Saturday 8 January 2011

Jane Austen Quote of the Week - Week 138

Happy New Year to you all.

I was reading chaper 31 of Sense and Sensibility and I have chosen a couple of quotes. In this chapter Elinor and Marianne are still in London with Mrs Jennings. Marianne is distraught by the broken situation between herself and Willoughby and she has just received a letter from her mother who still does not know the situation. Elinor has started to write a letter to their mother to explain when Colonel Brandon arrives unannounced.

"It is Colonel Brandon!" said she, with vexation. "We are never safe from him ."
"He will not come in, as Mrs. Jennings is from home."
"I will not trust to that ," retreating to her own room. "A man who has nothing to do with his own time has no conscience in his intrusion on that of others."


I have highlighted the last line as it really made laugh, I am in complete agreement, it is so true. I fully believe that we should try to 'be' slower to counter the unbelievably fast pace of the life that we find ourselves in but on the other hand I have met many people who are totally oblivious to the situation and people around them and I have to admit, this has frustrated me.

The chapter continues with Colonel Brandon arriving to tell Elinor the truth regarding Willoughby's mistreatment of the daughter of Eliza, the woman Colonel Brandon loved deeply. He ponders whether he should declare such painful news:

"My regard for her, for yourself, for your mother -- will you allow me to prove it, by relating some circumstances, which nothing but a very sincere regard -- nothing but an earnest desire of being useful -- -. I think I am justified -- though where so many hours have been spent in convincing myself that I am right, is there not some reason to fear I may be wrong?" He stopped.

Again it was the last line that struck me. Decisions are very hard to make and personally (much to my dislike) I am a very indecisive character. The act of making a 'right' decision is impossible considering we do not have the resources to see into the future. People always say things like 'what will be will be' or 'things happen for a reason' but I am still not fully convinced of this theory. I have often been inflicted with what Colonel Brandon describes above; with all the repeated justification that a decision is a right one, there is always that element of doubt that you are in fact missing something. It is indeed scary.
Also, it is always a challenge to determine, particularly when others are involved, whether there are particular situations where words should be spared for the sake of anothers feelings.

So this quote is for all the thinkers out there who flit between one decision and another without any real certainty that they are right.

Pic: Elinor and Marianne

4 comments:

Icha said...

Oh, I agree with Marianne's assertion, tho she forgot that Willoughby was also without vocation.

As per Col Brandon's words, his sensitive nature was the first thing that attracted me to him (at least the Alan Rickman version), and remain one of his largest attractions to me.

Anonymous said...

I think that when making a decision you need to weigh both sides. What will happend if I don't do this? What will happen if I do? That is when you decide which way you're going to go. I think Col. Brandon did this. Knowing that what he says might be the wrong thing for Marianne, it was the right thing for him. Sometimes you just have to weigh your options and make the best decision for you, and Col. Brandon did that. Being indesisive is not a bad thing. Some people hurry into decisions (Marianne with Willoughby)and the outcome is not what they expected/wanted. Other decisions take a while (Marianne chosing Col. Brandon) and they turn out to be the correct ones. For them. Being who you are and true to yourself is the most important thing. Everything else will fall into place.
ie...Marianne & Brandon.
Lis

Rachel said...

Well said Lis! You definitely have to be true to yourself. Thanks for your comments x

Icha said...

Being indecisive is not a bad thing.

I tend to agree with you Lis, but perhaps the better word would be 'having careful considerations'? Otherwise I agree. It's best to think over a matter over a period of time than making a rush decision.