“um pai, poderia irritar-se ao ver o filho que volta inesperadamente e se joga em seus braços exclamando: “Eis-me de volta, meu pai, não vos zangueis se interrompo uma viagem que, segundo vossas ordens, eu devia agüentar mais tempo. O mundo é igual por toda parte e por toda parte vive de penas e trabalhos, recompensa e prazer. Mas que me importa tudo isso? Só estou bem onde tu estás, e quero sofrer e gozar na tua presença! E tu, Pai celeste e misericordioso, serias capaz de não dar ouvidos ao teu filho?”
Thomas Carlyle was a Scottish satirical writer, essayist, historian and teacher during the Victorian era. He called economics "the dismal science", wrote articles for the Edinburgh Encyclopedia, and became a controversial social commentator.
Coming from a strict Calvinist family, Carlyle was expected by his parents to become a preacher, but while at the University of Edinburgh, he lost his Christian faith. Calvinist values, however, remained with him throughout his life. This combination of a religious temperament with loss of faith in traditional Christianity made Carlyle's work appealing to many Victorians who were grappling with scientific and political changes that threatened the traditional social order.