Be natural my children. For the writer that is natural has fulfilled all the rules of art."

(Last words, according to Dickens's obituary in The Times.)

It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.

Why fear death? It is the most beautiful adventure in life.

It is no worse, because I write of it. It would be no better, if I stopped my most unwilling hand. Nothing can undo it; nothing can make it otherwise than as it was.

[W]e talk about the tyranny of words, but we like to tyrannise over them too; we are fond of having a large superfluous establishment of words to wait upon us on great occasions; we think it looks important, and sounds well. As we are not particular about the meaning of our liveries on state occassions, if they be but fine and numerous enough, so, the meaning or necessity of our words is a secondary consideration, if there be but a great parade of them. And as individuals get into trouble by making too great a show of liveries, or as slaves when they are too numerous rise against their masters, so I think I could mention a nation that has got into many great difficulties, and will get into many greater, from maintaining too large a retinue of words.

Regrets are the natural property of grey hairs.