Charles Dickens
English novelist
WORDS ABOUT WORDS
If an iron door could be supposed to quarrel with its hinges, and to make a firm resolution to open with slow obstinacy, and grind them to powder in the process, it would emit a pleasanter sound in so doing than did these words in the rough and bitter voice in which they were uttered by Ralph.
—Charles Dickens, English novelist, Nicholas Nickleby, 1839
Posted on April 27, 2004 at 7:33 AM
WORDS ABOUT WORDS
The Spirit [of Christmas Past] signed to him to listen to the two apprentices, who were pouring out their hearts in praise of Fezziwig: and when he had done so, said,
"Why! Is it not? He has spent but a few pounds of your mortal money: three or four perhaps. Is that so much that he deserves this praise?"
"It isn't that," said Scrooge, heated by the remark, and speaking unconsciously like his former, not his latter, self. "It isn't that, Spirit. He has the power to render us happy or unhappy; to make our service light or burdensome; a pleasure or a toil. Say that his power lies in words and looks; in things so slight and insignificant that it is impossible to add and count 'em up: what then? The happiness he gives, is quite as great as if it cost a fortune."
—Charles Dickens, English novelist, A Christmas Carol, 1843
Posted on December 19, 2003 at 10:59 AM
WORDS ABOUT WORDS
It is nothing to say that he hadn’t a word to throw at a dog. He couldn’t have thrown a word at a mad dog. He might have offered him one gently, or half a one, or a fragment of one; for he spoke as slowly as he walked; but he wouldn’t have been rude to him, and he couldn’t have been quick with him, for any earthly consideration.
—Charles Dickens, English novelist, David Copperfield, 1850
Posted on March 7, 2000 at 6:52 AM
WORDS ABOUT WORDS
Mr. Meagles, who never by any accident acquired any knowledge whatever of the language of any country into which he travelled.
—Charles Dickens, English novelist, Little Dorrit, 1857
Posted on November 27, 1998 at 11:26 AM
WORDS ABOUT WORDS
The expression of a man's face is commonly a help to his thoughts, or glossary on his speech; but the countenance of Newman Noggs, in this ordinary moods, was a problem which no stretch of the ingenuity could solve.
—Charles Dickens, English novelist, Nicholas Nickleby, 1839
Posted on December 2, 1998 at 8:45 PM
WORDS ABOUT WORDS
When a man has anything of his own to say, and is really in earnest that it should be understood, he does not usually make cavalry regiments of his sentences, and seek abroad for sesquipedalian words.
—Charles Dickens, English novelist, Household Words, 1858
Posted on April 21, 1999 at 10:57 AM
WORDS ABOUT WORDS
We talk about the tyranny of words, but we like to tyrannise over them too; we are fond of having a large superfluous establishment of words to wait upon us on great occasions; we think it looks important, and sounds well.
—Charles Dickens, English novelist, David Copperfield, 1850
Posted on December 9, 1998 at 6:24 AM
WORDS ABOUT WORDS
I do not know the American gentleman, God forgive me for putting two such words together.
—Charles Dickens, English novelist
Posted on April 4, 2002 at 7:39 PM
WORDS ABOUT WORDS
[Miss Blimber] was dry and sandy with working in the graves of deceased languages. None of your live languages for Miss Blimber. They must be dead—stone dead—and then Miss Blimber dug them up like a Ghoul.
—Charles Dickens, English novelist, Dombey and Son
Posted on April 30, 2002 at 7:07 AM
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