When he cared to talk, he talked well; but, the cloud of caring for nothing, which overshadowed him with such a fatal darkness, was very rarely pierced by the light within him. ~ A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities Quotes
A Tale of Two Cities was written by Charles Dickens and published in 1859. It was the twelfth novel of Charles Dickens. We hope you enjoy this collection of A Tale of Two Cities quotes.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times
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–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. ~ A Tale of Two Cities
Liberty, equality, fraternity, or death
Liberty, equality, fraternity, or death;—the last, much the easiest to bestow, O Guillotine! ~ A Tale of Two Cities
“Repression is the only lasting
“Repression is the only lasting philosophy. The dark deference of fear and slavery, my friend,” observed the Marquis, “will keep the dogs obedient to the whip, as long as this roof,” looking up to it, “shuts out the sky.” ~ A Tale of Two Cities
“Vengeance and retribution require a
“Vengeance and retribution require a long time; it is the rule.” ~ A Tale of Two Cities
“A multitude of people, and
“A multitude of people, and yet a solitude!” ~ A Tale of Two Cities
In the moonlight which is
In the moonlight which is always sad, as the light of the sun itself is—as the light called human life is—at its coming and its going. ~ A Tale of Two Cities
If you could say, with
“If you could say, with truth, to your own solitary heart, to-night, ‘I have secured to myself the love and attachment, the gratitude or respect, of no human creature; I have won myself a tender place in no regard; I have done nothing good or serviceable to be remembered by!’ your seventy-eight years would be seventy-eight heavy curses; would they not?” ~ A Tale of Two Cities
The sea did what it
The sea did what it liked, and what it liked was destruction. It thundered at the town, and thundered at the cliffs, and brought the coast down, madly. ~ A Tale of Two Cities
Chateau and hut stone face
Château and hut, stone face and dangling figure, the red stain on the stone floor, and the pure water in the village well–thousands of acres of land–a whole province of France–all France itself–lay under the night sky, concentrated into a faint hairbreadth line. So does a whole world, with all its greatnesses and littlenesses, lie in a twinkling star. And as mere human knowledge can split a ray of light and analyse the manner of its composition, so, sublimer intelligences may read in the feeble shining of this earth of ours, every thought and act, every vice and virtue, of every responsible creature on it. ~ A Tale of Two Cities
