Gilbert K. Chesterton Quotes

That all war is physically frightful is obvious; but if that were a moral verdict, there would be no difference between a torturer and a surgeon. There are certain intellectuals who are too bright to be content with merely praising peace but who are infuriated by anybody praising war. If no war is possible, all criminality has its chance

5 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Gilbert K. Chesterton Quotes , War Quotes , Differences Quotes

A stiff apology is a second insult... The injured party does not want to be compensated because he has been wronged; he wants to be healed because he has been hurt.

5 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Gilbert K. Chesterton Quotes , Forgiveness Quotes , Im Sorry Quotes

Theology is simply that part of religion that requires brains.

5 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Gilbert K. Chesterton Quotes , Brain Quotes

The books that influence the world are those that it has not read.

5 years ago

Message Copied

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

The most extraordinary thing in the world is an ordinary man and an ordinary woman and their ordinary children.

5 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Gilbert K. Chesterton Quotes , Family Quotes , Christian Quotes

There is no such thing as Success....That a thing is successful merely means that it is; a millionaire is successful in being a millionaire and a donkey in being a donkey.

5 years ago

Message Copied

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

It is largely because the free-thinkers, as a school, have hardly made up their minds whether they want to be more optimist or more pessimist than Christianity that their small but sincere movement has failed.

5 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Gilbert K. Chesterton Quotes , School Quotes , Mind Quotes

Plato was right, but not quite right.

5 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Gilbert K. Chesterton Quotes

Let a man walk ten miles steadily on a hot summer's day along a dusty English road, and he will soon discover why beer was invented.

5 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Gilbert K. Chesterton Quotes , Summer Quotes , Beer Quotes

We fear men so much, because we fear God so little. One fear cures another. When man's terror scares you, turn your thoughts to the wrath of God.

5 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Gilbert K. Chesterton Quotes , Fear Quotes , Blessing Quotes

For good or evil, a line has been passed in our political history; and something that we have known all our lives is dead. I will take only one example of it: our politicians can no longer be caricatured.

5 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Gilbert K. Chesterton Quotes , Humor Quotes , Evil Quotes

Every sane man recognises that unlimited liberty is anarchy, or rather is nonentity. The civic idea of liberty is to give the citizen a province of liberty; a limitation within which a citizen is a king.

5 years ago

Message Copied

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

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.

5 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Gilbert K. Chesterton Quotes , America Quotes , Independence Quotes

As regards moral courage, then, it is not so much that the public schools support it feebly, as that they suppress it firmly.

5 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Gilbert K. Chesterton Quotes , School Quotes , Support Quotes

No man must be superior to the things that are common to men.... Not only are we all in the same boat, but we are all seasick.

5 years ago

Message Copied

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

5 years ago

Message Copied

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

Virtue is not the absence of vices or the avoidance of moral dangers; virtue is a vivid and separate thing, like pain or a particular smell.

5 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Gilbert K. Chesterton Quotes , Pain Quotes , Smell Quotes

A man does not know what he is saying until he knows what he is not saying.

5 years ago

Message Copied

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

I would never commit the positively anti-social action of robbing a bank, or worse still, working in one.

5 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Gilbert K. Chesterton Quotes , Action Quotes , Social Quotes

Every time a man knocks on a brothel door, he is really knocking for God

5 years ago

Message Copied

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