Charles Dickens (1812 – 1870) was one of the most outstanding English writers of the Victorian era, whose life was not easy to make his way through family problems, as his father suffered from gambling and had to go to prison for not taking care of his debts.

Due to the lack of family income, Charles Dickens had to start earning his living at an early age, working in factories and printing houses, observing the terrible conditions in which the lower classes worked, which is why he dedicated his works to this theme.

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Charles Dickens’ most famous quotes

In this article we provide you with the most outstanding phrases of the British author. These famous quotes by Charles Dickens are not only extracts from Oliver Twist or other of his most renowned works, but also reflections he gave to the written press.

1. Happiness is a gift to be enjoyed when it comes

The author Dickens reflects on how little we get to enjoy the happy moments.

2. We should never be ashamed of our tears, they are the rain that sweeps away the blinding dust that covers our hearts

A critique of the “men never cry” fallacy.

3. In this life there are days worth living and days worth dying

This is how the author referred to the good and bad times in life.

4. If the wounds of the heart become deeper as it grows and becomes stronger, love it, love it

For Dickens, love was not only pleasure, but also pain.

5. I have been too much of a coward to do what I knew was right, just as I have been too much of a coward to avoid doing what I knew was wrong

Sometimes you do what you should, and not what you want.

6. I hope that true love and truth will finally be stronger than any misfortune

For Charles Dickens love and truth were dependent variables, which should be above evil.

7. Concentrate on all the good things that happen to you, which happen to all of us; and not on the misfortunes, which happen to all of us

It focuses again on being more aware of enjoying the good moments, which are greater than the unfortunate ones.

8. I cannot seal my lips where I have opened my heart

Dickens was a very expressive person who spoke from the heart.

9. Every traveler has a home, no matter where

Anywhere can be considered home, even outside our borders.

10. No one who alleviates the ills of others is useless in this world

This is how the author defended good people, necessary for a world that is sometimes unjust.

11. A heart that loves is the truest of wisdom

Charles Dickens made an ode of love as a way of getting to the truth.

12. We forge the chains that we wear during our lives

We are the masters of our own destiny.

13. We should never be ashamed of our tears

Once again, it refers to the courage of men who cry.

14. You appear in all the lines I have read in my life

It is not certain whether it refers to a love, a friend or God.

15. Love is what makes the world go round, my love

That’s how passionate Charles was about his beloved.

16. A sincere word is worth more than a speech

Always so forceful, he had the truth above all else.

17. The pain of separation is incomparable to the joy of reunion

Two opposing moments that the British author captures in this way. Ecstasy and drama.

18. There are strings in the human heart that are better than never vibrating

Charles was a very emotional person, which made him very sensitive.

19. A home that learns to love more while traveling

Often we don’t appreciate what we have, and we always have to explore other places and travel to realize it.

20. Nothing in the world is as irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor

Dickens was not given to bitterness or anger, and always maintained a positive attitude.

21. Repentance is proper to the one who combs gray hair

In this sense, regret is a waste of time.

Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today. Procrastination is the thief of time

Charles Dickens valued this way not to waste time in life, nor leave anything for later.

23. Family are those people for whom we would shed our blood

In this way the author describes the family ties between its members.

24. Never trust appearance, but evidence

Nothing is what it seems until we explore it. You don’t have to value the first thing you see.

25. Restrain your appetites, my friends, and you will have conquered human nature

The person who knows how to control his emotions will know how to control life.

26. No repentance can make up for lost opportunities in life

He’s showing off again how stupid it is to regret past events.

27. Hatred of those above is the unconscious homage of those below

According to Charles Dickens hate is another way of wasting the good things in life.

28. When a man bleeds inside, it is dangerous for him, but when he laughs inside, it is a harbinger of evil for others

In this way he described one of the treacherous emotions of human beings.

29. Hiding something from those I love is not in my nature

Once again, Charles Dickens showed his predilection for truth and avoiding lies.

30. There is nothing so strong and so sure during a crisis in life as the truth

It is in bad times that one must behave correctly, without failing to be truthful.

31. There are books whose front and back covers are by far the best parts

A good way to stress the importance of these two elements of a book

32. Spring is the time of year when it is summer in the sun and winter in the shade

That’s how Charles Dickens described the most curious season of the year.

33. Ask no questions and no lies will be answered

The less one knows, the more unconscious one is, ergo the happier one is in ignorance.

34. There is a wisdom of the head and a wisdom of the heart

The author distinguished between two types of wisdom in human beings.

35. A Crowd of People and Still Loneliness

It is not because we are more surrounded by people that we need to feel accompanied. Sometimes the opposite is true.

36. What better gift is there than the love of a cat?

Charles Dickens was a fierce lover of this household pet.

37. Money and goods are the best references

In a classist and materialistic society, this is how the author interpreted the references that were valid in the 19th century.

38. There are shadows and darkness in this world, but the light overshadows them

For Dickens, light prevailed over shadow. Truth over lies.

39. If there were no bad people, there would be no good lawyers

Charles Dickens worked as pasts in the courts, and often made reflections like these.

40. I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to do so throughout the year

For this novelist, Christmas was a sacred date.

41. Cows are my passion, my dream is to retire in Switzerland surrounded by them

A peculiar and curious note from Charles, a lover of nature and of this very normal animal.

42. I just want to be free, the butterflies are free

This is how the author described his love of freedom.

43. Industry is the soul of business and prosperity

This is how Charles Dickens defended the industrial activity of the 19th century.

44. A day wasted on others is a day of profit for us

If we do something for others, we do it for ourselves too.

45. We must be understood as we are, both success and failure make us what we are

People identify us by these two elements, they are indispensable at the time of forging our being.

46. Credit is a system by which one person who cannot pay makes another person who cannot pay guarantee that he or she can pay

A clear criticism of the credit financing model, given that it is a liquid money that does not exist.

47. Liberty, equality, brotherhood or death. The last one is the easiest to grant

This is how forceful the author was when describing these elements that are part of human life.

48. It is not worth remembering the past, unless it has some influence on the present

Any memory, a negative experience from the past, deserves to be forgotten. It’s what allows us to move forward.

49. Gold blinds man, destroys his values, and numbs his feelings more than coal smoke

In the 19th century gold was man’s greed, which corrupted him. Today it would be money.

50. Vices are sometimes virtues carried to excess

Everything in its measure is an advantage, the disproportion is negative.

51. Grief will never heal a bone or repair a heart

Another way for the author to avoid drama and discomfort. He always maintained a positivist attitude.

52. He who only listens is the worst of all those who listen

Charles Dickens thus expressed his suspicion of those who never expressed themselves.

53. Joy and humor are the best way to fight old age

Once again, he is pleased to maintain a positive attitude at all times.

54. I don’t know the American gentleman. God, forgive me for putting those two words together!

With this phrase the British author despised the manners of the Americans, with a humorous tone.

55. Those people who learn what resistance is are what everyone calls ‘friends’

This is how I valued friendship, as individuals who are there for us in life’s bad times.