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, Book III, Chapter XV (1859)
Source checked by an editor
When and why it was written
- When
- The last lines of A Tale of Two Cities, published in 1859.
- Why
- Sydney Carton, a wasted man, gives his life to save another.
What it means
Carton finds meaning at the very end of a life he thought meaningless. The line is about redemption arriving late but arriving.
It is a reminder that it is never too late to do one good thing well.
Our reading of the passage cited above, not a quotation from a commentary.
Read the source
A Tale of Two Cities, 1859
Your turn
What does this bring up for you?
Saved to this device only. Nothing is sent to a server.
Continue transfers only this reflection. Review your account before saving. Your original browser copy stays here.
Read next
Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts.
Great Expectations, Chapter XIX (1861)
There is a stubbornness about me that never can bear to be frightened at the will of others. My courage always rises with every attempt to intimidate me.
Pride and Prejudice, Chapter XXXI (1813)
We none of us expect to be in smooth water all our days.
Persuasion, Chapter VIII (1817)