A man must have something to grumble about; and if he can’t complain that his wife harries him to death with her perversity and ill-humour, he must complain that she wears him out with her kindness and gentleness." - Meaning and context.">
Ch. XXXII : Comparisons: Information Rejected; Ralph to Milicent
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A man must have something to grumble about; and if he can’t complain that his wife harries him to death with her perversity and ill-humour, he must complain that she wears him out with her kindness and gentleness.

— Anne Brontë

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "A man must have something to grumble about; and if he can’t complain that his wife harries him to death with her perversity and ill-humour, he must complain that she wears him out with her kindness and gentleness." in the context of "Ch. XXXII : Comparisons: Information Rejected; Ralph to Milicent" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Anne Brontë" (Quotes, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1848): Full text at Wikisource) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Anne Brontë

About Anne Brontë

Anne Brontë (17 January 1820 – 28 May 1849) was a British novelist and poet, the youngest sibling of Charlotte and Emily Brontë, who published her works under the pseudonyms Acton Bell. The three women collectively became known as the Brontë sisters.