Agnes Grey

by

Anne Brontë

Mary is older sister to Agnes and the oldest surviving child of Alice and Richard Grey. While Agnes is working as a governess, Mary—then aged 28—marries the 30-something vicar of a nearby parish, a man who is neither handsome nor rich but whose goodness she admires. After Richard Grey dies, Mary asks her mother Alice to come live with her and her husband, but Alice chooses to start a small school with Agnes rather than become a drain on Mary’s household.

Mary Quotes in Agnes Grey

The Agnes Grey quotes below are all either spoken by Mary or refer to Mary. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Education, Authority, and Class Theme Icon
).
Chapter 8: The ‘Coming Out’ Quotes

“You did not ask me if Mr Richardson were a good, wise, or amiable man.”

Related Characters: Agnes Grey (speaker), Agnes’s Mother/Alice Grey, Agnes’s Father/Richard Grey, Mary, Rosalie Murray
Page Number: 59
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 9: The Ball Quotes

“Sir Thomas is young, rich and gay; but an ugly beast, nevertheless; however mamma says I should not mind that after a few months’ acquaintance.”

Related Characters: Rosalie Murray (speaker), Agnes Grey, Mary, Mrs. Murray, Sir Thomas Ashby
Page Number: 61
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 20: The Farewell Quotes

We often pity the poor, because they have no leisure to mourn their departed relatives, and necessity obliges them to labour through their severest afflictions: but is not active employment the best remedy for overwhelming sorrow—the surest antidote for despair?

Related Characters: Agnes Grey (speaker), Agnes’s Mother/Alice Grey, Agnes’s Father/Richard Grey, Mary, Mrs. Murray
Page Number: 125
Explanation and Analysis:
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Mary Quotes in Agnes Grey

The Agnes Grey quotes below are all either spoken by Mary or refer to Mary. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Education, Authority, and Class Theme Icon
).
Chapter 8: The ‘Coming Out’ Quotes

“You did not ask me if Mr Richardson were a good, wise, or amiable man.”

Related Characters: Agnes Grey (speaker), Agnes’s Mother/Alice Grey, Agnes’s Father/Richard Grey, Mary, Rosalie Murray
Page Number: 59
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 9: The Ball Quotes

“Sir Thomas is young, rich and gay; but an ugly beast, nevertheless; however mamma says I should not mind that after a few months’ acquaintance.”

Related Characters: Rosalie Murray (speaker), Agnes Grey, Mary, Mrs. Murray, Sir Thomas Ashby
Page Number: 61
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 20: The Farewell Quotes

We often pity the poor, because they have no leisure to mourn their departed relatives, and necessity obliges them to labour through their severest afflictions: but is not active employment the best remedy for overwhelming sorrow—the surest antidote for despair?

Related Characters: Agnes Grey (speaker), Agnes’s Mother/Alice Grey, Agnes’s Father/Richard Grey, Mary, Mrs. Murray
Page Number: 125
Explanation and Analysis: