"En iyi zamanlardı, en berbat zamanlardı, bilgelik çağıydı, aptallık çağıydı, inanç devriydi, kuşku devriydi, aydınlanma dönemiydi, karanlık dönemiydi, umudun baharıydı, umutsuzluğun kışıydı, önümüzde her şey vardı, önümüzde hiç bir şey yoktu, doğrudan cennete gidecektik, doğrudan cehenneme gidecektik, - sözün kısası, o zamanlar da tam bu zamanlar gibiydi: En bağırtkan yetkililer, her şey iyisiyle kötüsüyle ancak "en"ler mertebesinde anlaşılacak diye tutturmuştu."
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only."
