Jane Austen Quote of the Week 258

Sunrise in north Bali (my own collection)

It’s my first turn of the year, and I already am late! Sigh... (being more punctual is undoubtedly in my resolution list for this year). However, I do find a quote that resonates with some of my New Year spirits...

From Pride & Prejudice, Volume I Chapter 11, Mr Darcy to Elizabeth:

“My good opinion once lost is lost forever”

I have been Mr Darcy in the past. I have been Elizabeth too, in the past. But I realise now that people are either: 1) not as they seem, or 2) indeed capable of growing into better versions of themselves. “People” in this case includes me, of course.

I once wrote a quote in 2010 how I went into a big fight with a friend. Since last year, we have amended the friendship, to the point that he seems not to even remember that big fight. Or at least, he chooses not to dwell on it. Good on you, my dear friend... I’m sorry that we went into that fight, but I’m glad that we are over it now.

And just early last year, I also misjudged another person. Turned out, he is not who I thought him to be. I later explained to him how I had a Lizzy Bennet moment the moment I met him (he was doing something I thought snobbish, but really, it wasn’t the case). He laughed and we became good friends. We still fought and argued a lot last year, involving a big project. Once or twice I thought of just terminating this new friendship. I’m glad that we persisted tho. Otherwise we wouldn’t have grown up in this friendship...

So, that’s one of my New Year resolutions. Instead of jumping into conclusion, I’d like to keep an open mind on anything before concluding something based on enough facts. Of course, at times we shouldn’t ignore intuition. But intuition should be balanced with good judgement as well, methinks.

By the bye, if any of you are still unsure about your New Year resolutions, fret not. The Chinese New Year of the Horse is coming soon on 31 January, just 11 days away. You can still wish upon a star for a better year ahead...