---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Hot punch is a pleasant thing…"
description: "\"“Hot punch is a pleasant thing, gentlemen---an extremely pleasant thing under any circumstances---but in that snug old parlour, before the roaring fire..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/167/charles-dickens-34_old-house_hot-punch-is-a-pleasant-thing-gentlemen_2163252.jpg"
---

#  Hot punch is a pleasant thing, gentlemen---an extremely…

![“Hot punch is a pleasant thing, gentlemen---an extremely pleasant thing under any circumstances---but in that snug old parlour, before the roaring fire, with the wind blowing outside till every timber in the old house creaked again, Tom Smart found it perfectly delightful.” quote by Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/167/charles-dickens-34_old-house_hot-punch-is-a-pleasant-thing-gentlemen_2163252.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/167/charles-dickens-34_old-house_hot-punch-is-a-pleasant-thing-gentlemen_2163252.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/167/charles-dickens-34_old-house_hot-punch-is-a-pleasant-thing-gentlemen_2163252.jpg)

> ““Hot punch is a pleasant thing, gentlemen---an extremely pleasant thing under any circumstances---but in that snug old parlour, before the roaring fire, with the wind blowing outside till every timber in the old house creaked again, Tom Smart found it perfectly delightful.””

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Describes a cozy, comforting scene where a character enjoys a drink by a fire, highlighting simple pleasures.

**In simple terms:** A pleasant moment of enjoying a drink in a warm setting.

Key Takeaway

Appreciate simple, comforting moments in life.

Themes

comfort pleasure setting

Mood

cozy content reflective

Type

descriptive literary atmospheric

When to use this quote

- holiday gatherings
- winter evenings
- literary descriptions
- interior design
- culinary storytelling

Key Concepts

hospitality sensory detail character experience

Questions to Reflect On

- What small comforts bring you joy?
- How does setting influence your mood?

A Different Perspective

May romanticize comfort, ignoring harsher realities.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Hot Punch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hot-punch-4598903/) [Old house](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-house/) [Pleasant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasant/) [Pleasant Thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasant-thing-896466/) [Punch Pleasant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punch-pleasant-4598902/) [Tom Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tom-smart-4598904/) [Wind blowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wind-blowing/)

## Related quotes

> [It is a pleasant thing to reflect upon, and furnishes a complete answer to those who contend for the gradual degeneration of the human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/it-is-a-pleasant-thing-to-reflect-upon-and-furnishes-a-complete/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [When the wind is blowing and the sleet or rain is driving against the dark windows, I love to sit by the fire, thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/when-the-wind-is-blowing-and-the-sleet-or-rain-is-driving-against-the/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [It is a great, a pleasant thing to have a friend with whom to walk, untroubled, through the woods, by the stream, saying nothing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-drinker-bowen/it-is-a-great-a-pleasant-thing-to-have-a-friend-with-whom-to-walk/)

[Catherine Drinker Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-drinker-bowen/)

> [Truth is not always a pleasant thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-c-scott/truth-is-not-always-a-pleasant-thing/)

[George C. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-c-scott/)

> [“Children seem to think that every pleasant thing has to be a surprise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/children-seem-to-think-that-every-pleasant-thing-has-to-be-a-surprise/)

[Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/)

> [It's a pleasant thing to be young, and have ten toes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/it-s-a-pleasant-thing-to-be-young-and-have-ten-toes/)

[Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/)

> [Old age, believe me, is a good and pleasant thing. It is true you are gently shouldered off the stage, but then you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/old-age-believe-me-is-a-good-and-pleasant-thing-it-is-true-you-are/)

[Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/)

> [“Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ecclesiastes-11-7/truly-the-light-is-sweet-and-a-pleasant-thing-it-is-for-the-eyes-to-2/)

[Ecclesiastes 11 7](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ecclesiastes-11-7/)

> [Truly, a little love-making is a very pleasant thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/letitia-elizabeth-landon/truly-a-little-love-making-is-a-very-pleasant-thing/)

[Letitia Elizabeth Landon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/letitia-elizabeth-landon/)

> [“Oh pleasure, you're indeed a pleasant thing, / Although one must be damned for you no doubt. / I make a resolution every spring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-gordon-byron/oh-pleasure-you-re-indeed-a-pleasant-thing-although-one-must-be/)

