Charlotte Brontë · Jane Eyre, 1847
“Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity or registering wrongs.”
| Source | Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre (1847), ch. 6 — Helen Burns |
| Date | 1847 |
| Speaker | Helen Burns, speaking to Jane at Lowood School |
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About This Line
Helen Burns says it to a furious young Jane at Lowood School — meeting cruelty with a refusal to keep score, and trying to hand that steadiness to a girl who wants to fight back. It isn’t consolation; it’s a decision about where a life is worth spending.
Why We Carry This Line
Too many people in my life, and probably yours, harbor grudges. This quote gets right to the heart. Not enough time for that. Confession: I sent to a friend who needed it more than she knew.
