- Azar Nafisi: At the heart of every Austen novel, but especially Pride and Prejudice, is a woman saying 'no' to her family, going against the norms of her society.
- [This novel]
- Azar Nafisi: awakened my sense of irony, my sense of mischievousness, so as a woman, I connected to Elizabeth Bennet. Like her, I learned to say 'no' in so many different ways.
- John Carey: [referring to Elizabeth Bennet's conversation with Lady Catherine, in the garden at Longbourn] This is the middle classes, of course, pushing the ancien régime aside - without a guillotine, just with wit.
- Ian McMillan: If you've missed the train, if you've missed the last train and you're sat in the station, if you've got Jane Austen in your bag, that's alright. If Barnsley have lost 3-0 when they should have won 4-3, it's alright - you can turn to Jane Austen.