Sentence No. 107 · 12 July 2026
Of little worth as life is when we misuse it, it is worth that effort.
Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities
Charles Dickens — A Tale of Two Cities (1859) · Read it at Project Gutenberg
What holds this sentence together
Notice the inverted concessive opening: 'Of little worth as life is' means 'although life is of little worth.' That fronted construction always sets up a contrast, so the main clause beginning with 'it is worth' must follow the comma.
How it appears in Sentle
On Sentle this sentence arrives in 6 pieces, shuffled, with the lines that lead up to it for context. A weary man reflects on the value of effort even in hopeless circumstances. Putting it back in the author’s order is the puzzle — and the order is rarely arbitrary, which is what the note above is about.
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