Fanny Burney famous quotes

I am ashamed of confessing that I have nothing to confess.
-- Fanny Burney

#Memorable #Ashamed

I wish the opera was every night. It is, of all entertainments, the sweetest and most delightful. Some of the songs seemed to melt my very soul.
-- Fanny Burney

#Song #Night #Soul

Travelling is the ruin of all happiness. There's no looking at a building here after seeing Italy.
-- Fanny Burney

#Travel #Ruins #Building

To a heart formed for friendship and affection the charms of solitude are very short-lived.
-- Fanny Burney

#Loneliness #Heart #Solitude

To save the mind from preying inwardly upon itself, it must be encouraged to some outward pursuit. There is no other way to elude apathy, or escape discontent; none other to guard the temper from that quarrel with itself, which ultimately ends in quarreling with all mankind.
-- Fanny Burney

#Mind #Apathy #Way

to diminish expectation is to increase enjoyment.
-- Fanny Burney

#Expectations #Increase #Enjoyment

To Nobody, then, will I write my Journal! since to Nobody can I be wholly unreserved, to Nobody can I reveal every thought, every wish of my heart, with the most unlimited confidence, the most unremitting sincerity, to the end of my life!
-- Fanny Burney

#Writing #Heart #Wish

But how cool, how quiet is true courage!
-- Fanny Burney

#Courage #Quiet #True Courage

We relate all our afflictions more frequently than we do our pleasures.
-- Fanny Burney

#Complaining #Affliction #Pleasure

I am tired to death! tired of every thing! I would give the universe for a disposition less difficult to please. Yet, after all, what is there to give pleasure? When one has seen one thing, one has seen every thing.
-- Fanny Burney

#Tired #Giving #Boredom

O, we all acknowledge our faults, now; 'tis the mode of the day: but the acknowledgment passes for current payment; and therefore we never amend them.
-- Fanny Burney

#Faults #Currents #Payment

Tis best to build no castles in the air.
-- Fanny Burney

#Air #Castles #Castles In The Air

I am too inexperienced and ignorant to conduct myself with propriety in this town, where every thing is new to me, and many things are unaccountable and perplexing.
-- Fanny Burney

#Ignorant #Towns #Propriety

credulity is the sister of innocence ...
-- Fanny Burney

#Innocence #Gullibility #Credulity

falsehood is not more unjustifiable than unsafe.
-- Fanny Burney

#Lying #Falsehood

to be sure, marriage is all in all with the ladies; but with us gentlemen it's quite another thing!
-- Fanny Burney

#Gentleman

Concealment is the foe of tranquility.
-- Fanny Burney

#Tranquility #Foe

The Spring is generally fertile in new acquaintances.
-- Fanny Burney

#Spring #Acquaintance

I cannot sleep - great joy is as restless as sorrow.
-- Fanny Burney

#Sleep #Joy #Sorrow

Childhood is never troubled with foresight.
-- Fanny Burney

#Childhood #Foresight

I'd rather be done any thing to than laughed at, for, to my mind, it's one or other the disagreeablest thing in the world.
-- Fanny Burney

#Mind #Done #World

the mind naturally accommodates itself, even to the most ridiculous improprieties, if they occur frequently.
-- Fanny Burney

#Mind #Ridiculous #Repetition

such is the effect of true politeness, that it banishes all restraint and embarassment.
-- Fanny Burney

#Politeness #Restraint

an old woman ... is a person who has no sense of decency; if once she takes to living, the devil himself can't get rid of her.
-- Fanny Burney

#Age #Devil #Old Woman

while we all desire to live long, we have all a horror of being old!
-- Fanny Burney

#Long #Age #Desire

while all the pomp and circumstance of war animated others, it only saddened me; and all of past reflection, all of future dread, made the whole grandeur of the martial scene, and all the delusive seduction of martial music, fill my eyes frequently with tears ...
-- Fanny Burney

#War #Eye #Reflection

Tired, ashamed, and mortified, I begged to sit down till we returned home, which I did soon after. Lord Orville did me the honour to hand me to the coach, talking all the way of the honour I had done him ! O these fashionable people!
-- Fanny Burney

#Home #Tired #Hands

I looked about for some of my acquaintance, but in vain, for I saw not one person that I knew, which is very odd, for all the world seemed there.
-- Fanny Burney

#World #Saws #Odd

it has been long and justly remarked, that folly has ever sought alliance with beauty.
-- Fanny Burney

#Long #Alliances #Folly

I cannot be much pleased without an appearance of truth; at least of possibility I wish the history to be natural though the sentiments are refined; and the characters to be probable, though their behaviour is excelling
-- Fanny Burney

#Character #Wish #Behaviour

There is something in age that ever, even in its own despite, must be venerable, must create respect and to have it ill treated, is to me worse, more cruel and wicked than anything on earth
-- Fanny Burney

#Wicked #Age #Earth

People who live together naturally catch the looks and air of one another and without having one feature alike, they contract a something in the whole countenance which strikes one as a resemblance
-- Fanny Burney

#Air #People #Together

We continually say things to support an opinion, which we have given, that in reality we don't above half mean.
-- Fanny Burney

#Mean #Reality #Support

There si nothing upon the face of the earth so insipid as a medium. Give me love or hate! A friend that will go to jail for me, or an enemy that will run me through the body!
-- Fanny Burney

