If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more.
Knightley’s confession turns reticence into proof of feeling. The paradox captures a mature love—quiet, steady, difficult to dress in speeches. It counters Frank’s showy gallantry with sincerity. The sentence’s music makes it unforgettable. For Emma, the words arrive when she has laid down her pride; she can finally hear them. The moment resolves the slow education both have given each other: his candor, her growth. Readers feel relief because sentiment meets character: love and honesty, not performance. It’s one of Austen’s purest statements of inward constancy.