Wisdom of Charlotte Brontë

A charming, thought-provoking compendium of quotes from Charlotte Brontë’s most famous works.

“Cheerfulness is a matter which depends fully as much on the state of things within, as on the state of things without and around us.”

From Jane Eyre to Lucy Snowe, Charlotte Brontë’s heroines think deeply about how to live a fulfilling life, often expressing passionate beliefs, heartfelt advice, and pragmatic philosophy. This inspirational selection of short quotations, revealing their—and their author’s—innermost thoughts on early Victorian times, remains surprisingly relevant to us today. Drawn from Jane Eyre, Villette, Shirley, and The Professor, the quotations cover a wide range of themes, including happiness, love, feminism, work, truth, feelings, and prejudice. This thought-provoking book, first published in 1912, is a delightful gift for anyone who loves to read Brontë’s novels.

Charlotte Brontë (1816–55) was an English novelist and poet, and the eldest of the Brontë sisters.

Grace Milne Rae (1885–1987) was the daughter of Scottish novelist Janet Milne Rae.

Polly Teale was the former artistic director of Shared Experience Theatre Company, having written and directed an award-winning trilogy of Brontë-themed plays: Jane Eyre, Brontë, and After Mrs Rochester. She is now an arts psychotherapist.