#Running #Hate #Jail

But if the young are never tired of erring in conduct, neither are the older in erring of judgment.
-- Fanny Burney

#Tired #Erring #Aging

She [Evelina] is not, indeed, like most modern young ladies; to be known in half an hour; her modest worth, and fearful excellence, require both time and encouragement to show themselves.
-- Fanny Burney

#Encouragement #Excellence #Half

Unused to the situations in which I find myself, and embarassed by the slightest difficulties, I seldom discover, till too late, how I ought to act.
-- Fanny Burney

#Too Late #Difficulty #Situation

Generosity without delicacy, like wit without judgement, generally gives as much pain as pleasure.
-- Fanny Burney

#Pain #Generosity #Giving

A youthful mind is seldom totally free from ambition; to curb that, is the first step to contentment, since to diminish expectation is to increase enjoyment.
-- Fanny Burney

#Ambition #Expectations #Mind

The mind is but too naturally prone to pleasure, but too easily yielded to dissipation
-- Fanny Burney

#Mind #Pleasure

Insensibility, of all kinds, and on all occasions, most moves my imperial displeasure
-- Fanny Burney

#Moving #Kind #All Occasions

To whom, then, must I dedicate my wonderful, surprising and interesting adventures? to whom dare I reveal my private opinion of my nearest relations? the secret thoughts of my dearest friends? my own hopes, fears, reflections and dislikes? Nobody!
-- Fanny Burney

#Adventure #Reflection #Interesting

O! how short a time does it take to put an end to a woman's liberty!
-- Fanny Burney

#Liberty #Doe #Gender

Look at your [English] ladies of quality are they not forever parting with their husbands forfeiting their reputations and is their life aught but dissipation? In common genteel life, indeed, you may now and then meet with very fine girls who have politeness, sense and conversation but these are few and then look at your trademen's daughters what are they? poor creatures indeed! all pertness, imitation and folly.
-- Fanny Burney

#Girl #Daughter #Husband

To despise riches, may, indeed, be philosophic, but to dispense them worthily, must surely be more beneficial to mankind.
-- Fanny Burney

#May #Riches #Wealth

To have some account of my thoughts, manners, acquaintance and actions, when the hour arrives in which time is more nimble than memory, is the reason which induces me to keep a journal: a journal in which I must confess my every thought, must open my whole heart!
-- Fanny Burney

#Memories #Heart #Nimble

How little has situation to do with happiness. The happy individual uses their intelligence to realise things could be worse and therefore is grateful and happy. The unhappy individual does the opposite!
-- Fanny Burney

#Gratitude #Grateful #Opposites

To save the mind from preying inwardly upon itself, it must be encouraged to some outward pursuit.
-- Fanny Burney

#Mind #Pursuit #Be Encouraged

A little alarm now and then keeps life from stagnation.
-- Fanny Burney

#Alarms #Littles #Now And Then

You must learn not only to judge but to act for yourself.
-- Fanny Burney

#Judging

For my part, I confess I seldom listen to the players: one has so much to do, in looking about and finding out one's acquaintance, that, really, one has no time to mind the stage. One merely comes to meet one's friends, and show that one's alive.
-- Fanny Burney

#Player #Mind #Alive

Never shall I recollect the occasion he gave me of displeasure, without feeling it renewed.
-- Fanny Burney

#Feelings #Occasions #Displeasure

... it's vastly more irksome to give up one's own way, than to hear a few impertinent remarks.
-- Fanny Burney

#Giving Up #Giving #Way

You must not sneeze. If you have a vehement cold you must take no notice of it; if your nose membranes feel a great irritation you must hold your breath; if a sneeze still insists upon making its way you must oppose it keeping your teeth grinding together; if the violence of the pulse breaks some blood-vessel you must break the blood-vessel -- but not sneeze.
-- Fanny Burney

#Irritation #Blood #Together

... there's nothing but quarreling with the women; it's my belief they like it better than victuals and drink.
-- Fanny Burney

#Belief #Drink

Can any thing, my good Sir, be more painful to a friendly mind than a necessity of communicating disagreeable intelligence? Indeed, it is sometimes difficult to determine, whether the relater or the receiver of evil tidings is most to be pitied.
-- Fanny Burney

#Evil #Mind #Friendly

But authors before they write should read.
-- Fanny Burney

#Writing #Should

the right line of conduct is the same for both sexes, though the manner in which it is pursued, may somewhat vary, and be accommodated to the strength or weakness of the different travelers.
-- Fanny Burney

#Sex #Weakness #Different

No man is in love when he marries. He may have loved before; I have even heard he has sometimes loved after: but at the time never. There is something in the formalities of the matrimonial preparations that drive away all the little cupidons.
-- Fanny Burney

#Men #Preparation #May

Wealth per se I never too much valued, and my acquaintance with its possessors has by no means increased my veneration for it.
-- Fanny Burney

#Mean #Too Much #Wealth

Misery is a guest that we are glad to part with, however certain of her speedy return.
-- Fanny Burney

#Guests #Return #Misery

don't be angry with the gentleman for thinking, whatever be the cause, for I assure you he makes no common practice of offending in that way.
-- Fanny Burney

#Sarcasm #Thinking #Offending