Gilbert K. Chesterton Quotes

The modern city is ugly not because it is a city but because it is not enough of a city, because it is a jungle, because it is confused and anarchic, and surging with selfish and materialistic energies.

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Tags : Gilbert K. Chesterton Quotes , Selfish Quotes , Confused Quotes

And I will add this point of merely personal experience of humanity: when men have a real explanation they explain it, eagerly and copiously and in common speech, as Huxley freely gave it when he thought he had it. When they have no explanation to offer, they give short dignified replies, disdainful of the ignorance of the multitude.

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Tags : Gilbert K. Chesterton Quotes , Real Quotes , Ignorance Quotes

Nothing can ever overcome that one enormous sex (female) superiority that even the male child is born closer to his mother than to his father.

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Tags : Gilbert K. Chesterton Quotes , Mother Quotes , Sex Quotes

Altruists, with thin, weak voices, denounce Christ as an egoist. Egoists (with even thinner and weaker voices) denounce Him as an altruist.

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Tags : Gilbert K. Chesterton Quotes , Voice Quotes , Christ Quotes

The human race, to which so many of my readers belong, has been playing at children's games from the beginning, and will probably do it till the end, which is a nuisance for the few people who grow up.

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The men who really believe in themselves are all in lunatic asylums.

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When some English moralists write about the importance of having character, they appear to mean only the importance of having a dull character.

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Tags : Gilbert K. Chesterton Quotes , Writing Quotes , Character Quotes

In the end it will not matter to us whether we wrote well or ill; whether we fought with flails or reeds. It will matter to us greatly on what side we fought.

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Tags : Gilbert K. Chesterton Quotes , Matter Quotes , Sides Quotes

Architecture approaches nearer than any other art to being irrevocable because it is so difficult to get rid of.

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If the world grows to worldly, it can be rebuked by the Church; but if the Church grows to worldly, it cannot be adequately rebuked for worldlyness by the world.

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Tags : Gilbert K. Chesterton Quotes , Church Quotes , World Quotes

It might reasonably be maintained that the true object of all human life is play. Earth is a task garden; heaven is a playground. To be at last in such secure innocence that one can juggle with the universe and the stars, to be so good that one can treat everything as a joke - that may be, perhaps, the real end and final holiday of human souls.

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Tags : Gilbert K. Chesterton Quotes , Faith Quotes , Stars Quotes

The modern world seems to have no notion of preserving different things side by side, of allowing its proper and proportionate place to each, of saving the whole varied heritage of culture. It has no notion except that of simplifying something by destroying nearly everything.

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Tags : Gilbert K. Chesterton Quotes , Different Quotes , Culture Quotes

Gluttony is a great fault; but we do not necessarily dislike a glutton. We only dislike the glutton when he becomes a gourmet-that is, we only dislike him when he not only wants the best for himself, but knows what is best for other people.

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Tags : Gilbert K. Chesterton Quotes , Food Quotes , People Quotes

He walked by instinct along one white road, on which early birds hopped and sang, and found himself outside a fenced garden. There he saw the sister of Gregory, the girl with the gold-red hair, cutting lilac before breakfast, with the great unconscious gravity of a girl.

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If I did not believe in God, I should still want my doctor, my lawyer and my banker to do so.

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I like the Americans for a great many reasons. I like them because even the modern thing called industrialism has not entirely destroyed in them the very ancient thing called democracy. I like them because they have a respect for work which really curbs the human tendency to snobbishness.

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Men always talk about the most important things to perfect strangers. In the perfect stranger we perceive man himself; the image of a God is not disguised by resemblances to an uncle or doubts of wisdom of a mustache.

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Tags : Gilbert K. Chesterton Quotes , Uncles Quotes , Men Quotes

Tradition is only democracy extended through time; it may be defined as an extension of the franchise. Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to the small and arrogant oligarchy of those who are merely walking about. All democrats object to men being disqualified by accident of birth; tradition objects to their being disqualified by accident of death. Democracy tells us not to neglect a good man's opinion, even if he is our father.

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Tags : Gilbert K. Chesterton Quotes , Father Quotes , Mean Quotes

There cannot be a nation of millionaires, and there never has been a nation of Utopian comrades; but there have been any number of nations of tolerably contented peasants.

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Tags : Gilbert K. Chesterton Quotes , Numbers Quotes , Peasants Quotes

Variability is one of the virtues of a woman. It avoids the crude requirement of polygamy. So long as you have one good wife you are sure to have a spiritual harem".

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Tags : Gilbert K. Chesterton Quotes , Spiritual Quotes , Women Quotes