I purposefully abstain from dates on this occasion,that very one may be liberty to fix their own,aware that the cure of unconquerable passions,and the transfer of unchanging attachments,must vary much as to time in different people.---I only entreat every body to believe that exactly at the time when it was quite natural that it should be so, and not a week earlier,Edmund did cease to care about Miss Crawford, and become anxious to marry Fanny,as Fanny herself could desire.

Summary

This quote from "Mansfield Park" by Jane Austen discusses the importance of personal timing when it comes to matters of love and emotional attachments. The speaker states that they intentionally do not provide specific dates because the process of overcoming powerful passions and shifting from one love interest to another varies greatly between individuals. Instead, the speaker urges others to trust that, when the time was right and most logical, Edmund stopped caring for Miss Crawford and began to desire marriage with Fanny - exactly as Fanny wished.

Topics