There is no charm equal to tenderness of heart… Warmth and tenderness of heart… will beat all the clearness of head in the world, for attraction, I am sure it will.
Emma begins to rate gentleness above sparkle. The repeated phrase works like a mantra she is teaching herself. It corrects her earlier worship of wit and style, which led to unkind choices. The reflection prepares her to see Harriet and Jane more justly. It also aligns her with Knightley’s steady goodness rather than Frank’s bright chatter. Austen lets this happen quietly inside Emma, which makes the change believable. Readers feel priorities settling into better order. Love here means character first, cleverness second.