Mansfield Park Quotes
Shmoop will make you a better lover...of quotes
ALL QUOTES POPULAR BROWSE BY AUTHOR BROWSE BY SOURCE BROWSE BY TOPIC BROWSE BY SUBJECT
Source: Mansfield Park
Author: Jane Austen
"If one scheme of happiness fails, human nature turns to another."
There will be little rubs and disappointments everywhere, and we are all apt to expect too much; but then, if one scheme of happiness fails, human nature turns to another; if the first calculation is wrong, we make a second better: we find comfort somewhere.
Context
This line is from the novel Mansfield Park, written by Jane Austen (1814).
Mawwiage. That's a quote from The Princess Bride, but Jane Austen would have used it too, if she had a speech impediment. In Mansfield Park, wise Mrs. Grant gives Mary a little advice regarding marriage with this lengthy speech that basically boils down to "Don't just look at the bad things."
Where you've heard it
You've heard this if someone is telling you to not focus on the bad, and to look for the good in a situation.
Pretentious Factor
If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.
Not pretentious, but while this was sage advice in the early 1800s, is it still relevant today?