Age Quote by William Makepeace Thackeray
“We who have lived before railways were made belong to another world. It was only yesterday, but what a gulf between now and then! Then was the old world. Stage-coaches, more or less swift, riding-horses, pack-horses, highwaymen, knights in armor, Norman invaders, Roman legions, Druids, Ancient Britons painted blue, and so forth -- all these belong to the old period. But your railroad starts the new era, and we of a certain age belong to the new time and the old one. We who lived before railways, and survive out of the ancient world, are like Father Noah and his family out of the Ark.”
About This Quote
Source Novel: Vanity Fair, 1848
The quote reflects on how rapid technological change makes past lifestyles feel alien, likening pre‑railway people to survivors emerging from an ancient era into a new one.
In simple terms: Old ways feel distant after new tech arrives.
Key Takeaway
Embrace change, but remember history.
Themes
progress
history
technology
culture
transition
Mood
reflective
nostalgic
Type
historical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- urban planning
- heritage tourism
- education about history
- personal adaptation to tech
- family storytelling
Key Concepts
industrial revolution
social change
temporal perspective
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you balance nostalgia with progress?
- What lessons can we learn from past societies?
A Different Perspective
It may romanticize the past, overlooking hardships of earlier eras.
