45+ Best Charles Dickens Quotes From The Beloved Author

Supriya Jain
Dec 12, 2023 By Supriya Jain
Originally Published on Feb 05, 2021
Edited by Luca Demetriou
Charles Dickens wax figure in Madame Tussaud's museum

Charles Dickens was an English writer and social critic, best known for creating some of the world’s best fictional characters and regarded as the Victorian Era’s greatest novelist.

Dickens has written some beloved novels like 'Oliver Twist', 'A Christmas Carol', 'A Tale of Two Cities', and many others, many people read his books according to their choices. Some of his best selling books are 'David Copperfield', 'Bleak House', 'Little Dorrit', and many others.

Charles Dickens is popularly known for writing some of the best selling novels. 'A Christmas Carol' is the story of a ghost, written by Charles Dickens and was first published in London.

Some people love to read books of different genres and you can find many genres in Charles Dickens novels, so check out these quotes about Charles Dickens, among Dickens quotations that are fascinating.

His book, ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ has sold 200 million copies and is still counting among his novels.  “There is nothing in the world, so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor.” features in  Charles Dickens novel, 'A Christmas Carol'. There are plenty of other great quotes like this, too.  

If you love reading books, then here are some of the Charles Dickens quotes who is one of the most beloved author. Check out our similar articles for 'Great Expectations' quotes and 'Oliver Twist' quotes, too.

Best Quotes By Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth on 7 February 1812. He was luckily sent to school at the age of nine but this didn't last long because his father was imprisoned for bad debts.

Despite his struggles, he became one of the greatest novelists of all time, thus dying a wealthy man from his fortunes. Here are some of the best Charles Dickens quotes.

1. “I loved her against reason, against promise, against peace, against hope, against happiness, against all discouragement that could be.”

- Charles Dickens, 'Great Expectations'.

2. “There are books of which the backs and covers are by far the best parts.”

- Charles Dickens, 'Oliver Twist'.

3. “A wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other.”

- Charles Dickens, 'A Tale Of Two Cities'.

4. “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.”

- Charles Dickens, 'A Tale Of Two Cities'.

5. “And O there are days in this life, worth life and worth death.”

- Charles Dickens, 'Our Mutual Friend'.

6. “We need never be ashamed of our tears.”

- Charles Dickens, 'Great Expectations'.

7. “It is a fair, even-handed, noble adjustment of things, that while there is infection in disease and sorrow, there is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humour.”

- Charles Dickens, 'A Christmas Carol'.

8. “The pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again.”

- Charles Dickens, 'Nicholas Nickleby'.

9. “In a word, 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'.

10. “Every traveler has a home of his own, and he learns to appreciate it the more from his wandering.”

- Charles Dickens.

11. “It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.”

- Charles Dickens, 'Great Expectations'.

12. “Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.”

- Charles Dickens, 'David Copperfield'.

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

- Charles Dickens.

14. “There was a long hard time when I kept far from me the remembrance of what I had thrown away when I was quite ignorant of its worth.”

- Charles Dickens, 'Great Expectations'.

15. “The broken heart. You think you will die, but you just keep living, day after day after terrible day.”

- Charles Dickens, 'Great Expectations'.

Quotes On Kindness And Gratitude By Charles Dickens

The string of unfortunate and challenging events, loneliness and hardship, colored Dickens’ view of the world and was later described in some of his novels and Charles Dickens quotes. His hard work and perseverance paid off as Dickens became a global literary phenomenon. Here are some of Charles Dickens quotes on kindness and gratitude.

16. “Have a heart that never hardens, have a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.”

- Charles Dickens, 'Hard Times'.

17. “Family not only needs to consist of merely those whom we share blood, but also of those whom we’d give blood.”

- Charles Dickens, 'Mugby Junction'.

18.  “Suffering has been stronger than all other teaching, and has taught me to understand what your heart used to be. I have been bent and broken, but — I hope — into a better shape.”

- Charles Dickens, 'Great Expectations'.

19. “There are dark shadows on the earth, but its lights are stronger in the contrast.”

- Charles Dickens, 'The Village Coquettes'.

20. “No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.”

- Charles Dickens, 'Doctor Marigold'.

21. “A loving heart is the truest wisdom.”

- Charles Dickens.