[George Gordon Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-gordon-byron/)

> [Teaching was the most pleasant thing I did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-butz/teaching-was-the-most-pleasant-thing-i-did/)

[Earl Butz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-butz/)

> [Advice is like kissing: it costs nothing and is a pleasant thing to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/advice-is-like-kissing-it-costs-nothing-and-is-a-pleasant-thing-to-do/)

[Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/)

> [We came to the house, and it is an old house, full of great chimneys where wood is burnt on ancient dogs upon the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/we-came-to-the-house-and-it-is-an-old-house-full-of-great-chimneys/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [“We write these words now, many miles distant from the spot at which, year after year, we met on that day, a merry and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/we-write-these-words-now-many-miles-distant-from-the-spot-at-which/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [“Eric’s ass is so loose it sounds like wind blowing over a cave entrance when he walks.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-j-klune/eric-s-ass-is-so-loose-it-sounds-like-wind-blowing-over-a-cave/)

[T.J. Klune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-j-klune/)

## More by Charles Dickens

> [“All other swindlers upon earth are nothing to the self-swindlers, and with such pretences did I cheat myself. Surely a curious thing. That I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/all-other-swindlers-upon-earth-are-nothing-to-the-self-swindlers-and/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [... Arthur Gride, whose bleared eyes gloated only over the outward beauties, and were blind to the spirit which reigned within, evinced - a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/arthur-gride-whose-bleared-eyes-gloated-only-over-the-outward/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [There can be no disparity in marriage like unsuitability of mind and purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/there-can-be-no-disparity-in-marriage-like-unsuitability-of-mind-and/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [A new heart for a New Year, always!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/a-new-heart-for-a-new-year-always/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [“The suspense: the fearful, acute suspense: of standing idly by while the life of one we dearly love, is trembling in the balance; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/the-suspense-the-fearful-acute-suspense-of-standing-idly-by-while-the/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [“Mrs. Joe was a very clean housekeeper, but had an exquisite art of making her cleanliness more uncomfortable and unacceptable than dirt itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/mrs-joe-was-a-very-clean-housekeeper-but-had-an-exquisite-art-of/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [There seems a magic in the very name of Christmas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/there-seems-a-magic-in-the-very-name-of-christmas/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [“evening, they began to think that although he could never hope to be an Englishman, still it would be hard to visit that affliction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/evening-they-began-to-think-that-although-he-could-never-hope-to-be/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [“Besides which, all that I could have said of the Story to any purpose, I had endeavoured to say in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/besides-which-all-that-i-could-have-said-of-the-story-to-any-purpose/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [“The wheels rolled on, and rolled down by the Monument, and by the Tower; and by the Docks; down by Ratcliffe, and by Rotherhithe;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/the-wheels-rolled-on-and-rolled-down-by-the-monument-and-by-the-tower/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [“The three customers pulled off their hats to Madame Defarge, with three flourishes. She acknowledged their homage by bending her head, and giving them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/the-three-customers-pulled-off-their-hats-to-madame-defarge-with/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [“What a situation!' cried Miss Squeers; '...What is the reason that men fall in love with me, whether I like it or not, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/what-a-situation-cried-miss-squeers-what-is-the-reason-that-men-fall/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [I admire machinery as much is any man, and am as thankful to it as any man can be for what it does for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-admire-machinery-as-much-is-any-man-and-am-as-thankful-to-it-as-any/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [“Mr. Pickwick was a philosopher, but philosophers are only men in armour, after all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/mr-pickwick-was-a-philosopher-but-philosophers-are-only-men-in-armour/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

[Explore all 2,309 Charles Dickens quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

## More Old house quotes

> [Like a child exploring the attic of an old house on a rainy day, discovering a trunk full of treasure and then calling all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-h-peterson/like-a-child-exploring-the-attic-of-an-old-house-on-a-rainy-day/)

[Eugene H. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-h-peterson/)

> [When you stroll through Munich it can happen that you suddenly stand in front of an old house, an idyllically-dreaming church that smiles like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-goebbels/when-you-stroll-through-munich-it-can-happen-that-you-suddenly-stand/)

[Joseph Goebbels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-goebbels/)

> [He got the notion into his head that if he restored the old house where they had come that night, Allie would find a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-notebook/he-got-the-notion-into-his-head-that-if-he-restored-the-old-house/)

