Free verse'? You may as well call sleeping in a ditch 'free architecture'. Gilbert K. Chesterton More Quotes by Gilbert K. Chesterton More Quotes From Gilbert K. Chesterton Journalism only tells us what men are doing; it is fiction that tells us what they are thinking, and still more what they are feeling. If a new scientific theory finds the soul of a man in his dreams, at least it ought not to leave out his day-dreams. And all fiction is only a diary of day-dreams instead of days. And this profound preoccupation of men's minds with certain things always eventually has an effect even on the external expression of the age. Gilbert K. Chesterton dream men thinking There is no logical connection between flying and laying eggs. Gilbert K. Chesterton connections flying eggs Tradition does not mean a dead town; it does not mean that the living are dead but that the dead are alive. It means that it still matters what Penn did two hundred years ago or what Franklin did a hundred years ago; I never could feel in New York that it mattered what anybody did an hour ago. Gilbert K. Chesterton new-york mean years A nation that has nothing but its amusements will not be amused for long. Gilbert K. Chesterton amused amusement long There are no new lies, no new heresies. Man is simply not that creative. Gilbert K. Chesterton creative men lying One may understand the cosmos, but never the ego; the self is more distant than any star. Gilbert K. Chesterton stars acceptance knowledge We can’t turn life into a pleasure. But we can choose such pleasures as are worthy of us and our immortal souls. Gilbert K. Chesterton pleasure worthy soul The real great man is the man who makes every man feel great. Gilbert K. Chesterton greatness real men Individually, men may present a more or less rational appearance, eating, sleeping, and scheming. But humanity a a whole is changeful, mystical, fickle, delightful. Men are men, but Man is a woman. Gilbert K. Chesterton humanity sleep men Shall I tell you the secret of the whole world? It is that we have only known the back of the world. We see everything from behind, and it looks brutal. That is not a tree, but the back of a tree. That is not a cloud, but the back of a cloud. Cannot you see that everything is stooping and hiding a face? If we could only get round in front-- Gilbert K. Chesterton secret clouds tree He is a [sane] man who can have tragedy in his heart and comedy in his head. Gilbert K. Chesterton encouragement tragedy heart But a somewhat more liberal and sympathetic examination of mankind will convince us that the cross is even older than the gibbet, that voluntary suffering was before and independent of compulsory; and in short that in most important matters a man has always been free to ruin himself if he chose. Gilbert K. Chesterton convince-us independent men How can it be a large career to tell other people's children about the Rule of Three, and a small career to tell one's own children about the universe? How can it be broad to be the same thing to everyone, and narrow to be everything to someone? No; a woman's function is laborious, but because it is gigantic, not because it is minute. I will pity Mrs. Jones for the hugeness of her task; I will never pity her for its smallness. Gilbert K. Chesterton motherhood careers children The only thing that has kept the race of men from the mad extremes of the convent and the pirate-galley, the night-club and the lethal chamber, has been mysticism - the belief that logic is misleading, and that things are not what they seem. Gilbert K. Chesterton race men night Education is simply the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another. Gilbert K. Chesterton inspiring graduation inspirational I wish we could sometimes love the characters in real life as we love the characters in romances. There are a great many human souls whom we should accept more kindly, and even appreciate more clearly, if we simply thought of them as people in a story. Gilbert K. Chesterton real character people O God of earth and altar, Gilbert K. Chesterton wall pride people I believe your own accent is inimitable, though I shall practice it in my bath. Gilbert K. Chesterton baths practice believe I will go forth as a real outlaw," he said, "and as men do robbery on the highway I will do right on the highway; and it will be counted a wilder crime. Gilbert K. Chesterton crime real men Catholic doctrine and discipline may be walls; but they are the walls of a playground. Gilbert K. Chesterton wall discipline catholic