71 Pride And Prejudice Quotes With Page Numbers

Need the perfect Jane Austen line about love, pride, or societal expectations? Dive into the witty world of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy.

Pride and Prejudice remains a beloved classic, sparkling with unforgettable dialogue and sharp observations. Finding the right quote to capture its essence for your essay or discussion, however, takes time.

This collection gathers **71 essential quotes** from the novel, organized by volume, to illuminate the journey of love, misunderstanding, and self-discovery.

Pride And Prejudice Volume One Quotes

Volume One introduces the Bennet family, the arrival of the wealthy Mr. Bingley and his proud friend Mr. Darcy, and the initial social clashes and misunderstandings that set the stage for the novel’s central conflicts.

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: The Narrator), Page 5*

“When a woman has five grown-up daughters, she ought to give over thinking of her own beauty.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Mrs. Bennet), Page 6*

“Kitty has no discretion in her coughs,” said her father; “she times them ill.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Mr. Bennet), Page 8*

“One cannot know what a man really is by the end of a fortnight.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Mr. Bennet), Page 9*

“To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: The Narrator), Page 11*

“Mr. Bingley was good-looking and gentlemanlike… but his friend Mr. Darcy soon drew the attention of the room… till his manners gave a disgust which turned the tide of his popularity; for he was discovered to be proud… and being unworthy to be compared with his friend.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Characters: Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley, Narrator description), Page 12*

“He was the proudest, most disagreeable man in the world, and every body hoped that he would never come there again.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: The Narrator about Darcy), Page 13*

“She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me, and I am in no humor at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Mr. Darcy about Elizabeth), Page 13*

Mr. Darcy’s initial assessment sets the tone for their early interactions. See more of Mr. Darcy’s revealing quotes.

“She told the story, however, with great spirit among her friends; for she had a lively, playful disposition, which delighted in any thing ridiculous.”

~Jane Austen , Pride and Prejudice, (Character: The Narrator about Elizabeth), Page 14*

“Affectation of candour is common enough… But to be candid without ostentation or design… belongs to you alone.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Elizabeth Bennet to Jane Bennet), Page 17*

“I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified mine.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Elizabeth Bennet about Darcy), Page 21*

This key line highlights the central conflict. Explore more of Elizabeth Bennet’s sharp wit.

“Vanity and pride are different things… Pride relates to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what would have others think of us.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Mary Bennet), Page 21*

“If a woman conceals her affection with the same skill from the object of it, she may lose the opportunity of fixing him… there are very few of us who have a heart enough to be really in love without encouragement.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Charlotte Lucas), Pages 22, 23*

“If a woman is partial to a man, and does not endeavour to conceal it, he must find it out.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Elizabeth Bennet responding to Charlotte), Page 23*

“Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Charlotte Lucas), Page 24*

Austen explores different views on marriage throughout the novel. See key Pride and Prejudice Marriage Quotes here.

“Keep your breath to cool your porridge’; and I shall keep mine to swell my song.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Elizabeth Bennet quoting Mr. Bennet), Page 25*

“There is nothing like dancing, after all… every savage can dance.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Dialogue: Sir William Lucas and Mr. Darcy), Page 26*

“A lady’s imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony in a moment.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Mr. Darcy), Page 28*

“Well, my dear,” said Mr. Bennet… “if your daughter should have a dangerous fit of illness… it would be a comfort to know that it was all in pursuit of Mr. Bingley, and under your orders.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Mr. Bennet), Page 32*

“All young ladies accomplished?… I cannot boast of knowing more than half a dozen… that are really accomplished… [add] something more substantial, in the improvement of her mind by extensive reading… I rather wonder at your knowing any.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Dialogue: Mr. Bingley, Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth Bennet), Pages 38, 39*

“[She] is one of those young ladies who seek to recommend themselves to the other sex by undervaluing their own… it is a paltry device, a very mean art.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Mr. Darcy about Caroline Bingley), Page 40*

“But people themselves alter so much, that there is something new to be observed in them for ever.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Mr. Darcy), Page 43*

“I wonder who first discovered the efficacy of poetry in driving away love!… I have been used to consider poetry as the food of love… Of a fine, stout, healthy love it may… but if it be only a slight, thin sort of inclination, I am convinced that one good sonnet will starve it entirely away.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Dialogue: Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy), Page 44*

“Nothing is more deceitful,” said Darcy, “than the appearance of humility. It is often only carelessness of opinion, and sometimes an indirect boast.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Mr. Darcy), Page 47*

