"We do not look in our great cities for our best morality"

Jane Austen's quote suggests that morality is not something that can be found in big cities. She indicates that morality is something that is discovered in smaller, more backwoods. This might be because in cities, individuals are more focused on their own specific objectives and aspirations, and less concentrated on the cumulative good. In smaller towns, individuals are more likely to be connected to each other and to their community, and therefore most likely to act in an ethical way. Austen's quote implies that morality is something that is discovered in the smaller sized, more intimate settings, rather than in the pressure of the city. It suggests that morality is something that is discovered in the relationships in between people, and that it is not something that can be discovered in the privacy of a large city.