Gentle reader, may you never feel what I then felt? May your eyes never shed such stormy, scalding, heart-wrung tears as poured from mine. May you never appeal to Heaven in prayers so hopeless and so agonized as in that hour left my lips; for never may you, like me, dread to be the instrument of evil to what you wholly love.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Charlotte Brontë wishes readers never endure the deep sorrow and moral conflict she felt, hoping they avoid such torment.
- In plain terms
- She hopes you never feel the intense grief she experienced.
- What can you take from it?
- Seek peace and avoid needless suffering.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How can we balance feeling deeply with protecting ourselves?
- What role does suffering play in moral development?
Another view
Avoiding all sorrow may be impossible and could hinder growth.
More from Charlotte Bronte
Feeling... clamoured wildly. 'Oh, comply!' it said. '... soothe him; save him; love him; tell him you love him and will be his. Who in the world cares for you?…
Permalink to quote #31 I can but die... and I believe in God. Let me try and wait His will in silence.
Permalink to quote #33 I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself.
Permalink to quote #30
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