--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Such I was, from eight to…" description: "\"“Such I was, from eight to eight-and-twenty; and such I might still have been but for you, dearest, loveliest Elizabeth! What do I not owe you! You tau..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e7/jane-austen-39_woman-worth_such-i-was-from-eight-to-eight-and-twent_1829647.jpg" --- # Such I was, from eight to eight-and-twenty; and such I… ![“Such I was, from eight to eight-and-twenty; and such I might still have been but for you, dearest, loveliest Elizabeth! What do I not owe you! You taught me a lesson, hard indeed at first, but most advantageous. By you, I was properly humbled. I came to you without a doubt of my reception. You…” quote by Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e7/jane-austen-39_woman-worth_such-i-was-from-eight-to-eight-and-twent_1829647.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e7/jane-austen-39_woman-worth_such-i-was-from-eight-to-eight-and-twent_1829647.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e7/jane-austen-39_woman-worth_such-i-was-from-eight-to-eight-and-twent_1829647.jpg) > ““Such I was, from eight to eight-and-twenty; and such I might still have been but for you, dearest, loveliest Elizabeth! What do I not owe you! You taught me a lesson, hard indeed at first, but most advantageous. By you, I was properly humbled. I came to you without a doubt of my reception. You showed me how insufficient were all my pretensions to please a woman worthy of being pleased.”” [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 narrator confesses that love for Elizabeth humbled him, revealing his pretensions were insufficient to win a worthy woman's affection. **In simple terms:** Love humbled him and exposed his vanity. Key Takeaway Let love reveal your true self. Themes love humility self‑awareness Mood romantic reflective Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - courtship - personal growth - social expectations Key Concepts romantic literature character development Questions to Reflect On - What does humility teach you about desire? - How can self‑awareness improve relationships? A Different Perspective Love may not always be reciprocated, leading to disappointment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Woman worth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/woman-worth/) ## Related quotes > [“By you, I was properly humbled. I came to you without a doubt of my reception. 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By you, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/dearest-loveliest-elizabeth-what-do-i-not-owe-you-you-taught-me-a/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [You showed me how insufficient were all my pretensions to please a woman worthy of being pleased.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/you-showed-me-how-insufficient-were-all-my-pretensions-to-please-a/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [“What do I not owe you! You taught me a lesson, hard indeed at first, but most advantageous. By you I was properly humbled.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/what-do-i-not-owe-you-you-taught-me-a-lesson-hard-indeed-at-first-but/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [“I have been a selfish being all my life, in practice, though not in principle. 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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 Elizabeth quotes > [“Come to me Elizabeth. Let me make you mine...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-garwood/come-to-me-elizabeth-let-me-make-you-mine/) [Julie Garwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-garwood/) > [“What, may I ask, does your one truck contain if not gowns?” Inspiration struck, and Elizabeth smiled radiantly. “Something of great value. Priceless value,”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-mcnaught/what-may-i-ask-does-your-one-truck-contain-if-not-gowns-inspiration/) [Judith McNaught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-mcnaught/) > [“Never would I take what I’d been given for granted. I’d never look at her through indifferent eyes, listen to her fears and worries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-l-jackson/never-would-i-take-what-i-d-been-given-for-granted-i-d-never-look-at/) [A.L. Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-l-jackson/) > [“Too bad,Elizabeth. You're Stuck with me.Not for a few decades,not for centuries. You're tied to me forever. That boy and girl offspring you talked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kresley-cole/too-bad-elizabeth-you-re-stuck-with-me-not-for-a-few-decades-not-for/) [Kresley Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kresley-cole/) > [I'm absolutely an Elizabeth Taylor fan!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherilyn-fenn/i-m-absolutely-an-elizabeth-taylor-fan/) [Sherilyn Fenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherilyn-fenn/) > [I like Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream, as it's great for soothing dry skin and adding shine. I use it instead of balm, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-madekwe/i-like-elizabeth-arden-eight-hour-cream-as-it-s-great-for-soothing/) [Ashley Madekwe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-madekwe/) > [“Elizabeth received them with all the forbearance of civility”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/elizabeth-received-them-with-all-the-forbearance-of-civility/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [Had Elizabeth Bennet known how wildly Darcy's heart beat for her, 'Pride and Prejudice' would barely have made it into a short story. Their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariella-frostrup/had-elizabeth-bennet-known-how-wildly-darcy-s-heart-beat-for-her/) [Mariella Frostrup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariella-frostrup/) > [“No, indeed, 'pig' is very expressive. And an excellent description of a fellow who flirts with his brother's beloved.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-oppel/no-indeed-pig-is-very-expressive-and-an-excellent-description-of-a/) [Kenneth Oppel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-oppel/) > [“The horror of her incarceration in the Tower was a defining event Elizabeth could never forget. It made a passionate heart more circumspect, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-dunn/the-horror-of-her-incarceration-in-the-tower-was-a-defining-event/) [Jane Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-dunn/) > [I think a fictional invention grows according to its own development, not the author's. Characters in fiction are not simply as alive as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-ozick/i-think-a-fictional-invention-grows-according-to-its-own-development/) [Cynthia Ozick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-ozick/) > [“Elizabeth, with great fear: I will fear nothing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-miller/elizabeth-with-great-fear-i-will-fear-nothing/) [Arthur Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-miller/) > [I've always wanted to work with Elizabeth Banks. She's so talented and funny, and she's become this force of nature - directing, producing. Being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-jacobs/i-ve-always-wanted-to-work-with-elizabeth-banks-she-s-so-talented-and/) [Gillian Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-jacobs/) > [I don't go anywhere without Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream. 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