QuoteQuest“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, 1813
Verification
VerifiedWording confirmed against a primary source.
Matches the Project Gutenberg text.
Source
- Title
- Pride and Prejudice
- Type
- book · Primary source
- Date
- 1813
- Location
- Chapter 1, opening line
- Held by
- Project Gutenberg
Context
Opening line of Austen's novel of manners.
What it means
Ironic: it is really the neighbours who "want" a rich man to marry their daughters.
Cite this source
Austen, Jane. (1813). Pride and Prejudice. Project Gutenberg. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1342
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Provenance: Manually entered from Project Gutenberg.