“When I tell you not to marry without love, I do not advise you to marry for love alone: there are many, many other things to be considered. Keep both heart and hand in your own possession, till you see good reason to part with them; and if such an occasion should never present itself, comfort your mind with this reflection, that though in single life your joys may not be very many, your sorrows, at least, will not be more than you can bear. Marriage may change your circumstances for the better, but, in my private opinion, it is far more likely to produce a contrary result.”
More from Anne Brontë
“He who dares not grasp the thorn should never crave the rose.”
“How odd it is that we so often weep for each other’s distresses, when we shed not a tear…”
“Matrimony is a serious thing.”
“Increase of love brings increase of happiness, when it is mutual, and pure as that will…”