David Copperfield

by Charles Dickens

My advice is, never do tomorrow what you can do today. Procrastination is the thief of time.

'But what I want you to be, Trot,' resumed my aunt, '—I don't mean physically, but morally; you are very well physically—is, a firm fellow. A fine firm fellow, with a will of your own. With resolution,' said my aunt, shaking her cap at me, and clenching her hand. 'With determination. With character, Trot—with strength of character that is not to be influenced, except on good reason, by anybody, or by anything.

'It's in vain, Trot, to recall the past, unless it works some influence upon the present.

My meaning simply is, that whatever I have tried to do in life, I have tried with all my heart to do well; that whatever I have devoted myself to, I have devoted myself to completely;

There can be no disparity in marriage like unsuitability of mind and purpose.'

We talk about the tyranny of words, but we like to tyrannize 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.

there never were greed and cunning in the world yet, that did not do too much, and overreach themselves. It is as certain as death.'

I think of every little trifle between me and Dora, and feel the truth, that trifles make the sum of life.

I wondered whether it occurred to anybody, that there was a striking contrast between these plentiful repasts of choice quality, and the dinners, not to say of paupers, but of soldiers, sailors, labourers, the great bulk of the honest, working community; of whom not one man in five hundred ever dined half so well.