--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Oh! very well,\" exclaimed Miss Bates…" description: "\"“Oh! very well,\" exclaimed Miss Bates, \"then I need not be uneasy. 'Three things very dull indeed.' That will just do for me, you know. I shall be sure..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c6/jane-austen-39_three-things_oh-very-well-exclaimed-miss-bates-then-i_234351.jpg" --- # Oh! very well," exclaimed Miss Bates, "then I need not be… ![“Oh! very well," exclaimed Miss Bates, "then I need not be uneasy. 'Three things very dull indeed.' That will just do for me, you know. I shall be sure to say three dull things as soon as ever I open my mouth, shan't I?—(looking round with the most good-humoured dependence on every body's…” quote by Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c6/jane-austen-39_three-things_oh-very-well-exclaimed-miss-bates-then-i_234351.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c6/jane-austen-39_three-things_oh-very-well-exclaimed-miss-bates-then-i_234351.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c6/jane-austen-39_three-things_oh-very-well-exclaimed-miss-bates-then-i_234351.jpg) > ““Oh! very well," exclaimed Miss Bates, "then I need not be uneasy. 'Three things very dull indeed.' That will just do for me, you know. I shall be sure to say three dull things as soon as ever I open my mouth, shan't I?—(looking round with the most good-humoured dependence on every body's assent)—Do not you all think I shall?" Emma could not resist. "Ah! ma'am, but there may be a difficulty. Pardon me—but you will be limited as to number—only three at once." Miss Bates, deceived by the mock ceremony of her manner, did not immediately catch her meaning; but, when it burst on her, it could not anger, though a slight blush shewed that it could pain her.”” [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. Miss Bates worries about being judged for speaking too much, fearing social disapproval. **In simple terms:** Fear of social judgment over talking. Key Takeaway Be mindful of social cues and self‑expression. Themes social anxiety communication self‑esteem Mood anxious contemplative lighthearted Type literary dialogue character study When to use this quote - social gathering - family dinner - public speaking - online comment Key Concepts social norms interpersonal dynamics self‑censorship Questions to Reflect On - How does fear of judgment affect your speech? - When is restraint beneficial? A Different Perspective Over‑cautiousness may limit authentic voice. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [“Miss Bates…had never boasted either beauty or cleverness. Her youth had passed without distinction, and her middle of life was devoted to the care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/miss-bates-had-never-boasted-either-beauty-or-cleverness-her-youth/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [“Oh God, why did her heart crack in the manner it did?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christi-caldwell/oh-god-why-did-her-heart-crack-in-the-manner-it-did/) [Christi Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christi-caldwell/) > [“She had humoured, or softened, or concealed his failings, and promoted his real respectability for seventeen years; and though not the very happiest being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen-persuasion/she-had-humoured-or-softened-or-concealed-his-failings-and-promoted/) Jane Austen Persuasion > [“Charlotte Palmer is no sillier than Harriet Smith; and yet, how intolerable we should find it to see and hear as much of Charlotte…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-lascelles/charlotte-palmer-is-no-sillier-than-harriet-smith-and-yet-how/) [Mary Lascelles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-lascelles/) > [“1. Some people, Ranga, try to make things too complicated. One thing is not complicated. Two things are complicated, but not very complicated. Three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-b-g-burns/1-some-people-ranga-try-to-make-things-too-complicated-one-thing-is/) [Ian B.G. Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-b-g-burns/) > [The only three things Aries truly want from their partners are trust, loyalty and respect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-three-things-aries-truly-want-from-their-partners-are-trust/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There are three things in this world that will survive a nuclear explosion: Twinkies, cockroaches and Dean Ambroses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-ambrose/there-are-three-things-in-this-world-that-will-survive-a-nuclear/) [Dean Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-ambrose/) > [“Whenever problem arrives, do three things - Face it, Fight it and Finish it.-RVM”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rvm/whenever-problem-arrives-do-three-things-face-it-fight-it-and-finish/) RVM > [There is no secret to success except hard work and getting something indefinable which we call 'the breaks.' In order for a writer to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/countee-cullen/there-is-no-secret-to-success-except-hard-work-and-getting-something/) [Countee Cullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/countee-cullen/) > [“I’ve found it takes at least two and generally three things to alter the course of a life: You slip around the truth once,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-hamilton/i-ve-found-it-takes-at-least-two-and-generally-three-things-to-alter/) [Jane Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-hamilton/) > [The impossibility of separating the nomenclature of a science from the science itself, is owing to this, that every branch of physical science must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-lavoisier/the-impossibility-of-separating-the-nomenclature-of-a-science-from/) [Antoine Lavoisier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-lavoisier/) > [“We Will Let You Down: If We’re Close Enough to Help, We’re Close Enough to Hurt Bob Nobody wants to be the church that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-briggs-2/we-will-let-you-down-if-we-re-close-enough-to-help-we-re-close-enough/) J.R. Briggs > [My mother taught me three things, respect, knowledge-search for knowledge, it's an eternal journey. That's like my hair-cut, the line, 360 degrees, find knowledge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/my-mother-taught-me-three-things-respect-knowledge-search-for/) [Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/) > [I was having such a hard time when I made Sylvia. I gave everything I had for that role. It's one or two or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwyneth-paltrow/i-was-having-such-a-hard-time-when-i-made-sylvia-i-gave-everything-i/) [Gwyneth Paltrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwyneth-paltrow/) > [In