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Quote#Politics & Power

The Barnacles were a very high family, and a very large family. They…

Quote byCharles Dickens · 1812–1870

Commonly attributed — not confirmed in an authoritative edition. Cited on Wikiquote to: Little Dorrit (1855-1857), Bk. I, Ch. 10.

English (original)

The Barnacles were a very high family, and a very large family. They were dispersed all over the public offices, and held all sorts of public places. Either the nation was under a load of obligation to the Barnacles, or the Barnacles were under a load of obligation to the nation. It was not quite unanimously settled which; the Barnacles having their opinion, the nation theirs.

— Charles Dickens

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