---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: when it comes to the question of…"
description: "\"“when it comes to the question of dependence or independence!—At any rate, it must be better to have only one to please than two.”\" — Jane Austen"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c7/jane-austen-39_dependence_when-it-comes-to-the-question-of-depende_2856640.jpg"
---

#  when it comes to the question of dependence or…

![“when it comes to the question of dependence or independence!—At any rate, it must be better to have only one to please than two.” quote by Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c7/jane-austen-39_dependence_when-it-comes-to-the-question-of-depende_2856640.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c7/jane-austen-39_dependence_when-it-comes-to-the-question-of-depende_2856640.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c7/jane-austen-39_dependence_when-it-comes-to-the-question-of-depende_2856640.jpg)

> ““when it comes to the question of dependence or independence!—At any rate, it must be better to have only one to please than two.””

[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.

It is preferable to please one person rather than trying to satisfy two, implying focus over divided loyalty.

**In simple terms:** Prefer one over two for better satisfaction.

Key Takeaway

Focus on one relationship.

Themes

loyalty choice relationships priorities

Mood

thoughtful reflective

Type

philosophical advice

When to use this quote

- romantic partnership
- friendship
- business alliances

Key Concepts

personal commitment social dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- Is it better to please many or one?
- How do you decide where to invest loyalty?

A Different Perspective

Pleasing both may lead to compromise and dissatisfaction.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Dependence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dependence/) [Dependence Independence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dependence-independence-3830973/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Independence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/independence/) [Independence Rate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/independence-rate-3830975/) [Question Dependence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/question-dependence-3830974/)

## Related quotes

> [Now one was either Tory or Whig; it was either dependence or independence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caesar-rodney/now-one-was-either-tory-or-whig-it-was-either-dependence-or/)

[Caesar Rodney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caesar-rodney/)

> [Brokenness is the STRIPPING OF SELF-RELIANCE AND INDEPENDENCE FROM GOD...but he is cast in total dependence upon the grace of God working in and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-leigh-demoss/brokenness-is-the-stripping-of-self-reliance-and-independence-from/)

[Nancy Leigh DeMoss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-leigh-demoss/)

> [“True autonomy is preceded by the experience of being dependent. True liberation can be found only beyond the deep ambivalence of infantile dependence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller-the-drama-of-the-gifted-child/true-autonomy-is-preceded-by-the-experience-of-being-dependent-true/)

[Alice MIller, The Drama of the gifted child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller-the-drama-of-the-gifted-child/)

> [Government-to-government foreign aid promotes statism, centralized planning, socialism, dependence, pauperization, inefficiency, and waste. It prolongs the poverty it is designed to cure. Voluntary private…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-hazlitt/government-to-government-foreign-aid-promotes-statism-centralized/)

[Henry Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-hazlitt/)

> [In the marriage union, the independence of the husband and wife will be equal, their dependence mutual, and their obligations reciprocal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretia-mott/in-the-marriage-union-the-independence-of-the-husband-and-wife-will/)

[Lucretia Mott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretia-mott/)

> [You see, here in America there's a reason why we celebrate the 4th of July and not April 15th because in America we celebrate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-walker/you-see-here-in-america-there-s-a-reason-why-we-celebrate-the-4th-of/)

[Scott Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-walker/)

> [Learn How To Be Leader Not A Follower Because Being A Follower Sometimes Lead You Into Something Good Or Bad...So Be Independent Not Dependent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/out-spoken/learn-how-to-be-leader-not-a-follower-because-being-a-follower/)

[Out Spoken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/out-spoken/)

> [“To walk three miles, or four miles, or five miles, or whatever it is, above her ankles in dirt, and alone, quite alone! What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/to-walk-three-miles-or-four-miles-or-five-miles-or-whatever-it-is/)

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

> [It is not inequality which is the real misfortune, it is dependence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/it-is-not-inequality-which-is-the-real-misfortune-it-is-dependence/)

[Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/)

> [God's power under us, in us, surging through us, is exactly what turns dependence into unforgettable experiences of completeness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-wilkinson/god-s-power-under-us-in-us-surging-through-us-is-exactly-what-turns/)

[Bruce Wilkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-wilkinson/)

> [On Thanksgiving Day we acknowledge our dependence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-jennings-bryan/on-thanksgiving-day-we-acknowledge-our-dependence/)

[William Jennings Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-jennings-bryan/)

> [A great step towards independence is a good-humored stomach, one that is willing to endure rough treatment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/a-great-step-towards-independence-is-a-good-humored-stomach-one-that/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

> [Financial independence could be one of the factors, but most 65 plus artistes in our industry wish to continue working for the passion they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashok-saraf/financial-independence-could-be-one-of-the-factors-but-most-65-plus/)

[Ashok Saraf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashok-saraf/)

