To look almost pretty is an acquisition of higher delight to a girl who has been looking plain for the first fifteen years of her life than a beauty from her cradle can ever receive.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Gaining beauty after years of plainness brings more joy than being born beautiful.
- In plain terms
- Late beauty is more delightful than early beauty.
- What can you take from it?
- Improvement is sweeter than innate talent.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Is change more rewarding than stability?
- How does self-image grow?
Another view
It undervalues the confidence of born beauty.
More from Jane Austen
One has not great hopes from Birmingham. I always say there is something direful in the sound...
Permalink to quote #45 A woman especially, if she have the misfortune of knowing anything, should conceal it as well as she can.
Permalink to quote #47 Ah! there is nothing like staying at home for real comfort.
Permalink to quote #44
Related quotes
I began to realize that life is a growth stage I'm going through.
Ellen GoodmanEllen Goodman quote #3 Age is not all decay; it is the ripening, the swelling, of the fresh life within, that withers and bursts the husks.
George MacDonaldGeorge MacDonald quote #5 To live is to change, and to perfect life is to have changed often.
John Henry Cardinal NewmanJohn Henry Cardinal Newman quote #21