“The power of doing any thing with quickness is always much prized by the possessor, and often without any attention to the imperfection of the performance.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Mr. Darcy), Page 47*

“Nay,” cried Bingley, “this is too much, to remember at night all the foolish things that were said in the morning.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Mr. Bingley), Page 48*

“Oh!” said she, “I heard you before… You wanted me, I know, to say ‘Yes,’… but I always delight in overthrowing those kind of schemes… I do not want to dance a reel at all–and now despise me if you dare.” “Indeed I do not dare.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Dialogue: Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy), Page 50*

“I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book! — When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Caroline Bingley), Page 54*

“You either choose this method of passing the evening because you are in each other’s confidence… or because you are conscious that your figures appear to the greatest advantage in walking…”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Mr. Darcy), Page 55*

“The wisest and the best of men… may be rendered ridiculous by a person whose first object in life is a joke.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Mr. Darcy), Page 56*

“I dearly love a laugh… I hope I never ridicule what is wise or good. Follies and nonsense, whims and inconsistencies do divert me, I own, and I laugh at them whenever I can.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Elizabeth Bennet), Page 56*

“Yes, vanity is a weakness indeed. But pride – where there is a real superiority of mind, pride will be always under good regulation.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Mr. Darcy to Elizabeth), Page 57*

“It is happy for you that you possess the talent of flattering with delicacy. May I ask whether these pleasing attentions proceed from the impulse of the moment, or are they the result of previous study?”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Mr. Bennet), Page 67*

“I beg your pardon; one knows exactly what to think.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Elizabeth Bennet), Page 85*

“Heaven forbid! — That would be the greatest misfortune of all! — To find a man agreeable whom one is determined to hate! — Do not wish me such an evil.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Elizabeth Bennet), Page 89*

“Do you talk by rule, then, while you are dancing?” “Sometimes. One must speak a little, you know…”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Dialogue: Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet), Page 90*

“We are each of an unsocial, taciturn disposition, unwilling to speak, unless we expect to say something that will amaze the whole room…”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Elizabeth Bennet), Page 90*

“Books–oh! no. I am sure we never read the same… We may compare our different opinions.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Dialogue: Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy), Page 92*

“It is particularly incumbent on those who never change their opinion, to be secure of judging properly at first.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Elizabeth Bennet), Page 92*

“Really, Mr. Collins,’ cried Elizabeth… ‘you puzzle me exceedingly. If what I have hitherto said can appear to you in the form of encouragement, I know not how to express my refusal in such a way as to convince you of its being one.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Elizabeth Bennet), Page 106*

“Do not consider me now as an elegant female intending to plague you, but as a rational creature speaking the truth from her heart.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Elizabeth Bennet), Page 106*

“I have not the pleasure of understanding you.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Mr. Bennet), Page 109*

“An unhappy alternative is before you, Elizabeth. From this day you must be a stranger to one of your parents. Your mother will never see you again if you do not marry Mr. Collins, and I will never see you again if you do.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Mr. Bennet), Page 110*

“Nobody can tell what I suffer! But it is always so. Those who do not complain are never pitied.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Mrs. Bennet), Page 111*

“Without thinking highly either of men or of matrimony, marriage had always been her object; it was the only honourable provision for well-educated young women of small fortune…”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: The Narrator about Charlotte Lucas), Page 120*

As Jane suffers heartbreak and Charlotte makes a pragmatic choice, Elizabeth’s own views on love, class, and judgment are challenged further in the second volume.

Pride And Prejudice Volume Two Quotes

Volume Two delves deeper into misunderstandings and revelations, particularly focusing on Mr. Wickham’s dubious character and Mr. Darcy’s unexpected proposal and subsequent explanatory letter.

“There are few people whom I really love, and still fewer of whom I think well. The more I see of the world, the more am I dissatisfied with it…”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Elizabeth Bennet), Page 133*

“You shall not, for the sake of one individual, change the meaning of principle and integrity…”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Elizabeth Bennet to Jane), Page 133*

“We must not be so ready to fancy ourselves intentionally injured… It is very often nothing but our own vanity that deceives us.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Jane Bennet), Pages 133, 134*

“It is very often nothing but our own vanity that deceives us. Women fancy admiration means more than it does. And men take care that they should.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Jane Bennet), Page 134*

“A girl likes to be crossed a little in love now and then. It is something to think of”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Mr. Bennet), Page 135*