> [The official independence celebration was going to be held over four or five days, and a group of journalists from all over the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryszard-kapuscinski/the-official-independence-celebration-was-going-to-be-held-over-four/)

[Ryszard Kapuscinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryszard-kapuscinski/)

> [She might be without country, without nation, but inside her there was still a being that could exist and be free, that could simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-maas/she-might-be-without-country-without-nation-but-inside-her-there-was/)

[Sharon Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-maas/)

## 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 Dependence quotes

> [On Thanksgiving Day we acknowledge our dependence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-jennings-bryan/on-thanksgiving-day-we-acknowledge-our-dependence/)

[William Jennings Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-jennings-bryan/)

> [God's power under us, in us, surging through us, is exactly what turns dependence into unforgettable experiences of completeness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-wilkinson/god-s-power-under-us-in-us-surging-through-us-is-exactly-what-turns/)

[Bruce Wilkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-wilkinson/)

> [Love is . . . Knowing that the other person will always be with you regardless of what happens, Missing the other person when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/love-is-knowing-that-the-other-person-will-always-be-with-you/)

[Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/)

> [It is not inequality which is the real misfortune, it is dependence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/it-is-not-inequality-which-is-the-real-misfortune-it-is-dependence/)

[Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/)

> [Never depend on anyone else's strength but God's strength to help you through and nor expect from anyone except God to be with you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/never-depend-on-anyone-else-s-strength-but-god-s-strength-to-help-you/)

[Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/)

> [The strongest reason for giving woman all the opportunities of higher education, for the full development of her faculties, forces of mind and body;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/the-strongest-reason-for-giving-woman-all-the-opportunities-of-higher/)

[Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/)

> [ They \[leaders in Western Europe\] do not misuse financial instruments, financial injections, but, first of all, seek structural change. This is urgent for our… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/they-leaders-in-western-europe-do-not-misuse-financial-instruments/)

[Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/)

> [Religion, in its most general view, is such a Sense of God in the soul, and such a conviction of our obligations to him,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-doddridge/religion-in-its-most-general-view-is-such-a-sense-of-god-in-the-soul/)

[Philip Doddridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-doddridge/)

> [By reducing our dependence of foreign oil and increasing alternative energy sources such as ethanol, we can begin to bring down prices at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-ryun/by-reducing-our-dependence-of-foreign-oil-and-increasing-alternative/)

[Jim Ryun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-ryun/)

> [A faith which we follow upon orders imposed from outside is no faith, and a community which puts its dependence upon such a pseudo-faith…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norbert-wiener/a-faith-which-we-follow-upon-orders-imposed-from-outside-is-no-faith/)

[Norbert Wiener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norbert-wiener/)

> [We need to exert ourselves that much more, and break out of the vicious cycle of dependence imposed on us by the financially powerful:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/we-need-to-exert-ourselves-that-much-more-and-break-out-of-the/)

[Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/)

> [ The heart becomes sick, as the body becomes sick, and its remedy is al-Tawbah (repentance) and protection \[from transgression\]. It becomes rusty as a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-qayyim-al-jawziyya/the-heart-becomes-sick-as-the-body-becomes-sick-and-its-remedy-is-al/)

[Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-qayyim-al-jawziyya/)

> [The safest hands to entrust all things is in the hands of the Almighty God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/the-safest-hands-to-entrust-all-things-is-in-the-hands-of-the/)

[Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/)

> [Civilization is in no immediate danger of running out of energy or even just out of oil. But we are running out of environment-that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-v-vaitheeswaran/civilization-is-in-no-immediate-danger-of-running-out-of-energy-or/)

[Vijay V. Vaitheeswaran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-v-vaitheeswaran/)

> [If women be educated for dependence; that is, to act according to the will of another fallible being, and submit, right or wrong, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft/if-women-be-educated-for-dependence-that-is-to-act-according-to-the/)

[Mary Wollstonecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft/)

[Browse all 618 Dependence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dependence/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“when it comes to the question of dependence or independence!—At any rate, it must be better to have only one to please than two.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jane Austen"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/when-it-comes-to-the-question-of-dependence-or-independence-at-any/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Dependence"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/when-it-comes-to-the-question-of-dependence-or-independence-at-any/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c7/jane-austen-39_dependence_when-it-comes-to-the-question-of-depende_2856640.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c7/jane-austen-39_dependence_when-it-comes-to-the-question-of-depende_2856640.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c7/jane-austen-39_dependence_when-it-comes-to-the-question-of-depende_2856640.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“when it comes to the question of dependence or independence!—At any rate, it must be better to have only one…” — 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": "“when it comes to the question...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/when-it-comes-to-the-question-of-dependence-or-independence-at-any/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/when-it-comes-to-the-question-of-dependence-or-independence-at-any/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
