Anne Brontë – Quotes by the forgotten sister.

Today marks the  anniversary of Anne Brontë’s  birth, born on this day in 1820; often referred to as the forgotten sister of the Brontë clan she was nonetheless a competent and well received author and poet.

With a home life that was a dramatic as hers, it is no wonder that she and her sisters were such naturals at writing fiction but Anne was a far more pragmatic and even feminist led writer which of course was frowned upon in those years of female repression. Our opening quote says everything and shows just why at least one of her novels should be on everyone’s TBR list or on a bookshelf filled with old favourites.

“I am satisfied that if a book is a good one, it is so whatever the sex of the author may be. All novels are or should be written for both men and women to read, and I am at a loss to conceive how a man should permit himself to write anything that would be really disgraceful to a woman, or why a woman should be censured for writing anything that would be proper and becoming for a man.”

“But he who dares not grasp the thorn, should never crave the rose.”

“It is better to arm and strengthen your hero, than to disarm and enfeeble your foe.”

“Reading is my favourite occupation, when I have leisure for it and books to read.”

“My heart is too thoroughly dried to be broken in a hurry, and I mean to live as long as I can.”

“What a fool you must be,” said my head to my heart, or my sterner to my softer self.” 

“I wished to tell the truth, for truth always conveys its own moral to those who are able to receive it.” 

“Although I maintain that if she were more perfect, she would be less interesting.”

“All our talents increase in the using, and every faculty, both good and bad, strengthens by exercise.”

“There is always a but in this imperfect world!”

After those rather wonderful quotes I think you’ll agree with me that although Anne may be the least well known of the Brontës, she certainly had the most chutzpah!