[The Notebook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-notebook/)

> [It wasn't until a few years ago, when I was going through old Facebook pictures with a friend, and happened upon a photo of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lolly-adefope/it-wasn-t-until-a-few-years-ago-when-i-was-going-through-old-facebook/)

[Lolly Adefope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lolly-adefope/)

> [My first job was in a nursing home - a terrible place in retrospect. It was in an old house, and the residents were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-edwards/my-first-job-was-in-a-nursing-home-a-terrible-place-in-retrospect-it/)

[Kim Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-edwards/)

> [“She had been looking all round her again—at the lawn, the great trees, the reedy, silvery Thames, the beautiful old house; and while engaged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/she-had-been-looking-all-round-her-again-at-the-lawn-the-great-trees/)

[Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/)

> [“Should I Today I am in search of a light, that can show me a way bright, Today I am trying to find a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ratish-edwards/should-i-today-i-am-in-search-of-a-light-that-can-show-me-a-way/)

[Ratish Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ratish-edwards/)

> [“You ask me what it means to be irrelevant? The feeling is akin to visiting your old house as a wandering ghost with unfinished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/you-ask-me-what-it-means-to-be-irrelevant-the-feeling-is-akin-to/)

[Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/)

> [An old house with its windows gone always makes me think of something dead with its eyes picked out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-maud-montgomery/an-old-house-with-its-windows-gone-always-makes-me-think-of-something/)

[Lucy Maud Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-maud-montgomery/)

> [“She could not have created this moment, these lovely faces, these candles flickering, the flash of the silverware, the fragrances of the food hanging…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/she-could-not-have-created-this-moment-these-lovely-faces-these/)

[Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/)

> [“Trees arched over the road, their scraggly arms outstretched. Spring was on its way, though ice was still trapped in tree crevices, with patches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaime-jo-wright/trees-arched-over-the-road-their-scraggly-arms-outstretched-spring/)

[Jaime Jo Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaime-jo-wright/)

> [Famous old houses seem to have an intuitive perception of the value of corner lots. If it is a possible thing, they always set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bailey-aldrich/famous-old-houses-seem-to-have-an-intuitive-perception-of-the-value/)

[Thomas Bailey Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bailey-aldrich/)

> [“Why do old houses creak so much?" he asked idly, playing with her braid and drawing the silky end across her cheek. "When all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/why-do-old-houses-creak-so-much-he-asked-idly-playing-with-her-braid/)

[Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/)

> [“We could make a meal of what’s left in this box: potato, onion, rind of cheese, elderly egg. We could make another baby without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-contreni-flynn/we-could-make-a-meal-of-what-s-left-in-this-box-potato-onion-rind-of/)

[Rachel Contreni Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-contreni-flynn/)

> [“For behind the wooden wainscots of all the old houses in Gloucester, there are little mouse staircases and secret trap-doors; and the mice run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beatrix-potter/for-behind-the-wooden-wainscots-of-all-the-old-houses-in-gloucester/)

[Beatrix Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beatrix-potter/)

[Browse all 193 Old house quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-house/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Hot punch is a pleasant thing, gentlemen---an extremely pleasant thing under any circumstances---but in that snug old parlour, before the roaring fire, with the wind blowing outside till every timber in the old house creaked again, Tom Smart found it perfectly delightful.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Charles Dickens"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/hot-punch-is-a-pleasant-thing-gentlemen-an-extremely-pleasant-thing/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Old house"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/hot-punch-is-a-pleasant-thing-gentlemen-an-extremely-pleasant-thing/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/167/charles-dickens-34_old-house_hot-punch-is-a-pleasant-thing-gentlemen_2163252.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/167/charles-dickens-34_old-house_hot-punch-is-a-pleasant-thing-gentlemen_2163252.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/167/charles-dickens-34_old-house_hot-punch-is-a-pleasant-thing-gentlemen_2163252.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Hot punch is a pleasant thing, gentlemen---an extremely pleasant thing under any circumstances---but in that…” — Charles Dickens",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Charles Dickens",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Hot punch is a pleasant thing,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/hot-punch-is-a-pleasant-thing-gentlemen-an-extremely-pleasant-thing/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/hot-punch-is-a-pleasant-thing-gentlemen-an-extremely-pleasant-thing/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
