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Emma Foolishness and Folly Quotes

How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #4

[…] she walked on, amusing herself in the consideration of the blunders which often arise from a partial knowledge of circumstances, of the mistakes which people of high pretensions to judgment are for ever falling into […] (13.21)

Emma’s judgment of Mr. Knightley returns to her with a vengeance by the end of the novel!

Quote #5

It was foolish, it was wrong, to take so active a part in bringing any two people together. It was adventuring too far, assuming too much, making light of what ought to be serious, a trick of what ought to be simple. (16.10)

Emma’s moralizing, while accurate, only lasts as long as she remembers to keep her imagination in check.

Quote #6

Can you trust me with such flatterers?—Does my vain spirit ever tell me I am wrong? (38.47)

Emma’s banter with Knightley reveals that she does, indeed, know how misguided her own reflections can be – even if she refuses to take her conscience seriously.