Think only of the past as its remembrance gives you pleasure.
This gentle counsel treats memory as something that can “give,” almost like a friend. After so much misunderstanding, the line steers the heart toward gratitude rather than grievance. Austen isn’t telling us to forget—only to choose which echoes we keep near. It’s a hopeful way to narrate one’s life, letting joy have the last word. The sentence also signals emotional maturity: not every true thing is worth reliving. Peace arrives when we curate the past with kindness.