“The stones of which the strongest London buildings are made, are not more real, or more impossible to displace with your hands, than your presence and influence have been to me, there and everywhere, and will be.”
– Charles Dickens
Great Expectations, Chapter 44. In this declaration of love for Estella, Pip tells her of the deep and lasting impact she has had on him. Using a metaphor, he compares her influence on his life to the durability of an immovable London building.