9 famous lines from Charlotte Brontë, word for word from the original text
Charlotte Brontë's 1847 novel follows Jane from a harsh childhood to Thornfield Hall and her love for Mr. Rochester. Jane's lines on freedom, self-respect and equality still feel strikingly modern.
“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me; I am a free human being with an independent will”
— Jane Eyre, Chapter XXIII · about 56% into the book
“Reader, I married him.”
— Jane Eyre, Chapter XXXVIII—Conclusion · about 99% into the book
“I would always rather be happy than dignified”
— Jane Eyre, Chapter XXXIV · about 91% into the book
“The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself.”
— Jane Eyre, Chapter XXVII · about 70% into the book
“Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless?”
— Jane Eyre, Chapter XXIII · about 56% into the book
“Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity or registering wrongs.”
— Jane Eyre, Chapter VI · about 12% into the book
“I have little left in myself—I must have you.”
— Jane Eyre, Chapter XXXVII · about 96% into the book
“Prejudices, it is well known, are most difficult to eradicate from the heart whose soil has never been loosened or fertilised by education”
— Jane Eyre, Chapter XXIX · about 75% into the book
“It is in vain to say human beings ought to be satisfied with tranquillity: they must have action; and they will make it if they cannot find it.”
— Jane Eyre, Chapter XII · about 24% into the book
Chapters follow the Project Gutenberg edition. Page numbers differ between printed editions — that's why Eqtepas records the page of your copy when you save a quote.
One of the best-known lines from Jane Eyre is: “I am no bird; and no net ensnares me; I am a free human being with an independent will” (Chapter XXIII).
Yes. Every quote on this page is copied word for word from the public-domain text of Jane Eyre on Project Gutenberg, with the chapter it appears in — so you can find it in your own copy.
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