As quoted in in Contemporary American Novelists, 1900-1920 (1922) by Carl Clinton Van Doren
Context: I have read that the secret of gallantry is to accept the pleasures of life leisurely, and its inconveniences with a shrug; as well as that, among other requisites, the gallant person will always consider the world with a smile of toleration, and his own doings with a smile of honest amusement, and Heaven with a smile which is not distrustful — being thoroughly persuaded that God is kindlier than the genteel would regard as rational.
“I don't approve of surprises. The pleasure is never enhanced and the inconvenience is considerable.”
Variant: Surprizes are foolish things. The pleasure is not enhanced, and the inconvenience is often considerable.
Source: Emma (1815)
Help us to complete the source, original and additional information
Jane Austen 477
English novelist 1775–1817Related quotes
Speech in the Constitutional Convention, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (September 17, 1787); reported in James Madison, Journal of the Federal Convention, ed. E. H. Scott (1893), p. 741.
Constitutional Convention of 1787
Interview with Oprah Winfrey (2004), reported in Luke Henriques Gomes, " George Michael: from tortured star to pop icon http://thenewdaily.com.au/entertainment/music/2016/12/26/george-michael-bathroom-incident/", The New Daily (December 26, 2016).
“Don't walk the plank like I did
You will be dispensed with
When you've become
Inconvenient”
Lyrics, The Eraser (2006)
Vyjayanthimala still cuts a striking figure tall
“Why do you want the approval of others who don't even approve of themselves?”
The Secret of Letting Go
The Ethics Of Aristotle (Vol. I), Bk. 1, Chapter III