Emma Wealth Quotes

Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her.

– Jane Austen

Emma, Chapter 1. The novel’s opening sentence introduces us to the protagonist Emma Woodhouse, who with her privileged position in society appears to have it all. She is beautiful, rich, intelligent, happy, has a nice home and no problems to trouble her existence. But the phrase “seemed to unite” has an ironic tone about it, hinting at flaws in her seemingly perfect existence and a gap between appearance and reality. Foreshadowed are the challenges Emma faces on a road to self-discovery and the errors in judgment and social missteps she tends to make along the way.

The event had every promise of happiness for her friend. Mr. Weston was a man of unexceptionable character, easy fortune, suitable age, and pleasant manners; and there was some satisfaction in considering with what self-denying, generous friendship she had always wished and promoted the match.

– Jane Austen

Emma, Chapter 1. The widowed Mr. Weston is seen as the ideal match for Emma’s governess and friend Miss Taylor. While Emma is sad at her friend’s departure from the household, she has married a pleasant man with good fortune, viewed as essential ingredients for a good husband.

Her daughter enjoyed a most uncommon degree of popularity for a woman neither young, handsome, rich, nor married. Miss Bates stood in the very worst predicament in the world for having much of the public favour.

– Jane Austen

Emma, Chapter 3. Austen’s description of the character of the poor middle-aged spinster Miss Bates contains these satirical opening words. Highlighted is her unusual popularity, despite her age, lack of beauty and financial and marital status. The author is satirizing how women were viewed in 19th century England and the kind of qualities that society valued in them.

She had no intellectual superiority to make atonement to herself, or frighten those who might hate her into outward respect. She had never boasted either beauty or cleverness. Her youth had passed without distinction, and her middle of life was devoted to the care of a failing mother, and the endeavour to make a small income go as far as possible. And yet she was a happy woman, and a woman whom no one named without good-will.

– Jane Austen

Emma, Chapter 3. When Austen introduces Miss Bates to the reader as someone quite different to Emma, she is described in terms inviting comparison with her. She is a spinster who lacks Emma’s beauty, intelligence and wealth. But she is a good person who devotes herself to lovingly caring for an ailing mother. While she doesn’t have Emma’s privileged financial and class position, she is a happy woman. Highlighted here is the idea that happiness is not dependent on wealth or status.

“He was a great deal too full of the market to think of any thing else – which is just as it should be, for a thriving man. What has he to do with books? And I have no doubt that he will thrive, and be a very rich man in time – and his being illiterate and coarse need not disturb us.”

– Jane Austen

Emma, Chapter 4. Farmer Robert Martin admits to being too busy and forgetting to pick up a book recommended by Harriet. Emma uses this to persuade Harriet to rule him out as a romantic partner. She criticizes him, unfairly, as an illiterate man too focused on business and becoming rich.

“Mr. Martin may be the richest of the two, but he is undoubtedly her inferior as to rank in society. – The sphere in which she moves is much above his. – It would be a degradation.”
“A degradation to illegitimacy and ignorance, to be married to a respectable, intelligent gentleman-farmer!”

– Jane Austen

Emma, Chapter 8. Emma and Mr. Knightley argue over whether Robert Martin is a suitable husband for Harriet Smith. While agreeing that Mr. Martin is richer, Emma views him as Harriet’s social inferior. Not impressed by her social status argument, Knightley values more Martin’s character as an intelligent and respectable farmer.

“She is not to pay for the offence of others, by being held below the level of those with whom she is brought up. There can scarcely be a doubt that her father is a gentlemen – and a gentleman of fortune. Her allowance is very liberal; nothing has ever been grudged for her improvement or comfort.”

– Jane Austen

Emma, Chapter 8. Emma is commenting on the illegitimate Harriet’s unknown parentage. Harriet was given over to Mrs. Goddard’s girls’ school, her parents choosing to remain anonymous to Harriet and all of Highbury. Here Emma shows a level of compassion for the girl she took under her wing as her protégée. She argues that Harriet should not be penalized or treated as socially inferior because of her unclear parentage. Emma believes Harriet’s father to be a gentleman of wealth.

“Let her marry Robert Martin, and she is safe, respectable, and happy for ever; but if you encourage her to expect to marry greatly, and teach her to be satisfied with nothing less than a man of consequence and large fortune, she may be a parlour-boarder at Mrs. Goddard’s all the rest of her life.”

– Jane Austen

Emma, Chapter 8. Mr. Knightley appeals to Emma to let her friend Harriet marry tenant farmer Robert Martin. With him she will be have security and happiness, he says. He warns that if she holds out for a husband of high social status and wealth, she may stay unmarried. Mr. Knightley is a practical man of down-to-earth common sense.

“Fortune I do not want; employment I do not want; consequence I do not want: I believe few married women are half as much mistress of their husband’s house as I am of Hartfield; and never, never could I expect to be so truly beloved and important; so always first and always right in any man’s eyes as I am in my father’s.”

– Jane Austen

Emma, Chapter 10. Emma doesn’t feel the economic need to wed, since she is mistress of Hartfield, her father’s house in the English countryside. Nor is she in need of the love of a husband, since she is content with her father’s love. In her case against marriage she makes to her friend Harriet, she comes across as somewhat smug and superior sounding. And she is rather proud of a privileged position many other women are not lucky enough to enjoy, including Harriet.

