Tag Archives: Charles Dickens

Quotes About Houses From Literature

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Quotes About Houses From Literature

We hope you enjoy these six literary quotes about houses. Click here to see our full collection of house quotes.

There was not one straight floor from the foundation to the roof; the ceilings were so fantastically clouded by smoke and dust, that old women might have told fortunes in them better than in grouts of tea. ~ Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens

Most of the houses of the Midland town were of a pleasant architecture. They lacked style, but also lacked pretentiousness, and whatever does not pretend at all has style enough. ~ The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington

Even in common people, conceit has the virtue of making them cheerful; the man who thinks his wife, his baby, his house, his horse, his dog, and himself severally unequalled, is almost sure to be a good-humored person, though liable to be tedious at times. ~ The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

“I will die here where I have walked. And I will walk here, though I am in my grave. I will walk here until the pride of this house is humbled.” ~ Bleak House by Charles Dickens

“Do you know,” Peter asked “why swallows build in the eaves of houses? It is to listen to the stories.” ~ Peter Pan by James M. Barrie

An empty house is like a stray dog or a body from which life has departed. ~ The Way of All Flesh by Samuel Butler

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5 Quotes About Blessings

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Quotes About Blessings

Here are five quotes about blessings from literature.  We hope you enjoy them and that you enjoy many blessings in your life.

For his part, every beauty of art or nature made him thankful as well as happy, and that the pleasure to be had in listening to fine music, as in looking at the stars in the sky, or at a beautiful landscape or picture, was a benefit for which we might thank Heaven as sincerely as for any other worldly blessing. ~ Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray

“Here was I asking a blessing and neglecting the means, which is a mockery.” ~ Cousin Phillis by Elizabeth Gaskell

How blessed are some people, whose lives have no fears, no dreads, to whom sleep is a blessing that comes nightly, and brings nothing but sweet dreams. ~ Dracula by Bram Stoker

Father Time is not always a hard parent, and, though he tarries for none of his children, often lays his hand lightly upon those who have used him well; making them old men and women inexorably enough, but leaving their hearts and spirits young and in full vigour. With such people the grey head is but the impression of the old fellow’s hand in giving them his blessing, and every wrinkle but a notch in the quiet calendar of a well-spent life. ~ Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens

A well proportioned mind is one which shows no particular bias; one of which we may safely say that it will never cause its owner to be confined as a madman, tortured as a heretic, or crucified as a blasphemer. Also, on the other hand, that it will never cause him to be applauded as a prophet, revered as a priest, or exalted as a king. Its usual blessings are happiness and mediocrity. ~ Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy

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Quotes about Parenting

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quotes about parenting

Men of honor will do things for their children that they would never consider doing for themselves. ~ A Feast for Crows by George R. R. Martin

Parents are apt to see no injustice in the fact that they are often annoyed with their offspring for possessing attributes, both of character and appearance, with which they themselves have endowed them. ~ The Rosary by Florence L. Barclay

“But a wise parent humours the desire for independent action, so as to become the friend and adviser when his absolute rule shall cease.” ~ North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

“The universe,” he observed, “makes rather an indifferent parent, I am afraid.” ~ Bleak House by Charles Dickens

“If you would have your son to walk honourably through the world, you must not attempt to clear the stones from his path, but teach him to walk firmly over them – not insist upon leading him by the hand, but let him learn to go alone.” ~ The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte

“My dear Watson, you as a medical man are continually gaining light as to the tendencies of a child by the study of the parents. Don’t you see that the converse is equally valid. I have frequently gained my first real insight into the character of parents by studying their children.” ~ The Adventure of the Copper Beeches by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Like many other unfortunate young people, Harvey had never in all his life received a direct order – never, at least, without long, and sometimes tearful, explanations of the advantages of obedience and the reasons for the request. ~ Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling

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Inspirational Quotes from Literature

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Inspirational Quotes

“Everything that’s worth having is some trouble.” ~ Anne Of Avonlea by Lucy Maud Montgomery

If you need something to worship, then worship life — all life, every last crawling bit of it! We’re all in this beauty together! ~ Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert

To see and know the worst is to take from Fear her main advantage. ~ Villette by Charlotte Bronte

May the wind under your wings bear you where the sun sails and the moon walks. ~ The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien

These fellow-mortals, every one, must be accepted as they are: you can neither straighten their noses, nor brighten their wit, nor rectify their dispositions; and it is these people–amongst whom your life is passed–that it is needful you should tolerate, pity, and love: it is these more or less ugly, stupid, inconsistent people whose movements of goodness you should be able to admire–for whom you should cherish all possible hopes, all possible patience. ~ Adam Bede by George Eliot

