I have a heart to be stabbed in or shot in, I have no doubt, and, of course, if it ceased to beat, I would cease to be. But you know what I mean. I have no softness there, no—sympathy—sentiment—nonsense.
Interpretation
The quote reflects on the complex nature of human emotions and the acknowledgment of vulnerability amidst a lack of sentimentality.
In this quote, Charles Dickens discusses the inherent vulnerability of having deep emotions while simultaneously rejecting any notions of softness or unnecessary sentimentality. He acknowledges the capacity for pain and suffering, suggesting that while one is emotionally capable of being hurt, it does not lead to an overwhelming depth of sympathy or softness, implying a more stoic approach to human experience and relationships.
In practice
In a motivational speech about resilience, this quote can be used to illustrate how hardship can be faced without succumbing to sentimentality.
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.
There is nothing on earth that I would not give up, excepting of course, two things and two things only, truth and nonviolence.
If you think you're free, there's no escape possible.
Your past is just a story. And once you realize this it has no power over you.
There are no separate systems. The world is a continuum. Where to draw a boundary around a system depends on the purpose of the discussion.
Nothing recedes like progress.
The course of history shows that as a government grows, liberty decreases.
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