Gilbert K. Chesterton Quotes - Page 22

• America is the only nation in the world that is founded on creed. That creed is set forth with dogmatic and even theological lucidity in the Declaration of Independence; perhaps the only piece of practical politics that is also theoretical politics and also great literature.

  Gilbert K. Chesterton

  America, Independence, Pieces

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• I might inform those humanitarians who have a nightmare of new and needless babies (for some humanitarians have that sort of horror of humanity) that if the recent decline in the birth-rate were continued for a certain time, it might end in there being no babies at all; which would console them very much.

  Gilbert K. Chesterton

  Baby, Birth Rate, Humanity

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• The more truly we can see life as a fairytale, the more clearly the tale resolves itself into war with the dragon who is wasting fairyland.

  Gilbert K. Chesterton

  War, Dragons, Fairytale

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• Each generation is converted by the saint who contradicts it most.

  Gilbert K. Chesterton

  Saint, Generations

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• Freethinkers are occasionally thoughtful, though never free.

  Gilbert K. Chesterton

  Thoughtful, Freethinker

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• Men do not differ much about what things they will call evils; they differ enormously about what evils they will call excusable.

  Gilbert K. Chesterton

  Men, Evil, Catholic

  "The Illustrated London News" Magazine, October 23, 1909.

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• Progress should mean that we are always changing the world to fit the vision, instead we are always changing the vision.

  Gilbert K. Chesterton

  Mean, Vision, Progress

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• The believers in miracles accept them (rightly or wrongly) because they have evidence for them. The disbelievers in miracles deny them (rightly or wrongly) because they have a doctrine against them.

  Gilbert K. Chesterton

  Miracle, Doctrine, Accepting

  Gilbert K. Chesterton (2013). “The Essential Gilbert K. Chesterton”, p.113, Simon and Schuster

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• Liberty has produced scepticism, and scepticism has destroyed liberty. The lovers of liberty thought they were leaving it unlimited, when they were only leaving it undefined. They thought they were only leaving it undefined, when they were really leaving it undefended.

  Gilbert K. Chesterton

  Leaving, Liberty, Lovers

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• ...but this is the real objection to that torrent of modern talk about treating crime as disease, about making prison merely a hygienic environment like a hospital, of healing sin by slow scientific methods. The fallacy of the whole thing is that evil is a matter of active choice whereas disease is not.

  Gilbert K. Chesterton

  Real, Healing, Evil

  Gilbert K. Chesterton (2013). “The Essential Gilbert K. Chesterton”, p.103, Simon and Schuster

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• Everyone seems to assume that the unscrupulous parts of journalism will be the frivolous or jocular parts. This is against all ethical experience. Jokes are generally honest. Complete solemnity is almost always dishonest. The writer of the snippet merely refers to a frivolous and fugitive fact in a frivolous and fugitive way. The writer of the leading article has to write about a fact he has known for 20 minutes as though he has studied it for 20 years.

  Gilbert K. Chesterton

  Writing, Years, Way

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• It is not bigotry to be certain we are right; but it is bigotry to be unable to imagine how we might possibly have gone wrong.

  Gilbert K. Chesterton

  Catholic, Doubt, Gone

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• A sober man may become a drunkard through being a coward. A brave man may become a coward through being a drunkard.

  Gilbert K. Chesterton

  Men, Brave, Coward

  "Charles Dickens: A Critical Study". Book by G. K. Chesterton, 1906.

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• The great majority of people will go on observing forms that cannot be explained; they will keep Christmas Day with Christmas gifts and Christmas benedictions; they will continue to do it; and some day suddenly wake up and discover why.

  Gilbert K. Chesterton

  Christmas, People, Wake Up

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• Poets do not go mad; but chess-players do. Mathematicians go mad, and cashiers; but creative artists very seldom. I am not, as will be seen, in any sense attacking logic: I only say that this danger does lie in logic, not in imagination.

  Gilbert K. Chesterton

  Lying, Science, Math

  Orthodoxy ch. 2 (1908)

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• The real trouble with this world of ours is not that it is an unreasonable world, nor even that it is a reasonable one. The commonest kind of trouble is that it is nearly reasonable, but not quite. ... It looks just a little more mathematical and regular than it is; its exactitude is obvious, but its inexactitude is hidden; its wilderness lies in wait.

  Gilbert K. Chesterton

  Real, Lying, Waiting

  "Orthodoxy". Chapter VI: "The Paradoxes of Christianity". Book by Gilbert K. Chesterton, 1908.

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• The thing that cannot be defined is the first thing; the primary fact.

  Gilbert K. Chesterton

  Science, Technology, Firsts

  "Charles Dickens". Book by Gilbert K. Chesterton, 1906.

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• We can be almost certain of being wrong about the future, if we are wrong about the past.

  Gilbert K. Chesterton

  Past, History, Certain

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• We all know that the 'divine glory of the ego' is socially a great nuisance; we all do actually value our friends for modesty, freshness, and simplicity of heart. Whatever may be the reason, we all do warmly respect humility - in other people.

  Gilbert K. Chesterton

  Heart, Humility, People

  "The Defendant". Book by Gilbert K. Chesterton, 1901.

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• Stated baldly, charity certainly means one of two things–pardoning unpardonable acts, or loving unlovable people.

  Gilbert K. Chesterton

  Mean, Two, People

  Gilbert K. Chesterton (2013). “The Essential Gilbert K. Chesterton”, p.71, Simon and Schuster

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• He had found the thing which the modern people call Impressionism, which is another name for that final scepticism which can find no floor to the universe.

  Gilbert K. Chesterton

  Names, People, Finals

  Gilbert K. Chesterton (2013). “The Essential Gilbert K. Chesterton”, p.235, Simon and Schuster

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• People that insist upon drinking and driving, are putting the quart before the hearse.

  Gilbert K. Chesterton

  Drinking, People, Driving

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• Man must have just enough faith in himself to have adventures, and just enough doubt of himself to enjoy them.

  Gilbert K. Chesterton

  Adventure, Men, Doubt

  Gilbert K. Chesterton (2013). “The Essential Gilbert K. Chesterton”, p.85, Simon and Schuster

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• The man who lives in a small community lives in a much larger world... The reason is obvious. In a large community we can choose our companions. In a small community our companions are chosen for us.

  Gilbert K. Chesterton

  Men, Community, World

  Gilbert K. Chesterton (2013). “The Essential Gilbert K. Chesterton”, p.194, Simon and Schuster

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• Every man speaks of public opinion, and means by public opinion, public opinion minus his opinion.

  Gilbert K. Chesterton

  Mean, Men, Public Opinion

  Gilbert K. Chesterton (2013). “The Essential Gilbert K. Chesterton”, p.170, Simon and Schuster

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