“Silly things do cease to be silly if they are done by sensible people in an impudent way. Wickedness is always wickedness, but folly is not always folly. – It depends upon the character of those who handle it.”
– Jane Austen
Emma, Chapter 26. Emma makes this comment when Frank Churchill makes a sudden day trip to London for a haircut and returns laughing off his folly. As she compares Mr. Knightley and Churchill’s values, she overlooks Churchill’s frivolous behavior as “not trifling or silly.” She reasons that foolish things are not folly if they are done by sensible people. Emma shows her admiration for the charming and attractive upper class Churchill. This reveals her tendency to judge people on superficial things like charm and social status rather than their character.