“I should infinitely prefer a book.”
Mary Bennet Chapter 7
Mary Bennet quotes
Mary Bennet quotes, from moral philosophy to wounded pride
Mary Bennet does not get many lines in Pride and Prejudice. That scarcity is part of why each one matters.
The ones with social teeth
Mary is often comic because she says the solemn thing at the wrong time. She is also sadder than the joke admits: a young woman trying to become admirable in a house that has already decided she is not.
“Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously.”
Mary Bennet Chapter 5
“A person may be proud without being vain.”
Mary Bennet Chapter 5
Lines that reveal the speaker
Mary wants seriousness to count. Her lines keep reaching for moral order, even when the room has no patience for it.
“Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves; vanity to what we would have others think of us.”
Mary Bennet Chapter 5
“Every impulse of feeling should be guided by reason.”
Mary Bennet Chapter 47
“Exertion should always be in proportion to what is required.”
Mary Bennet Chapter 47
When the story changes temperature
When Lydia's crisis reaches Longbourn, Mary's moralizing stops being merely comic and starts to show the limits of borrowed wisdom.
“Unhappy as the event must be for Lydia, we may draw from it this useful lesson”
Mary Bennet Chapter 47
“Her reputation is no less brittle than it is beautiful.”
Mary Bennet Chapter 47
“We must stem the tide of malice, and pour into the wounded bosoms of each other the balm of sisterly consolation.”
Mary Bennet Chapter 47
Want the conversation after the quote?
Pride and Prejudice Chat is a free iOS app for private conversations with Lizzy, Darcy, Mary, and the rest of Pride and Prejudice. Join the list and we will send one note when the drawing room opens.
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More quote pages
Follow one voice closely, or stay inside Longbourn and listen to the whole Bennet family at once.
Elizabeth Bennet quotes
Wit, stubbornness, self-correction, and the moments when Lizzy sees more than she meant to.
Mary Bennet quotes
Moral philosophy, wounded pride, and the lines that make Mary more than the family joke.
Mr. Darcy quotes
The insult, the proposal, the apology, and every sentence where Darcy nearly explains himself.
Bennet family quotes
Longbourn in miniature: nerves, irony, kindness, vanity, and five sisters trying to be heard.
Questions people ask
What is Mary Bennet's most famous quote?
"I should infinitely prefer a book" is one of Mary Bennet's clearest and most quoted lines.
Why does Mary Bennet quote moral philosophy?
Mary wants to be respected for seriousness, learning, and virtue, even when her family treats her as awkward or excessive.
Can I chat with Mary Bennet?
Yes. Pride and Prejudice Chat is being built with Mary Bennet as part of the free launch cast on iPhone.