No; I know I should think well of myself; but that is not enough; if others don’t love me, I would rather die than live – I cannot bear to be solitary and hated, Helen. Look here; to gain some real affection from you, or Miss Temple, or any other whom I truly love, I would willingly submit to have the bone of my arm broken, or to let a bull toss me, or to stand behind a kicking horse, and lit it dash its hoof at my chest.
– Charlotte Bronte
Jane Eyre, Chapter 8. Jane admits to her friend and classmate Helen her desperate need to be loved. For too long Jane has been deprived of love as a child while growing up in her Aunt Reed’s house. Thinking well of herself is not enough, Jane declares, as she recognizes the depth of her need for affection from other human beings.