To say that a man is an idealist is merely to say that he is a man. Gilbert K. Chesterton More Quotes by Gilbert K. Chesterton More Quotes From Gilbert K. Chesterton In a world where everything is ridiculous, nothing can be ridiculed. You cannot unmask a mask. Gilbert K. Chesterton mask ridiculous world Here ends another day, during which I have had eyes, ears, hands and the great world around me. Tomorrow begins another day. Why am I allowed two? Gilbert K. Chesterton eye two hands 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. Gilbert K. Chesterton blessing fear men Classic literature is still something that hangs in the air like a song. Gilbert K. Chesterton literature air song Pride juggles with her toppling towers, They strike the sun and cease, But the firm feet of humility They grip the ground like trees. Gilbert K. Chesterton pride humility feet We talk of wild animals but man is the only wild animal. It is man that has broken out. All other animals are tame animals; following the rugged respectability of the tribe or type. Gilbert K. Chesterton broken animal men It has always been one of my unclerical sermons to myself, that that remark which Peter made on seeing the vision of a single hour, ought to be made by us all, in contemplating every panoramic change in the long Vision we call life... "It is good for us to be here - it is good for us to be here", repeating itself eternally. Gilbert K. Chesterton inspiration faith long Though the academic authorities are actually proud of conducting everything by means of Examinations, they seldom indulge in what religious people used to descibe as Self-Examination. The consequence is that the modern State has educated its citizens in a series of ephemeral fads. Gilbert K. Chesterton religious self mean Only friendliness produces friendship. And we must look far deeper into the soul of man for the thing that produces friendliness. Gilbert K. Chesterton soul friendship men Lying in bed would be an altogether perfect and supreme experience if only one had a colored pencil long enough to draw on the ceiling. Gilbert K. Chesterton long lying art In dealing with the arrogant asserter of doubt, it is not the right method to tell him to stop doubting. It is rather the right method to tell him to go on doubting, to doubt a little more, to doubt every day newer and wilder things in the universe, until at last, by some strange enlightenment, he may begin to doubt himself. Gilbert K. Chesterton arrogant enlightenment doubt At any innocent tea-table we may easily hear a man say, "Life is not worth living." We regard it as we regard the statement that it is a fine day; nobody thinks that it can possibly have Gilbert K. Chesterton tea men thinking The great misfortune of the modern English is not at all that they are more boastful than other people (they are not); it is that they are boastful about those particular things which nobody can boast of without losing them. Gilbert K. Chesterton modern losing people Tea, although an OrientalIs a gentleman at least;Cocoa is a cad and coward,Cocoa is a vulgar beast. Gilbert K. Chesterton coward gentleman tea When giving treats to friends or children, give them what they like, emphatically not what is good for them. Gilbert K. Chesterton advice giving children It is assumed that the skeptic has no bias; whereas he has a very obvious bias in favour of skepticism. Gilbert K. Chesterton skepticism obvious favour No sane person, I hope, would accuse me of saying that every Distributist must drink beer; especially if he could brew his own cider or found claret better for his health. But I do most emphatically scorn and scout the vulgar refinement that regards beer as something unseemly and humiliating. And I would shout the name of beer a hundred times a day, to shock all the snobs who have so shameful a sense of shame. Gilbert K. Chesterton cider names beer To do Mohammed justice, his main attack was against the idolatries of Asia. Only he thought, just as the Arians did and just as the Unitarians do, that he could attack them better with a greater approximation to plain theism. What distinguishes his heresy from anything like an Arian or Albigensian heresy is that, as it sprang up on the borders of Christendom, it could spread outwards to a barbaric world. Gilbert K. Chesterton islam borders justice Odd, isn't it, that a thief and a vagabond should repent, when so many who are rich and secure remain hard and frivolous, and without fruit for God or man? Gilbert K. Chesterton fruit thieves men In the main, and from the beginning of time, mysticism has kept men sane. The thing that has driven them mad was logic. Gilbert K. Chesterton logic mad men