“You know, there are two good things in life, freedom of thought and freedom of action.” ~ Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham

“Man is not the creature of circumstances. Circumstances are the creatures of men.” ~ Vivian Grey by Benjamin Disraeli

“Simple, generous goodness is the best capital to found the business of this life upon. It lasts when fame and money fail, and is the only riches we can take out of this world with us.” ~ Little Men by Louisa May Alcott

Men who look on nature, and their fellow-men, and cry that all is dark and gloomy, are in the right; but the sombre colours are reflections from their own jaundiced eyes and hearts. The real hues are delicate, and need a clearer vision. ~ Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

Be men, or be more than men. Be steady to your purposes and firm as a rock. This ice is not made of such stuff as your hearts may be; it is mutable and cannot withstand you if you say that it shall not. ~ Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

 

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20 Best Quotes About Happiness from Literature

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Happiness Quotes

We’ve got a large collection of literary quotes about happiness.  Here are the 20 best quotes about from the collection. Authors include Charles Dickens, L. Frank Baum, George Eliot and Lucy Maud Montgomery.

“Money is a needful and precious thing, and when well used, a noble thing, but I never want you to think it is the first or only prize to strive for. I’d rather see you poor men’s wives, if you were happy, beloved, contented, than queens on thrones, without self-respect and peace.” ~ Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

“You must be the best judge of your own happiness.” ~ Emma by Jane Austen

“I would always rather be happy than dignified.” ~ Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Rather be happy than dignified

Cheerfulness and content are great beautifiers, and are famous preservers of youthful looks, depend upon it. ~ Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens

There were days when she was very happy without knowing why. She was happy to be alive and breathing, when her whole being seemed to be one with the sunlight, the color, the odors, the luxuriant warmth of some perfect Southern day. She liked then to wander alone into strange and unfamiliar places. She discovered many a sunny, sleepy corner, fashioned to dream in. And she found it good to dream and to be alone and unmolested. ~ The Awakening by Kate Chopin

There is no happiness like that of being loved by your fellow-creatures, and feeling that your presence is an addition to their comfort. ~ Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

It is a poor heart that never rejoices. ~ Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens

Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens

“Action may not always be happiness,” said the general; “but there is no happiness without action.” ~ Lothair by Benjamin Disraeli

No one can be happy in eternal solitude. ~ The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte

To see their sons and daughters so flushed and healthy and happy, gave them also a reflected glow, and it was hard to say who had most pleasure from the game, those who played or those who watched. ~ Beyond the City by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

People who have tried it, tell me that a clear conscience makes you very happy and contented; but a full stomach does the business quite as well, and is cheaper, and more easily obtained. ~ Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome

“Happy are they that hear their detractions, and can put them to mending.” ~ Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare

Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare

Anne was always glad in the happiness of her friends; but it is sometimes a little lonely to be surrounded everywhere by a happiness that is not your own. ~ Anne of the Island by Lucy Maud Montgomery

“One gets a bad habit of being unhappy.” ~ The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot

She better liked to see him free and happy, even than to have him near her, because she loved him better than herself. ~ Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens

No mockery in this world ever sounds to me so hollow as that of being told to cultivate happiness. What does such advice mean? Happiness is not a potato. ~ Villette by Charlotte Bronte

cultivate happiness

There are a set of religious, or rather moral writers, who teach that virtue is the certain road to happiness, and vice to misery, in this world. A very wholesome and comfortable doctrine, and to which we have but one objection, namely, that it is not true. ~ Tom Jones by Henry Fielding

Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen nineteen and six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery. ~ David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

“Happy is the man who can make a living by his hobby!” ~ Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw

 

 

Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw

“I shall take the heart,” returned the Tin Woodman; “for brains do not make one happy, and happiness is the best thing in the world.” ~ The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

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Quotes About Anger from Literature

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quotes about anger

“You do not know how the people of this country bear malice. It is the boast of some of them that they can keep a stone in their pocket seven years, turn it at the end of that time, keep it seven years longer, and hurl it and hit their mark ‘at last.'” ~ Shirley by Charlotte Bronte

How often it is that the angry man rages denial of what his inner self is telling him. ~ The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

Any woman who is sure of her own wits is a match at any time for a man who is not sure of his own temper. ~ The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

Anger and jealousy can no more bear to lose sight of their objects than love. ~ The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot

Anger’s my meat; I sup upon myself,
And so shall starve with feeding. ~ Coriolanus by William Shakespeare

“From hell’s heart I stab at thee; for hate’s sake I spit my last breath at thee.” ~ Moby Dick by Herman Melville

