Charles Dickens

Vices are sometimes only virtues carried to excess.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all doing direct the other way--in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

It is a melancholy truth that even great men have their poor relations.

Reflect on your present blessings, of which every man has many, not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.

Keep up appearances whatever you do.

Minds, like bodies, will fall into a pimpled, ill-conditioned state from mere excess of comfort.

A smattering of everything,and a knowledge of nothing

Language was not powerful enough to describe the infant phenomenon.

Accidents will occur in the best regulated families

Wszystko ma swoje piękno, ale nie każdy je widzi.

Everything has its beauty but not everyone sees it.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way. - from A Tale of Two Cities

It was a turkey! He could never have stood upon his legs, that bird! He would have snapped 'em off short in a minute, like sticks of sealing wax. (A Christmas Carol 1843)

Any man may be in good spirits and good temper when he's well dressed. There ain't much credit in that.

The whole difference between construction and creation is exactly this: that a thing constructed can only be loved after it is constructed; but a thing created is loved before it exists.

It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known.

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