The secret was such an old one now, had so grown into me and become a part of myself, that I could not tear it away.
Interpretation
A secret becomes an intrinsic part of one's identity over time, making it difficult to separate from oneself.
In this quote, Charles Dickens reflects on the profound impact that secrets can have on an individual’s identity. He suggests that a secret, especially one held for a long time, can intertwine with one’s sense of self, becoming so ingrained that it feels impossible to remove or forget. This illustrates the deep connection between our inner lives and the hidden truths we keep, highlighting how such secrets can shape our thoughts, behaviors, and even our perception of reality.
In practice
In a conversation about the difficulties of embracing one's past, one might say, 'As Charles Dickens once wrote, the secret was such an old one now, had so grown into me...'
I recollected one story there was in the village, how that on a certain night in the year (it might be that very night for anything I knew), all the dead people came out of the ground and sat at the heads of their own graves till morning.
A silent look of affection and regard when all other eyes are turned coldly away-the consciousness that we possess the sympathy and affection of one being when all others have deserted us-is a hold, a stay, a comfort, in the deepest affliction, which no wealth could purchase, or power bestow.
Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts. I was better after I had cried, than before--more sorry, more aware of my own ingratitude, more gentle.
There are not a few among the disciples of charity who require, in their vocation, scarcely less excitement than the votaries of pleasure in theirs.
You might, from your appearance, be the wife of Lucifer,” said Miss Pross, in her breathing. “Nevertheless, you shall not get the better of me. I am an Englishwoman.
Christmas is a poor excuse every 25th of December to pick a man's pockets.
Once you get to the Enlightenment, the way that powers get to be hyperpowers isn't just by conquest. It's through commerce and innovation. Societies like the Dutch Republic and the United States used tolerance to become a magnet for enterprising immigrants.
There is no good trying to be more spiritual than God. God never meant man to purely spiritual creature. That is why He uses material things like bread and wine to put the new life into us. We may think this rather crude and unspiritual. God does not: He invented eating. He likes matter. He invented it.
The roulette table pays nobody except him that keeps it. Nevertheless a passion for gaming is common, though a passion for keeping roulette tables is unknown.
There are few men who dare to publish to the world the prayers they make to Almighty God.
Surely, life is not merely a job, an occupation; life is something extraordinarily wide and profound, it is a great mystery, a vast realm in which we function as human beings.
A dream has power to poison sleep.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.