672494.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af6/jane-austen-39_young-man_john-thorpe-was-a-stout-young-man-of-mid_672494.jpg) > ““John Thorpe \[...\] was a stout young man of middling height, who, with a plain face and ungraceful form, seemed fearful of being too handsome unless he wore the dress of a groom, and too much like a gentleman unless he were easy where he ought to be civil, and impudent where he might be allowed to be easy.”” [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 young man worries about appearing too handsome or too genteel, showing social anxiety about fitting expectations **In simple terms:** He is self‑conscious about his appearance and manners Key Takeaway Accept personal quirks without over‑adjusting Themes social anxiety self‑image class Mood thoughtful reflective Type literary character study When to use this quote - courtship - social gatherings - personal introductions - self‑presentation Key Concepts identity conformity self‑consciousness Questions to Reflect On - What pressures shape our self‑presentation? - How can we balance authenticity and social expectations? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on appearance can hinder authenticity ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fearful Handsome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fearful-handsome-5335417/) [Handsome Unless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/handsome-unless-5335419/) [John Thorpe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/john-thorpe-5335418/) [Man U](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-u/) [Plain Face](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plain-face-4814568/) [Thorpe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thorpe-1055308/) [Young man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-man/) ## Related quotes > [“...and, if Mr. Thorpe would only have stopped, I would have jumped out and run after you. Is there a Henry in the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/and-if-mr-thorpe-would-only-have-stopped-i-would-have-jumped-out-and/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [Knavery's plain face is never seen till used.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/knavery-s-plain-face-is-never-seen-till-used/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I'd rather have a plain face with a beautiful soul than a beautiful face with an ugly soul any day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agidis234/i-d-rather-have-a-plain-face-with-a-beautiful-soul-than-a-beautiful/) [Agidis234](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agidis234/) > [“comparison only. There were a king with a large jaw and a queen with a plain face, on the”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/comparison-only-there-were-a-king-with-a-large-jaw-and-a-queen-with-a/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [Then you hold life like a face between your palms, a plain face, no charming smile, no violet eyes, and you say, yes, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-bass/then-you-hold-life-like-a-face-between-your-palms-a-plain-face-no/) [Ellen Bass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-bass/) > [Most people I know think that I'm crazy - but anybody who actually knew Billy Thorpe didn't think that. When I was a young…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-barnes/most-people-i-know-think-that-i-m-crazy-but-anybody-who-actually-knew/) [Jimmy Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-barnes/) > [I think a lot of Jim Thorpe, the Olympian, and his accomplishments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-trevino/i-think-a-lot-of-jim-thorpe-the-olympian-and-his-accomplishments/) [Lee Trevino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-trevino/) > [My favorite athlete of all time would have to be Jim Thorpe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-castillo/my-favorite-athlete-of-all-time-would-have-to-be-jim-thorpe/) [Randy Castillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-castillo/) > ['Jim Thorpe - All American' influenced me as a young kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herm-edwards/jim-thorpe-all-american-influenced-me-as-a-young-kid/) [Herm Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herm-edwards/) > [“...but I didn't care, because the magnificent possibility of kissing Cassidy Thorpe had turned into an indisputable fact of my daily existence...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn-schneider/but-i-didn-t-care-because-the-magnificent-possibility-of-kissing/) [Robyn Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robyn-schneider/) > [“They tell me to quit being such a sissy and man up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-erno/they-tell-me-to-quit-being-such-a-sissy-and-man-up/) [Jeff Erno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-erno/) > [I'm a big Manchester United fan. When I was a kid, I worked with a guy who was a Man United fan, and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/montel-vontavious-porter/i-m-a-big-manchester-united-fan-when-i-was-a-kid-i-worked-with-a-guy/) [Montel Vontavious Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/montel-vontavious-porter/) > [The longer you stay in the friend zone, the harder it is to get out. If you want the girl, man up, and get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-longer-you-stay-in-the-friend-zone-the-harder-it-is-to-get-out-if/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Marriage," "mating," and "love" are socially constructed phenomena that have little or no transferable meaning outside any given culture. The examples we've noted of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-ryan/marriage-mating-and-love-are-socially-constructed-phenomena-that-have/) [Christopher Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-ryan/) > [Man United has always had a unique aura about it, and when you watch them play everyone knows it's something special.