Only one more sleep until May 6 and the BBC’s The Other Bennet Sister will finally be available to steam on Britbox—at least the first three episodes, anyway.
The mini-series is an adaptation of Janice Hadlow’s 2020 book of the same name, based on the story of Pride & Prejudice and following middle sister Mary Bennet, who’s felt overshadowed by her sisters, known for their beauty and charm, all her life. As her four sisters find love and get married, she decides to forge her own path, eventually finding herself living as a governess with her aunt and uncle, the Gardiners, who inspire her to learn to love herself and grow in confidence as she finds herself courted by two suitors. It’s a truly delightful book, and below, we’ve collected 21 of its most memorable quotes to use as Instagram captions—just beware that some spoilers my lay ahead.
For feeling allowed to truly be yourself:
“And anyway, in our house, no-one is obliged to sparkle. Which, I find, makes it far more likely that they might.”
-Mrs. Gardiner
For knowing true joy comes from within:
“Happiness depends on ourselves.”
-Mr. Collins’ note
(The Other Bennet Sister via Holt Paperbacks)
For learning to love yourself, despite the challenges that get thrown at you:
“It is my situation I dislike, not myself.”
-Charlotte Lucas
For finding beauty in unexpected places:
“Sometimes the very best stuff can seem quite plain, until one examines it closely. It is only then that one sees its true quality.”
-Mrs. Gardiner
For when the first step is simply choosing joy:
“The most important habit to conquer was the habit of misery itself.”
-The Other Bennet Sister, Janice Hadlow
Also read about: Where to Watch Ella Bruccoleri Next If You Love Her in The Other Bennet Sister
For fighting hard for the things you want and deserve in life:
“There are times when happiness must be fought for, if we are to have any chance at all of achieving it.”
-Tom Hayward
For finally understanding what’s truly important:
“She had learnt from Mrs. Bennet that without beauty no real and lasting happiness was attainable. It never occurred to her to question what she’d been taught.”
–The Other Bennet Sister, Janice Hadlow
For when being an observer makes you feel like an outsider:
“Watching what happens isn’t the same as being part of it.”
-Charlotte Lucas
For enjoying a comfortable silence with someone you adore:
“It might seem an unromantic circumstance, but in truth, there is no state that better demonstrates real firmness of affection than the ability to remain quietly comfortable together without conversation.”
-The Other Bennet Sister, Janice Hadlow
For finding something that brings you true, lasting happiness:
“Enjoyments are transient, but true happiness endures. That is its distinguishing quality.”
-Mr. Collins
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For knowing there’s more than one way to prove yourself:
“Perhaps … correctness and application are not the only measures of success.”
-Lizzy Bennet
For not forcing yourself to like someone just because everyone else does:
“That is not how pleasure works … It cannot be forced into being. It arises freely from our inclinations, which are not to be dragooned into following the tastes of others.”
-Will Ryder
For when dating feels needlessly complicated:
“Why could not relations between men and women be stripped of misunderstanding? Why could they not be as natural and honest and simple as breathing?”
–The Other Bennet Sister, Janice Hadlow
For understanding the importance of the balance between heart and mind:
“It seems to me … that, in the real world, it is impossible to be guided solely by either the impulses of feeling or my rational calculation. Neither is likely to make us happy. In my own view, we have need of them both. Wisdom, I suppose, lies in knowing when to call upon one and when on the other.”
-Tom Hayward
For the first mirror selfie you’ve posted in a long while:
“Mary looked shyly at her reflection. She would not go as far as handsome, but she thought she would not stand out as awkward or strange; and that was enough for her.”
–The Other Bennet Sister, Janice Hadlow
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For refusing to compare yourself to others:
“A daffodil seems quite ordinary when planted between lilies. But looked at without them, it has its own kind of beauty.”
-Mrs. Hill
For preferring creativity and passion over perfection:
“I’d rather listen to a piece played with happiness and a spring in its step than to all the well-drilled perfection in the world.”
-Lizzy Bennet
For the photo of a poem that speaks to your soul:
“That is the power of poetry … It allows us to imagine ourselves anew, if we will permit it to do so. It reveals to us the hidden wishes of our hearts.”
-Tom Hayward
For when you can’t get your mind off someone:
“She told herself she would not think about him too often; and for at least a few minutes a day, she was successful in this endeavor.”
–The Other Bennet Sister, Janice Hadlow
For deciding you’re going to put in an effort, even if just this once:
“I see plainly enough that you don’t like to make a fuss about dress—that you dislike having attention drawn to you. But there are times when the best way to ensure you are not remarkable is to conform to the expectations of those around you.”
-Mrs. Gardiner
For refusing to question the good things that appear in your life:
“She had gradually discovered that the best response to glorious, unexpected happiness was not to seek explanation for its appearance but simply to embrace it and be glad.”
–The Other Bennet Sister, Janice Hadlow
For even more on The Other Bennet Sister, click HERE to read our interview with star Ella Bruccoleri on the new show.
