Charles Dickens

Explore 38 quotes by Charles Dickens

Ride on! Rough-shod if need be, smooth-shod if that will do, but ride on! Ride over all obstacles, and win the race!

Charles Dickens

The Personal History of David Copperfield

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Topic

Overcoming obstacles

Author

Charles Dickens

Source

The Personal History of David Copperfield

Medium

Novel

Genre

Coming of age story

Language

English

Time

1850 1850s 19th century

Authentication Score 3

Original Citation

Dickens, Charles. The Personal History of David Copperfield. London: Bradbury & Evans, Feb. 1850, issue 10, ch. 28.

Current Citation

Dickens, Charles. David Copperfield, edited by Jeremy Tambling. Penguin Classics, 2004, ch. 28.

He'd be sharper than a serpent's tooth, if he wasn't as dull as ditch water.

Charles Dickens

Our Mutual Friend

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Topic

Stupidity

Speaker

Fanny Cleaver

Author

Charles Dickens

Source

Our Mutual Friend

Medium

Novel

Statement Type

Insult Metaphor, analogy and simile

Language

English

Time

1865 1860s 19th century

Authentication Score 3

Original Citation

Dickens, Charles. "Our Mutual Friend." All the Year Round. London: Chapman and Hall, May 1865, pt. 13, bk. 3, ch. 10.

Current Citation

Dickens, Charles. Our Mutual Friend, edited by Adrian Poole. Penguin, 1998, bk. 3, ch. 10.

Love her, love her, love her! If she favours you, love her. If she wounds you, love her. If she tears your heart to pieces,—and as it gets older and stronger it will tear deeper,—love her, love her, love her!

Charles Dickens

Great Expectations

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Topic

Vulnerability Commitment Love

Speaker

Miss Havisham

Author

Charles Dickens

Source

Great Expectations

Medium

Novel

Genre

Coming of age story

Statement Type

Orders and commands

Language

English

Time

1861 1860s 19th century

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Dickens, Charles. "Great Expectations." All the Year Round. London: Chapman and Hall, 30 Mar. 1861, issue 17, ch. 29.

Current Citation

Dickens, Charles. Great Expectations. Penguin Classics, 2002, ch. 29.

I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year.

Charles Dickens

A Christmas Carol

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Topic

Christmas

Author

Charles Dickens

Source

A Christmas Carol

Medium

Novella

Language

English

Time

1843 1840s 19th century

Authentication Score 3

Original Citation

Dickens, Charles. A Christmas Carol. London: Chapman & Hall, 1843, stave 4.

Current Citation

Dickens, Charles. "A Christmas Carol." A Christmas Carol and Other Writings, edited by Michael Slater. Penguin, 2003, stave 4.

There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor.

Charles Dickens

A Christmas Carol

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Topic

Laughter

Author

Charles Dickens

Source

A Christmas Carol

Medium

Novel

Language

English

Time

1843 1840s 19th century

Authentication Score 3

Original Citation

Dickens, Charles. A Christmas Carol. London: Chapman & Hall, 1843, stave 3.

Current Citation

Dickens, Charles. "A Christmas Carol." A Christmas Carol and Other Writings, edited by Michael Slater. Penguin, 2003, stave 3.

Trifles make the sum of life.

Charles Dickens

The Personal History of David Copperfield

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Topic

The little things Life

Author

Charles Dickens

Source

The Personal History of David Copperfield

Medium

Novel

Genre

Coming of age story

Language

English

Time

1850 1850s 19th century

Authentication Score 3

Original Citation

Dickens, Charles. The Personal History of David Copperfield. London: Bradbury & Evans, Sept. 1850, issue 17, ch. 53.

Current Citation

Dickens, Charles. David Copperfield, edited by Jeremy Tambling. Penguin Classics, 2004, ch. 53.

There is a wisdom of the Head, and...a wisdom of the Heart.

Charles Dickens

Hard Times: For These Times

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Topic

Head vs. heart Wisdom

Speaker

Mr. Gradgrind

Author

Charles Dickens

Source

Hard Times: For These Times

Medium

Novel

Language

English

Time

1854 1850s 19th century

Authentication Score 3

Original Citation

Dickens, Charles. "Hard Times: For These Times." Household Words, 22 July 1854, ch. 29.

Current Citation

Dickens, Charles. Hard Times, edited by Fred Kaplan. W. W. Norton & Company, 2016, bk. 3, ch. 1.

Constancy in love is a good thing, but it means nothing, and is nothing, without constancy in every kind of effort.

Charles Dickens

Bleak House

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Topic

Consistency Diligence Love

Speaker

John Jarndyce

Author

Charles Dickens

Source

Bleak House

Medium

Novel

Language

English

Time

1852 1850s 19th century

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Dickens, Charles. Bleak House. London: Bradbury & Evans, June 1852, issue 4, ch. 13.

Current Citation

Dickens, Charles. Bleak House. Penguin Classics, 2003, ch. 13.

Suffering has been stronger than all other teaching… I have been bent and broken, but—I hope—into a better shape.

Charles Dickens

Great Expectations

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Topic

Learning from suffering Suffering Broken heart

Speaker

Estella

Author

Charles Dickens

Source

Great Expectations

Medium

Novel

Genre

Coming of age story

Language

English

Time

1861 1860s 19th century

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Dickens, Charles. "Great Expectations." All the Year Round. London: Chapman and Hall, 3 Aug. 1861, issue 35, ch. 59.

