“Not for the world,” said Emma, smiling graciously, “would I advise you either way. You must be the best judge of your own happiness.”
– Jane Austen
Emma, Chapter 7. Emma offers this advice to Harriet Smith, telling her that she make her own decision about her romantic happiness. Harriet, an impressionable and naive girl, is questioning whether she should refuse or accept Mr. Martin’s marriage proposal. Emma’s advice is brazenly ironic since she is trying to manipulate her friend into refusing.