“Could there be finer symptoms? Is not general incivility the very essence of love?”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Elizabeth Bennet), Page 139*

“What are young men to rocks and mountains?”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Elizabeth Bennet), Page 152*

“There is a stubbornness about me that never can bear to be frightened at the will of others. My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Elizabeth Bennet), Page 170*

“Shall we ask him why a man of sense and education… is ill qualified to recommend himself to strangers?… ‘I certainly have not the talent… of conversing easily with those I have never seen before… We neither of us perform to strangers.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Dialogue: Elizabeth Bennet, Colonel Fitzwilliam, Mr. Darcy), Page 171*

“In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will no longer be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Mr. Darcy), Page 185*

“I might as well inquire… why with so evident a desire of offending and insulting me, you chose to tell me that you liked me against your will…? Was not this some excuse for incivility…? do you think that any consideration would tempt me to accept the man who has been the means of ruining… the happiness of a most beloved sister?”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Elizabeth Bennet), Page 186*

“You are mistaken, Mr. Darcy, if you suppose that the mode of your declaration affected me in any other way, than as it spared the concern which I might have felt in refusing you, had you behaved in a more gentlemanlike manner.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Elizabeth Bennet to Mr. Darcy), Page 188*

“You could not have made me the offer of your hand in any possible way that would have tempted me to accept it.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Elizabeth Bennet to Mr. Darcy), Page 188*

“How despicably I have acted!… I, who have prided myself on my discernment!… How humiliating is this discovery!… Had I been in love, I could not have been more wretchedly blind. But vanity, not love, has been my folly… Till this moment I never knew myself.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Elizabeth Bennet), Page 202*

“I should infinitely prefer a book…”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Mary Bennet), Page 214*

“There certainly was some great mismanagement in the education of those two young men. One has got all the goodness, and the other all the appearance of it.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Elizabeth Bennet about Bingley & Darcy/Wickham), Page 217*

“One cannot be always laughing at a man without now and then stumbling on something witty.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Elizabeth Bennet), Page 218*

“Such squeamish youths as cannot bear to be connected with a little absurdity are not worth a regret.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Mr. Bennet), Page 223*

“[W]here other powers of entertainment are wanting, the true philosopher will derive benefit from such as are given.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: The Narrator), Page 228*

“Upon the whole… an event to which she had looked forward with impatient desire, did not in taking place, bring all the satisfaction she had promised herself.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: The Narrator about Elizabeth Bennet), Page 229*

“A scheme of which every part promises delight, can never be successful; and general disappointment is only warded off by the defence of some little peculiar vexation.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Elizabeth Bennet’s thoughts), Page 229*

Elizabeth’s self-awareness grows after Darcy’s letter, leading to a humbling realization and setting the stage for potential reconciliation and Lydia’s scandalous elopement.

Pride And Prejudice Volume Three Quotes

The final volume brings resolution. Lydia’s disgrace forces Darcy to intervene secretly, Elizabeth visits Pemberley and sees Darcy in a new light, Lady Catherine confronts Elizabeth, and ultimately, pride and prejudice give way to love and understanding.

“What praise is more valuable than the praise of an intelligent servant?”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: The Narrator), Page 240*

“Why is he so altered?… It is impossible that he should still love me.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Elizabeth Bennet), Page 244*

“She certainly did not hate him… The respect created by the conviction of his valuable qualities… was now heightened into somewhat of a friendlier nature… It was gratitude.–Gratitude not merely for having once loved her, but for loving her still well enough, to forgive…”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: The Narrator about Elizabeth Bennet), Page 253*

“Angry people are not always wise.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: The Narrator), Page 259*

“If gratitude and esteem are good foundations of affection, Elizabeth’s change of sentiment will be neither improbable nor faulty…”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: The Narrator about Elizabeth), Page 265*

“Unhappy as the event must be for Lydia, we may draw from it this useful lesson: that loss of virtue in a female is irretrievable… that her reputation is no less brittle than it is beautiful…”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Mary Bennet to Elizabeth), Pages 274, 275*

“And you are never to stir out of doors till you can prove that you have spent ten minutes of every day in a rational manner.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Mr. Bennet to Kitty Bennet), Page 284*

“She was humbled, she was grieved; she repented… She became jealous of his esteem… She was convinced that she could have been happy with him, when it was no longer likely they should meet.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: The Narrator about Elizabeth Bennet), Page 295*

