A man is angry at a libel because it is false, but at a satire because it is true. Gilbert K. Chesterton More Quotes by Gilbert K. Chesterton More Quotes From Gilbert K. Chesterton I say that a man must be certain of his morality for the simple reason that he has to suffer for it. Gilbert K. Chesterton simple suffering men To the humble man, and to the humble man alone, the sun is really a sun; to the humble man, and to the humble man alone, the sea is really a sea. Gilbert K. Chesterton humble sea men The voice of the special rebels and prophets, recommending discontent, should, as I have said, sound now and then suddenly, like a trumpet. But the voices of the saints and sages, recommending contentment, should sound unceasingly, like the sea. Gilbert K. Chesterton voice special sea If we want to give poor people soap we must set out deliberately to give them luxuries. If we will not make them rich enough to be clean, then empathically we must do what we did with the saints. We must reverence them for being dirty. Gilbert K. Chesterton luxury people dirty The world will very soon be divided, unless I am mistaken, into those who still go on explaining our success, and those somewhat more intelligent who are trying to explain our failure. Gilbert K. Chesterton intelligent goes-on trying What we call emancipation is always and of necessity simply the free choice of the soul between one set of limitations and another. Gilbert K. Chesterton morality choices soul It is the first law of practical courage. To be in the weakest camp is to be in the strongest school. Gilbert K. Chesterton law courage school There is not really any courage at all in attacking hoary or antiquated things, any more than in offering to fight one's grandmother. The really courageous man is he who defies tyrannies young as the morning and superstitions fresh as the first flowers. The only true free-thinker is he whose intellect is as much free from the future as from the past. Gilbert K. Chesterton flower courage morning I would rather a boy learnt in the roughest school the courage to hit a politician, or gained in the hardest school the learning to refute him - rather than that he should gain in the most enlightened school the cunning to copy him. Gilbert K. Chesterton courage boys school There should be a burnished tablet let into the ground on the spot where some courageous man first ate Stilton cheese, and survived. Gilbert K. Chesterton tablets courage men . . . For friendship implies individuality; whereas comradeship really implies the temporary subordination, if not the temporary swamping of individuality. Friends are the better for being two; but comrades are the better for being two million. Gilbert K. Chesterton individuality friendship two These are the things which might conceivably and truly make men forgive their enemies. We can only turn hate to love by understanding what are the things that men have loved; nor is it necessary to ask men to hate their loves in order to love one another. Just as two grocers are most likely to be reconciled when they remember for a moment that they are two fathers, so two nationals are most likely to be reconciled when they remember (if only for a moment) that they are two patriots. Gilbert K. Chesterton hate friendship father Because our expression is imperfect we need friendship to fill up the imperfections. Gilbert K. Chesterton imperfection expression friendship The only object of liberty is life. Gilbert K. Chesterton objects liberty Liberty is the very last idea that seems to occur to anybody, in considering any political or social proposal. It is only necessary for anybody for any reason to allege any evidence of any evil in any human practice, for people instantly to suggest that the practice should be suppressed by the police. Gilbert K. Chesterton practice people ideas 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. Gilbert K. Chesterton kings men ideas Religious unity can look like a carnival and religious liberty can look like a funeral. Gilbert K. Chesterton unity funeral religious Without authority there is no liberty. Freedom is doomed to destruction at every turn, unless there is a recognized right to freedom. And if there are rights, there is an authority to which we appeal for them. Gilbert K. Chesterton liberty authority rights The man of the true religious tradition understands two things: liberty and obedience. The first means knowing what you really want. The second means knowing what you really trust. Gilbert K. Chesterton religious men mean Pride consists in a man making his personality the only test, instead of making truth the test. The sceptic feels himself too large to measure life by the largest things; and ends by measuring it by the smallest thing of all. Gilbert K. Chesterton pride personality men
