Compassion Quote by Charles Dickens
““In truth she is not a hard lady naturally, and the time has been when the sight of the venerable figure suing to her with such strong earnestness would have moved her to great compassion. But so long accustomed to suppress emotion and keep down reality, so long schooled for her own purposes in that destructive school which shuts up the natural feelings of the heart like flies in amber and spreads one uniform and dreary gloss over the good and bad, the feeling and the unfeeling, the sensible and the senseless, she had subdued even her wonder until now.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, 1861
A woman, hardened by suppressing emotions, finally allows wonder to surface despite a lifetime of restraint.
In simple terms: She finally lets herself feel wonder.
Key Takeaway
Allow emotions to surface.
Themes
emotion
compassion
self‑discovery
Mood
melancholic
hopeful
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- personal relationships
- artistic creation
- healing
- self‑reflection
- growth
Key Concepts
psychological repression
humanity
Questions to Reflect On
- What emotions have you hidden?
- How might embracing wonder change your life?
A Different Perspective
Suppressing feelings can lead to loss of vitality.
