Source identified
Read & copy the quotation
“One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other.”
- Source
- Emma
- Date
- 1815
- Local voice
- Fictional character · Emma Woodhouse
Meaning of “One half of the world cannot understand the…”
People often mistake their own preferences for universal standards, while real understanding requires room for different tastes and experiences.
Where does it come from?
Emma, Volume I, Chapter IX, scan-backed 1816 John Murray first edition on Wikisource. Emma tells her father that one half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other while explaining why his grandchildren enjoy rough play that he himself cannot comprehend; this is Emma Woodhouse’s fictional dialogue, not Austen speaking autobiographically.
Why the local voice matters
Emma says this to her father during a conversation about other people’s enjoyments.