my opinion, sexiness comes down to three things: chemistry, sense of humor, and treatment of waitstaff at restaurants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhoda-janzen/in-my-opinion-sexiness-comes-down-to-three-things-chemistry-sense-of/) [Rhoda Janzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhoda-janzen/) ## 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 Three things quotes > [In my opinion, sexiness comes down to three things: chemistry, sense of humor, and treatment of waitstaff at restaurants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhoda-janzen/in-my-opinion-sexiness-comes-down-to-three-things-chemistry-sense-of/) [Rhoda Janzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhoda-janzen/) > [I was having such a hard time when I made Sylvia. I gave everything I had for that role. It's one or two or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwyneth-paltrow/i-was-having-such-a-hard-time-when-i-made-sylvia-i-gave-everything-i/) [Gwyneth Paltrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwyneth-paltrow/) > [My mother taught me three things, respect, knowledge-search for knowledge, it's an eternal journey. That's like my hair-cut, the line, 360 degrees, find knowledge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/my-mother-taught-me-three-things-respect-knowledge-search-for/) [Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/) > [“We Will Let You Down: If We’re Close Enough to Help, We’re Close Enough to Hurt Bob Nobody wants to be the church that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-briggs-2/we-will-let-you-down-if-we-re-close-enough-to-help-we-re-close-enough/) J.R. Briggs > [The impossibility of separating the nomenclature of a science from the science itself, is owing to this, that every branch of physical science must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-lavoisier/the-impossibility-of-separating-the-nomenclature-of-a-science-from/) [Antoine Lavoisier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-lavoisier/) > [“I’ve found it takes at least two and generally three things to alter the course of a life: You slip around the truth once,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-hamilton/i-ve-found-it-takes-at-least-two-and-generally-three-things-to-alter/) [Jane Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-hamilton/) > [There is no secret to success except hard work and getting something indefinable which we call 'the breaks.' In order for a writer to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/countee-cullen/there-is-no-secret-to-success-except-hard-work-and-getting-something/) [Countee Cullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/countee-cullen/) > [“Whenever problem arrives, do three things - Face it, Fight it and Finish it.-RVM”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rvm/whenever-problem-arrives-do-three-things-face-it-fight-it-and-finish/) RVM > [There are three things in this world that will survive a nuclear explosion: Twinkies, cockroaches and Dean Ambroses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-ambrose/there-are-three-things-in-this-world-that-will-survive-a-nuclear/) [Dean Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-ambrose/) > [The only three things Aries truly want from their partners are trust, loyalty and respect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-three-things-aries-truly-want-from-their-partners-are-trust/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“1. Some people, Ranga, try to make things too complicated. One thing is not complicated. Two things are complicated, but not very complicated. Three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-b-g-burns/1-some-people-ranga-try-to-make-things-too-complicated-one-thing-is/) [Ian B.G. Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-b-g-burns/) > [Heaven has given human beings three things to balance the odds of life: hope, sleep, and laughter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/heaven-has-given-human-beings-three-things-to-balance-the-odds-of/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) > [I did three things today; miss you, miss you, and miss you. :) <3 <3 ^\_^](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blue-eyes/i-did-three-things-today-miss-you-miss-you-and-miss-you-3-3/) Blue Eyes > [Three things are needed to educate the peasantry: schools, schools, and schools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/three-things-are-needed-to-educate-the-peasantry-schools-schools-and/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Three Things to Maintain.. Promise, Friendship and Affection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/three-things-to-maintain-promise-friendship-and-affection/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) Browse all 1,027 Three things quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Oh! very well,\" exclaimed Miss Bates, \"then I need not be uneasy. 'Three things very dull indeed.' That will just do for me, you know. I shall be sure to say three dull things as soon as ever I open my mouth, shan't I?—(looking round with the most good-humoured dependence on every body's assent)—Do not you all think I shall?\" Emma could not resist. \"Ah! ma'am, but there may be a difficulty. Pardon me—but you will be limited as to number—only three at once.\" Miss Bates, deceived by the mock ceremony of her manner, did not immediately catch her meaning; but, when it burst on her, it could not anger, though a slight blush shewed that it could pain her.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jane Austen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/oh-very-well-exclaimed-miss-bates-then-i-need-not-be-uneasy-three/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Three things" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/oh-very-well-exclaimed-miss-bates-then-i-need-not-be-uneasy-three/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c6/jane-austen-39_three-things_oh-very-well-exclaimed-miss-bates-then-i_234351.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c6/jane-austen-39_three-things_oh-very-well-exclaimed-miss-bates-then-i_234351.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c6/jane-austen-39_three-things_oh-very-well-exclaimed-miss-bates-then-i_234351.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Oh! very well,\" exclaimed Miss Bates, \"then I need not be uneasy. 'Three things very dull indeed.' That will…” — 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": "“Oh! very well,\" exclaimed Miss Bates,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/oh-very-well-exclaimed-miss-bates-then-i-need-not-be-uneasy-three/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/oh-very-well-exclaimed-miss-bates-then-i-need-not-be-uneasy-three/#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 } } ] } ```