Current Citation

Dickens, Charles. Great Expectations. Penguin Classics, 2010, ch. 59.

Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts.

Charles Dickens

Great Expectations

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Topic

Tears Crying

Speaker

Pip

Author

Charles Dickens

Source

Great Expectations

Medium

Novel

Genre

Coming of age story

Language

English

Time

1861 1860s 19th century

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Dickens, Charles. "Great Expectations." All the Year Round. London: Chapman and Hall, 16 Feb. 1861, issue 12, ch. 19.

Current Citation

Dickens, Charles. Great Expectations. Penguin Classics, 2002, ch. 19.

Take nothing on its looks; take everything on evidence. There's no better rule.

Charles Dickens

Great Expectations

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Topic

Doubt and skepticism Evidence Appearance vs. reality

Speaker

Mr. Jaggers

Author

Charles Dickens

Source

Great Expectations

Medium

Novel

Genre

Coming of age story

Statement Type

Advice

Language

English

Time

1861 1860s 19th century

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Dickens, Charles. "Great Expectations." All the Year Round. London: Chapman and Hall, 18 May 1861, ch. 40.

Current Citation

Dickens, Charles. Great Expectations. Penguin Classics, 2002, ch. 40.

Here’s the rule for bargains—“Do other men, for they would do you.” That’s the true business precept.

Charles Dickens

The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit

More information about this quote

Topic

Dog eat dog world Business

Speaker

Jonas Chuzzlewit

Author

Charles Dickens

Source

The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit

Medium

Novel

Language

English

Time

1843 1840s 19th century

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Dickens, Charles. "The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit." London: Chapman and Hall, May 1843, issue 5, ch. 11.

Current Citation

Dickens, Charles. Martin Chuzzlewit. Oxford UP, 2009, ch. 11.

Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.

Charles Dickens

Our Mutual Friend

More information about this quote

Topic

Vulnerability Patience Gentleness

Speaker

Jenny Wren aka Fanny Cleaver

Author

Charles Dickens

Source

Our Mutual Friend

Medium

Novel

Statement Type

Advice

Language

English

Time

1865 1860s 19th century

Authentication Score 3

Original Citation

Dickens, Charles. "Our Mutual Friend." All the Year Round. London: Chapman and Hall, Mar. 1865, pt. 11, bk. 3, ch. 2.

Current Citation

Dickens, Charles. Our Mutual Friend, edited by Adrian Poole. Penguin, 1998, bk. 3, ch. 2.

There were two classes of charitable people; one, the people who did a little and made a great deal of noise; the other, the people who did a great deal and made no noise at all.

Charles Dickens

Bleak House

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Topic

Generosity Charity

Author

Charles Dickens

Source

Bleak House

Medium

Novel

Language

English

Time

1852 1850s 19th century

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Dickens, Charles. Bleak House. London: Bradbury & Evans, May 1852, issue 3, ch. 8.

Current Citation

Dickens, Charles. Bleak House. Penguin Classics, 2003, ch. 8.

Subdue your appetites my dears, and you've conquered human nature.

Charles Dickens

The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby

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Topic

Self-control Appetite Stoicism Human nature

Speaker

Wackford Squeers

Author

Charles Dickens

Source

The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby

Medium

Novel

Language

English

Time

1838 1830s 19th century

Authentication Score 3

Original Citation

Dickens, Charles. The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby. London: Chapman and Hall, Apr. 1838, issue 2, ch. 5.

Current Citation

Dickens, Charles. Nicholas Nickleby, edited by Mark Ford. Penguin, 1999, ch. 5.

The one great principle of the English law is to make business for itself.

Charles Dickens

Bleak House

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Topic

Law Lawyers

Author

Charles Dickens

Source

Bleak House

Medium

Novel

Language

English

Time

1853 1850s 19th century

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Dickens, Charles. Bleak House. London: Bradbury & Evans, Mar. 1853, issue 13, ch. 39.

Current Citation

Dickens, Charles. Bleak House. Penguin Classics, 2003, ch. 39.

I was too cowardly to do what I knew to be right, as I had been too cowardly to avoid doing what I knew to be wrong.

Charles Dickens

Great Expectations

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Topic

Cowardice Bad decisions

Speaker

Pip

Author

Charles Dickens

Source

Great Expectations

Medium

Novel

Genre

Coming of age story

Language

English

Time

1860 1860s 19th century

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Dickens, Charles. "Great Expectations." All the Year Round. London: Chapman and Hall, 22 Dec. 1860, issue 4, ch. 6.

Current Citation

Dickens, Charles. Great Expectations. Penguin Classics, 2002, ch. 6.

Pride is one of the seven deadly sins; but it cannot be the pride of a mother in her children, for that is a compound of two cardinal virtues—faith and hope.

Charles Dickens

The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby

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Topic

Seven deadly sins Pride Mother's love Mothers and children

Author

Charles Dickens

Source

The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby

Medium

Novel

Language

English

Time

1839 1830s 19th century

Authentication Score 3

Original Citation

Dickens, Charles. The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby. London: Chapman and Hall, Apr. 1839, issue 14, ch. 43.

Current Citation

Dickens, Charles. Nicholas Nickleby, edited by Mark Ford. Penguin, 1999, ch. 43.