“I shall not be a poor old maid; and it is poverty only which makes celibacy contemptible to a generous public! A single woman, with a very narrow income, must be a ridiculous, disagreeable old maid! the proper sport of boys and girls, but a single woman, of good fortune, is always respectable, and may be as sensible and pleasant as any body else.”

– Jane Austen

Emma, Chapter 10. After Emma declares that she will never marry and a horrified Harriet asks if that means she will be an old maid, Emma makes this reply. It seems rather a harsh and disrespectful judgment on single women from the lower classes. But it echoes societal views at the time, that a wealthy single woman was seen as respectable, while a poor single woman was viewed as ridiculous. The quote reflects how a woman’s socioeconomic class and marital status greatly affected her likability and acceptability by society in England’s regency era. Austen uses hyperbole here in Emma’s observation of a poor single woman being a “ridiculous, disagreeable old maid.” Emma cannot help but display her pride and vanity over being a desirable member of the monied class who can afford not to marry.

“You are very fond of bending little minds; but where little minds belong to rich people in authority, I think they have a knack of swelling out, till they are quite as unmanageable as great ones.”

– Jane Austen

Emma, Chapter 18. Emma defends Frank Churchill against Mr. Knightley’s criticism of him not fulfilling his duty as a son by visiting his father. Emma in a metaphor speaks of Knightley’s fondness for bending or influencing “little minds.” But when these small minds belong to rich people with power, she describes them in another metaphor as “swelling out” and becoming difficult to control. The small-minded people she refers to are Mr. and Mrs. Churchill. They are Frank’s uncle and aunt who became his guardians after the death of his mother and he is under their control, Emma says.

With the fortitude of a devoted novitiate, she had resolved at one-and-twenty to complete the sacrifice, and retire from all the pleasures of life, of rational intercourse, equal society, peace and hope, to penance and mortification for ever.

– Jane Austen

Emma, Chapter 20. Austen describes Jane Fairfax’s decision to become a governess. The orphaned Jane has been treated like a daughter by the Campbells since they took her into their family. But when their own daughter marries, Jane resolves that it is time to move on from her guardians’ charity. Since she has no fortune of her own she prepares to look for a position as governess, so that she may have food and place to live in. The quote highlights the harsh realities faced by women without wealth in English society in Austen’s time.

The Coles had been settled some years in Highbury, and were very good sort of people – friendly, liberal, and unpretending; but, on the other hand, they were of low origin, in trade, and only moderately genteel.

– Jane Austen

Emma, Chapter 25. The recently established Coles family in Highbury are described as pleasant and friendly people. But in keeping with the area’s embedded snobbery and rigid social hierarchy, they are seen as less than high class because their money comes from trade.

Mr. Knightley keeping no horses, having little spare money and a great deal of health, activity, and independence, was too apt, in Emma’s opinion, to get about as he could, and not use his carriage so often as became the owner of Donwell Abbey.

– Jane Austen

Emma, Chapter 26. Mr. Knightley may be upper class and wealthy, but he is not ostentatious or a practitioner of conspicuous consumption. Emma complains that he doesn’t keep his own horses, has little spare money, and doesn’t use his carriage as often as becoming someone of his social rank. Knightley actually prefers to walk to parties and events.

“She is a riddle, quite a riddle!” said she.

– Jane Austen

Emma, Chapter 33. Emma is commenting on what she thinks is the enigmatic nature of Jane Fairfax. She cannot understand why Jane has chosen to stay in Highbury under difficult circumstances with the “insufferable” Mrs. Elton and her husband. It turns out that the Campbells, whom Jane had been living with, have gone to Ireland to visit their daughter and Mrs. Elton has taken Jane under her wing. Since Jane has little financial resources of her own, she depends on the kindness of others. This highlights the difficult position women like Jane who lacked wealth found themselves in Austen’s time – something Emma had no personal experience of.

“I always say a woman cannot have too many resources – and I feel very thankful that I have so many myself as to be quite independent of society.”

– Jane Austen

Emma, Chapter 36. Mrs. Elton is very thankful to be in the privileged position of having the resources she needs to be independent of society. The nouveau riche Mrs. Elton likes to brag about how much money she and her family have. She is the new money that attempts to place herself on the same social level as people like Emma. Her words are ironic because she is not independent of society but is greatly reliant on the approval and status society brings her.

“Were she prosperous, I could allow much for the occasional prevalence of the ridiculous over the good. Were she a woman of fortune, I would leave every harmless absurdity to take its chance, I would not quarrel with you for any liberties of manner. Were she your equal in situation – but, Emma, consider how far this is from being the case. She is poor; she has sunk from the comforts she was born to; and, if she live to old age, must probably sink more. Her situation should secure your compassion. It was badly done, indeed!…This is not pleasant to you, Emma – and it is very far from pleasant to me; but I must, I will, – I will tell you truths while I can; satisfied with proving myself your friend by very faithful counsel, and trusting that you will some time or other do me greater justice than you can do now.”

– Jane Austen

Emma, Chapter 43. Mr. Knightley delivers a strong but necessary reprimand to Emma for her sarcastic joke at the expense of Miss Bates. He points out how wrong it is for a person of privilege and wealth to use her wit to target a poor and helpless spinster. Serving as Emma’s moral compass, Mr. Knightley is known for his directness and honesty. A great deal older than her, he is not afraid to point out her flaws. He often acts as her guide and a moderator of the rash and impetuous side of her nature. The quote also highlights the precarious economic situation of women in the author’s time. Miss Bates has “sunk from the comforts she was born to” because she lost her financial security and social position after the death of her vicar father.
Close