With a fierce action of her hand, as if she sprinkled hatred on the ground, and with it devoted those who were standing there to destruction, she looked up once at the black sky, and strode out into the wild night. ~ Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens

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7 Quotes about Angels from Literature

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Quotes about Angels

“I am not an angel,” I asserted; “and I will not be one till I die: I will be myself.” ~ Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

You can’t expect the fatted calf to share the enthusiasm of the angels over the prodigal’s return. ~ Reginald by Saki

In old days there were angels who came and took men by the hand and led them away from the city of destruction. We see no white-winged angels now. But yet men are led away from threatening destruction: a hand is put into theirs, which leads them forth gently towards a calm and bright land, so that they look no more backward; and the hand may be a little child’s. ~ Silas Marner by George Eliot

The shadows of our own desires stand between us and our better angels, and thus their brightness is eclipsed. ~ Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens

Heaven, too, was very near to them in those days. God’s direct agency was to be seen in the thunder and the rainbow, the whirlwind and the lightning. To the believer, clouds of angels and confessors, and martyrs, armies of the sainted and the saved, were ever stooping over their struggling brethren upon earth, raising, encouraging, and supporting them. ~ The White Company by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

It was the beginning of a day in June; the deep blue sky unsullied by a cloud, and teeming with brilliant light. The streets were, as yet, nearly free from passengers, the houses and shops were closed, and the healthy air of morning fell like breath from angels, on the sleeping town. ~ The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens

“Good night, sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!” ~ Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare

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Quotes About Change

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quotes about change

Till we can become divine we must be content to be human, lest in our hurry for change we sink to something lower. ~ Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope

“There is no such thing as Death, though there be a thing called Change.” ~ She by H. Rider Haggard

“I’m not a bit changed–not really. I’m only just pruned down and branched out. The real ME–back here–is just the same.” ~ Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Yet birth, and lust, and illness, and death are changeless things, and when one of these harsh facts springs out upon a man at some sudden turn of the path of life, it dashes off for the moment his mask of civilization and gives a glimpse of the stranger and stronger face below. ~ The Curse of Eve by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

“The natur o’ things doesn’t change, though it seems as if one’s own life was nothing but change. The square o’ four is sixteen, and you must lengthen your lever in proportion to your weight, is as true when a man’s miserable as when he’s happy; and the best o’ working is, it gives you a grip hold o’ things outside your own lot.” ~ Adam Bede by George Eliot

“It is a law of nature we overlook, that intellectual versatility is the compensation for change, danger, and trouble.” ~ The Time Machine by H. G. Wells

“Men’s courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which, if persevered in, they must lead,” said Scrooge. “But if the courses be departed from, the ends will change. Say it is thus with what you show me!” ~ A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

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Ten Quotes about Hope from Literature

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Quotes about Hope

But our wishes are like tinder: the flint and steel of circumstances are continually striking out sparks, which vanish immediately, unless they chance to fall upon the tinder of our wishes; then, they instantly ignite, and the flame of hope is kindled in a moment.  ~ Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte

God shall be my hope,
My stay, my guide, and lantern to my feet. ~ Henry VI, Part Two by William Shakespeare

I hope, or I could not live. ~ The Island of Doctor Moreau by H. G. Wells

These fellow-mortals, every one, must be accepted as they are: you can neither straighten their noses, nor brighten their wit, nor rectify their dispositions; and it is these people–amongst whom your life is passed–that it is needful you should tolerate, pity, and love: it is these more or less ugly, stupid, inconsistent people whose movements of goodness you should be able to admire–for whom you should cherish all possible hopes, all possible patience. ~ Adam Bede by George Eliot

The cool peace and dewy sweetness of the night filled me with a mood of hope: not hope on any definite point, but a general sense of encouragement and heart-ease. ~ Villette by Charlotte Bronte

Remember to the last, that while there is life there is hope. ~ Wreck of the Golden Mary by Charles Dickens

“Our highest assurance of the goodness of Providence seems to me to rest in the flowers. All other things, our powers, our desires, our food, are all really necessary for our existence in the first instance. But this rose is an extra. Its smell and its color are an embellishment of life, not a condition of it. It is only goodness which gives extras, and so I say again that we have much to hope from the flowers.” ~ The Naval Treaty by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

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. ~ Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens

“In this world you’ve just got to hope for the best and prepare for the worst and take whatever God sends.” ~ Anne Of Avonlea by Lucy Maud Montgomery

My spirits were elevated by the enchanting appearance of nature; the past was blotted from my memory, the present was tranquil, and the future gilded by bright rays of hope and anticipations of joy. ~ Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

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