这是最好的时代，这是最坏的时代；这是智慧的年代，这是愚蠢的年代；这是信仰的时期，这是怀疑的时期；这是光明的季节，这是黑暗的季节；这是希望之春，这是绝望之冬；我们拥有一切，我们一无所有；我们正走向天堂，我们都在奔向与其相反的地方； 简而言之，那时和现在是如此的相像，某些嚷的最凶的权威人士坚持要用最高级来形容它，评说是好是坏，都是只用最高级。
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.