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-glazer/man-united-has-always-had-a-unique-aura-about-it-and-when-you-watch/) [Joel Glazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-glazer/) ## 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 Young man quotes > [“She knew how to play him so very well. He slipped his hand around hers. "Friends," he repeated roughly. Her smile was bright enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-smith/she-knew-how-to-play-him-so-very-well-he-slipped-his-hand-around-hers/) [Kathryn Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-smith/) > [“Love them all," said Renoir. "That is the secret, young man. Love them all." The painter let go of his arm and shrugged. "Then,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/love-them-all-said-renoir-that-is-the-secret-young-man-love-them-all/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [ The young man \[Turgot\] destined for an ecclesiastical career was placed within walls carefully designed to keep out all currents of new thought; his… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-dickson-white/the-young-man-turgot-destined-for-an-ecclesiastical-career-was-placed/) [Andrew Dickson White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-dickson-white/) > ['Melanin Man' was inspired by the words of an Uber driver in L.A. Before I got out of the car he said, 'They're scared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masego/melanin-man-was-inspired-by-the-words-of-an-uber-driver-in-l-a-before/) [Masego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masego/) > [“But young men have not only this frivolous ambition of being thought masters of execution, inciting them on the one hand, but also their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-young-men-have-not-only-this-frivolous-ambition-of-being-thought/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For a young man to start his career with a love affair with an older woman was quite de rigueur ... Of course, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vita-sackville-west/for-a-young-man-to-start-his-career-with-a-love-affair-with-an-older/) [Vita Sackville-West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vita-sackville-west/) > [“He’d parted reluctantly from Amily, thinking again with envy of Lena and Bear. One thing that they hadn’t been forced to deal with during…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mercedes-lackey/he-d-parted-reluctantly-from-amily-thinking-again-with-envy-of-lena/) [Mercedes Lackey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mercedes-lackey/) > [Young men have strong passions and tend to gratify them indiscriminately. Of the bodily desires, it is the sexual by which they are most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/young-men-have-strong-passions-and-tend-to-gratify-them/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [“He wants to dream like a young man with the wisdom of a old man, he wants his home and securities, he wants to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-seger/he-wants-to-dream-like-a-young-man-with-the-wisdom-of-a-old-man-he/) [Bob Seger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-seger/) > [ \[D\]on't grow old. With age comes caution, which is another name for cowardice… Whatever else you do in life, don't cultivate a conscience. Without… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesketh-pearson/d-on-t-grow-old-with-age-comes-caution-which-is-another-name-for/) [Hesketh Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesketh-pearson/) > [“As a successful young man, I have developed myself to a level where physiological needs, safety and security needs, social needs and ego needs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anyaele-sam-chiyson/as-a-successful-young-man-i-have-developed-myself-to-a-level-where/) [Anyaele Sam Chiyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anyaele-sam-chiyson/) > [“Not to mention that I have finally arrived at that age where a woman starts to question whether the wisest way to get over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/not-to-mention-that-i-have-finally-arrived-at-that-age-where-a-woman/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [“Sorry, bad wing." When Theo kissed him, surprise and pleasure flustered him. He couldn't remember the last time this boy, this young man, had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/sorry-bad-wing-when-theo-kissed-him-surprise-and-pleasure-flustered/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [“Risking a glance at the dignified young man beside her- what was his name?- Mr. Arthurson, Arterton?- Pandora decided to try her hand at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/risking-a-glance-at-the-dignified-young-man-beside-her-what-was-his/) [Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/) > [“But if you will not take this Counsel, and persist in thinking a Commerce with the Sex inevitable, then I repeat my former Advice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/but-if-you-will-not-take-this-counsel-and-persist-in-thinking-a/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) [Browse all 2,387 Young man quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-man/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“John Thorpe [...] was a stout young man of middling height, who, with a plain face and ungraceful form, seemed fearful of being too handsome unless he wore the dress of a groom, and too much like a gentleman unless he were easy where he ought to be civil, and impudent where he might be allowed to be easy.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jane Austen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/john-thorpe-was-a-stout-young-man-of-middling-height-who-with-a-plain/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Young man" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/john-thorpe-was-a-stout-young-man-of-middling-height-who-with-a-plain/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af6/jane-austen-39_young-man_john-thorpe-was-a-stout-young-man-of-mid_672494.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af6/jane-austen-39_young-man_john-thorpe-was-a-stout-young-man-of-mid_672494.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af6/jane-austen-39_young-man_john-thorpe-was-a-stout-young-man-of-mid_672494.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“John Thorpe [...] was a stout young man of middling height, who, with a plain face and ungraceful form…” — 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": "“John Thorpe [...] was a stout...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/john-thorpe-was-a-stout-young-man-of-middling-height-who-with-a-plain/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/john-thorpe-was-a-stout-young-man-of-middling-height-who-with-a-plain/#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 } } ] } ```