“How little of permanent happiness could belong to a couple who were only brought together because their passions were stronger than their virtue.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: The Narrator about Lydia & Wickham), Page 296*

“I often think,” she said, “that there is nothing so bad as parting with one’s friends. One seems to forlorn without them.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Mrs. Bennet), Page 312*

“I think you are in very great danger of making him as much in love with you as ever.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Jane Bennet to Elizabeth), Page 320*

“If he does not come to me, then,’ said she, ‘I shall give him up for ever.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Elizabeth Bennet about Mr. Darcy), Page 322*

“I have not a doubt of your doing very well together. Your tempers are by no means unlike…”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Mr. Bennet about Jane & Bingley), Page 329*

“I am certainly the most fortunate creature that ever existed!”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Jane Bennet), Page 330*

“If you were to give me forty such men, I never could be so happy as you… perhaps, if I have very good luck, I may meet with another Mr. Collins in time.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Elizabeth Bennet to Jane), Page 331*

“He is a gentleman, and I am a gentleman’s daughter. So far we are equal.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Elizabeth Bennet to Lady Catherine), Page 337*

“For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbors, and laugh at them in our turn?”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Mr. Bennet to Elizabeth), Pages 343, 344*

“Elizabeth had never been more at a loss to make her feelings appear what they were not. It was necessary to laugh, when she would rather have cried.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: The Narrator about Elizabeth Bennet), Page 344*

“If you will thank me,” he replied, “let it be for yourself alone… My affections and wishes are unchanged; but one word from you will silence me on this subject for ever.” Elizabeth… gave him to understand that her sentiments had undergone so material a change… as to make her receive with gratitude and pleasure his present assurances.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Dialogue: Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet), Page 346*

“Yes, you know enough of my frankness to believe me capable of that. After abusing you so abominably to your face, I could have no scruple in abusing you to all your relations.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Elizabeth Bennet to Darcy), Page 347*

“You must learn some of my philosophy. Think only of the past as its remembrance gives you pleasure.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Elizabeth Bennet), Page 348*

“I have been a selfish being all my life… As a child I was taught what was right, but I was not taught to correct my temper… I was spoilt by my parents… allowed, encouraged, almost taught me to be selfish and overbearing… Such I was, from eight to eight and twenty; and such I might still have been but for you, dearest, loveliest Elizabeth!… By you, I was properly humbled.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Mr. Darcy), Page 349*

“I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Mr. Darcy), Page 359*

“You were disgusted with the women who were always speaking and looking, and thinking for your approbation alone. I roused, and interested you, because I was so unlike them.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Elizabeth Bennet to Mr. Darcy), Page 359*

“my good qualities are under your protection, and you are to exaggerate them as much as possible; and, in return, it belongs to me to find occasion for teasing and quarreling with you as often as may be…”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Elizabeth Bennet), Page 360*

“I am the happiest creature in the world. Perhaps other people have said so before, but not one with such justice. I am happier even than Jane; she only smiles, I laugh.”

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, (Character: Elizabeth Bennet), Page 361*

Common Questions about Pride and Prejudice

What is the first line of Pride and Prejudice?

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” (Found on Page 5*).

Is Pride and Prejudice Difficult to Read?

Austen’s 1813 language can feel challenging initially due to sentence structure and vocabulary common in the Regency era. However, the engaging characters and witty dialogue often draw readers in quickly. Taking it chapter by chapter and perhaps consulting annotations can help make the experience smooth and rewarding.

Important Note on Page Numbers:

Page numbers cited (*e.g., Page 5*) reference the Penguin Classics, December 31, 2002 paperback edition (ISBN-13: 978-0141439518). They WILL vary across different editions. Please verify against your specific edition for academic citations.

Cite This Page (MLA):

Mortis, Jeremy. “71 Essential Pride And Prejudice Quotes With Page Numbers.” Ageless Investing, 22 Mar. 2025, https://agelessinvesting.com/pride-and-prejudice-quotes/.

Cite This Page (APA):

Mortis, J. (2025, March 22). *71 Essential Pride And Prejudice quotes with page numbers*. Ageless Investing. Retrieved [DATE], from https://agelessinvesting.com/pride-and-prejudice-quotes/

Jeremy Mortis

Jeremy Mortis, founder of Ageless Investing, applies a rigorous analytical approach (the SPARK framework) to distill timeless wisdom and contextualized quotes from classic literature, saving you time while deepening understanding. Learn more about Jeremy’s unique background and methodology on his author bio page.