Source identified
Read & copy the quotation
“Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity or registering wrongs.”
- Source
- Jane Eyre
- Date
- 1847
- Local voice
- Fictional character · Helen Burns
Meaning of “Life appears to me too short to be…”
Helen Burns argues that sustained resentment consumes a life already limited by time; her position favors releasing animosity while still naming another person’s conduct as unjust.
Where does it come from?
Jane Eyre, Lowood sequence, Project Gutenberg #1260. Helen Burns says this after Jane recounts Mrs. Reed’s cruelty. Helen then explicitly says she can forgive the person while abhorring the crime, so the passage does not require pretending the wrong was acceptable.
Why the local voice matters
Helen Burns says this to Jane at Lowood after hearing Jane recount Mrs. Reed’s treatment; Helen immediately distinguishes forgiving a person from approving the wrong.
