“On meurt deux fois, je le vois bien :
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Cesser d’aimer & d’être aimable,
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C’est une mort insupportable :
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Cesser de vivre, ce n’est rien.”. Source
These poignant words explore the profound connection between love and life. They suggest that the end of love is a fate worse than death itself. Many people attribute this beautiful, heartbreaking sentiment to Charles Dickens. Specifically, they often link it to the character Sydney Carton from A Tale of Two Cities. The quote perfectly captures his unrequited love and ultimate sacrifice. However, there is one surprising detail. Charles Dickens never wrote these lines.
This famous quote about dying twice does not appear anywhere in his works. Instead, its true origin lies with a different master of words from a different era. The journey to its source reveals a fascinating story of misattribution.
. Charles Dickens Museum – Official Website
Unraveling a Famous Misattribution
The quote’s elegant French prose actually comes from the 17th-century writer Jean de La Fontaine. He was a celebrated French poet and fabulist. The lines are from his fable titled “Le Loup devenu Berger” (The Wolf turned Shepherd). This discovery often surprises readers who have long associated the sentiment with Dickensian London and its dramatic characters. The internet has likely amplified this incorrect connection over the years. People share the quote with Carton’s image, cementing a link that never existed in literature. Source
So, what does the quote actually mean? Let’s translate it and break it down. Jean de La Fontaine – University of Virginia Electronic Text Center
- “On meurt deux fois, je le vois bien :” – “We die twice, I see it well:”
- “Cesser d’aimer & d’être aimable,” – “To cease to love and be lovable,”
- “C’est une mort insupportable :” – “Is an unbearable death:”
- “Cesser de vivre, ce n’est rien.” – “To cease to live, that is nothing.”
La Fontaine argues that we experience two distinct deaths. The first is emotional: the loss of the ability to love and be loved. He calls this death “unsupportable.” In contrast, the second death, the physical end of life, is “nothing.” This powerful comparison elevates the experience of love to the very essence of existence. It suggests a life without love is not a life at all. Charles Dickens – Victorian Web
Why Dickens? The Sydney Carton Connection
If La Fontaine wrote the words, why do we so strongly associate them with Dickens? The answer lies in thematic resonance. The quote feels like something Sydney Carton would say. Throughout A Tale of Two Cities, Carton is a cynical, dissolute man. Yet, his profound, unrequited love for Lucie Manette redeems him. This love inspires him to perform one of literature’s greatest acts of self-sacrifice.
Carton gives his life to save Lucie’s husband, Charles Darnay, from the guillotine. He finds meaning and purpose in this final act of love. Therefore, the idea that a life without his love for Lucie is an “unbearable death” aligns perfectly with his character arc. His physical death, in contrast, becomes a triumphant, meaningful act. It is his famous final thought, “It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done,” that solidifies his heroic transformation.
Because the themes match so perfectly, generations of readers have mentally inserted La Fontaine’s words into Carton’s story. The quote encapsulates Carton’s entire journey in four short lines. It speaks to the transformative power of love, a central theme in many of Dickens’s own novels. Consequently, the misattribution is not random but a testament to how well the sentiment fits the character.
The Enduring Power of a Universal Truth
Ultimately, the true authorship of the quote does not diminish its power. La Fontaine‘s words resonate because they tap into a universal human experience. The fear of losing love, of becoming emotionally numb, is a deeply seated anxiety. We understand that a life devoid of connection and affection is a hollow existence. The quote validates the pain of heartbreak and the void left by lost love, calling it a death in its own right.
Furthermore, it forces us to consider what makes life worth living. For Jean de La Fontaine | French poet, and for the character of Sydney Carton, love is the answer. It is the force that gives life meaning, even in the face of actual death. This timeless message continues to move readers, artists, and lovers centuries after the words were first written.
Whether you discovered it through Dickens or La Fontaine, the quote remains a beautiful meditation on love and loss. It reminds us that to live fully, we must love deeply. The emotional core of our lives is far more significant than the mere fact of our physical existence.