Literary notes about Forbearance (AI summary)
In literature, "forbearance" is often portrayed as a quality of restrained patience and moral strength that enables characters to endure injustice or hardship with dignity. Its use spans various genres, from the moral imperatives of Victorian novels to the philosophical treatises of ancient texts, where it is linked to virtues like mercy, truth, and self-control. Authors invoke the term to highlight both a personal capacity for restraint and a societal expectation of graciousness in the face of offense, as shown by its moral and even divine associations ([1], [2], [3]). Moreover, the term frequently underscores a character’s willingness to yield or show leniency without compromising integrity, a recurring theme in works by Dickens, Austen, and Shakespeare, among others ([4], [5], [6]).
- The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence were, all, my business.
— from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens - In thee are fixed (the virtues of) forbearance, and truth, and righteousness.
— from The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 1 - * * * Forbearance is the basis of length of days."
— from Bushido, the Soul of Japan by Inazo Nitobe - Towards Mr. Pocket, as a grown-up infant with no notion of his own interests, they showed the complacent forbearance I had heard them express.
— from Great Expectations by Charles Dickens - I shall crave your forbearance a little.
— from The Complete Works of William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare - Attendance, forbearance, patience with Darcy, was injury to Wickham.
— from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
