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.
REALITY, n. The dream of a mad philosopher. That which would remain in the cupel if one should assay a phantom. The nucleus of a vacuum.
Cold hopes swarm like worms within our living clay.
Sacrifice is truly the crowning test of the gospel. Men are tried and tested in this mortal probation to see if they will put first in their lives the kingdom of God.
... and it is probably that there is some secret here which remains to be discovered.
The flexibility we gain in asana is the living symbol of the suppleness we gain in relation to life’s problems and challenges.
The vegetarian movement ought to fill with gladness the souls of those who have at heart the realization of God's kingdom upon earth, not because vegetarianism itself is such an important step towards the realization of this kingdom (all real steps are equally important or unimportant), but because it serves as a criterion by which we know that the pursuit of moral perfection on the part of man is genuine and sincere.
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