22. “The broken heart. You think you will die, but you just keep living day after day after terrible day.”

- Charles Dickens, 'Great Expectations'.

23. “Take nothing on its looks; take everything on evidence. There’s no better rule.”

- Charles Dickens, 'Great Expectations'.

24. “I hope that real love and truth are stronger in the end than any evil or misfortune in the world.”

- Charles Dickens, 'David Copperfield'.

25. “My meaning simply is, that whatever I have tried to do in life, I have tried with all my heart to do well; that whatever I have devoted myself to I have devoted myself completely; that in great aims and in small, I have always been thoroughly in earnest.”

- Charles Dickens, 'David Copperfield'.

Famous Quotes By Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens was a prolific 19th-century British author who continues to be one of the most widely read Victorian novelists. He has struggled a lot and was eventually able to gain popularity. Here are some of the famous Charles Dickens quotes.

26. “The most important thing in life is to stop saying ‘I wish’ and start saying ‘I will.’ Consider nothing impossible, then treat possibilities as probabilities.”

- Charles Dickens.

27. “My advice is, never do to-morrow what you can do today.”

- Charles Dickens, 'David Copperfield'.

28. “A multitude of people and yet a solitude.”

- Charles Dickens, 'A Tale Of Two Cities'.

29. “A dream, all a dream, that ends in nothing, and leaves the sleeper where he lay down, but I wish you to know that you inspired it.”

- Charles Dickens, 'A Tale Of Two Cities'.

30. “Happiness is a gift and the trick is not to expect it, but to delight in it when it comes.”

- Charles Dickens, 'Nicholas Nickleby'.

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

- Charles Dickens, 'Great Expectations'.

32. “Fan the sinking flame of hilarity with the wing of friendship; and pass the rosy wine.”

- Charles Dickens, 'The Old Curiosity Shop'.

33. “Thus violent deeds live after men upon the earth, and traces of war and bloodshed will survive in mournful shapes long after those who worked the desolation are but atoms of earth themselves.”

- Charles Dickens, 'The Old Curiosity Shop'.

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

- Charles Dickens, 'A Christmas Carol And Other Christmas Writings'.

35. “Poetry makes life what lights and music do the stage.”

- Charles Dickens, 'The Pickwick Papers'.

36. “Man is but mortal; and there is a point beyond which human courage cannot extend.”

- Charles Dickens, 'The Pickwick Papers'.

37.

“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.”

- Charles Dickens, 'A Tale Of Two Cities'.

38. “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'.

39. “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'.

40. “I must be taken as I have been made. Success is not mine, the failure is not mine, but the two together make me.”

- Charles Dickens, 'Great Expectations'.

41. “Happiness is a gift and the trick is not to expect it, but to delight in it when it comes.”

- Charles Dickens, 'Nicholas Nickleby'.

42. “For it is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child Himself.”

- Charles Dickens, 'A Christmas Carol'.

43. “For not an orphan in the wide world can be so deserted as the child who is an outcast from a living parent’s love.”

- Charles Dickens, 'Dombey And Son'.

44. “In the little world in which children have their existence, whosoever brings them up, there is nothing so finely perceived and so finely felt, as injustice.”

- Charles Dickens, 'Great Expectations'.

45. “In the little world in which children have their existence, whosoever brings them up, there is nothing so finely perceived and so finely felt as injustice.”

- Charles Dickens, 'Great Expectations'.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotes for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Charles Dickens quotes, why not look at 'A Tale Of Two Cities' quotes, or 'A Christmas Carol' quotes.

 

Main image credit: Yuri Turkov / Shutterstock.com

Article image credit: Mary Anne Love / Shutterstock.com

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Written by Supriya Jain

Bachelor of Commerce, Master of Business Administration specializing in Marketing

Supriya Jain picture

Supriya JainBachelor of Commerce, Master of Business Administration specializing in Marketing

As a skilled member of the Kidadl team, Shruti brings extensive experience and expertise in professional content writing. With a Bachelor's degree in Commerce from Punjab University and an MBA in Business Administration from IMT Nagpur, Shruti has worked in diverse roles such as sales intern, content writer, executive trainee, and business development consultant. Her exceptional writing skills cover a wide range of areas, including SOP, SEO, B2B/B2C, and academic content.

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