“sound historians know that most tyrannies have been possible because men moved too late” — G.K. Chesterton Copy Share Image
“An historic institution, which never went right, is really quite much of a miracle as an institution that cannot go wrong.” — G.K. Chesterton Copy Share Image
“this clumsy collision of two very impatient forms of ignorance was known as the quarrel of Science and Religion.” — G.K. Chesterton Copy Share Image
“The boldest plans for the future invoke the authority of the past; and that even a revolutionary seeks to satisfy himself that… — G.K. Chesterton Copy Share Image
“There was something of relative freedom in that feudal gesture of the vow; for no man asks vows from slaves anymore than… — G.K. Chesterton Copy Share Image
“And in history I found that Christianity, so far from belonging to the Dark Ages, was the one path across the Dark… — G.K. Chesterton Copy Share Image
“Now in history there is no Revolution that is not a Restoration. Among the many things that leave me doubtful about the… — G.K. Chesterton Copy Share Image
“The very rationalists who jeer at the trial by combat, in the old feudal ordeal, do in fact accept a trial by… — G.K. Chesterton Copy Share Image
“It may be said of Socialism, therefore, that its friends recommended it as increasing equality, while its foes resisted it as decreasing… — G.K. Chesterton Copy Share Image
“Nobody can understand the greatness of the thirteenth century, who does not realize that it was a great growth of new things… — G.K. Chesterton Copy Share Image
“This is the only period in all human history when people were proud of being modern. For though to-day is always to-day… — G.K. Chesterton Copy Share Image
“They preferred writing about great men to writing about great hills; but they sat on the great hills to write it. They… — G.K. Chesterton Copy Share Image
“Towards the end of the nineteenth century there appeared its two incredible figures; they were the pure Conservative and the pure Progressive;… — G.K. Chesterton Copy Share Image
“Do not be proud of the fact that your grandmother was shocked at something which you are accustomed to seeing or hearing… — G.K. Chesterton Copy Share Image
“But there is another possible attitude towards the records of the past, and I have never been able to understand why it… — G.K. Chesterton Copy Share Image
“The curse that came before history has laid on us all a tendency to be weary of wonders. If we saw the… — G.K. Chesterton Copy Share Image
“Those who complain that Catholicism cannot say anything new, seldom think it necessary to say anything new about Catholicism. As a matter… — G.K. Chesterton Copy Share Image
“Let us suppose we are confronted with a desperate thing – say Pimlico. If we think what is really best for Pimlico… — G.K. Chesterton Copy Share Image
“What a curious man you are!’ she said. ‘Why should you disbelieve the history?’ ‘I disbelieve the history because it isn’t history,’… — G.K. Chesterton Copy Share Image
“I never use paradox. The statements I make are wearisome and obvious common sense. I have even been driven to the tedium of reading… — G.K. Chesterton Copy Share
“Nothing, again, could be more prosaic and impenetrable than the domestic energies of Miss Diana Duke. But Innocent had somehow blundered on the discovery… — G.K. Chesterton Copy Share
“The mass of men have been forced to be gay about the little things, but sad about the big ones. Nevertheless (I offer my… — G.K. Chesterton Copy Share
“ask yourself how many people you have met who grumbled at a thing as incurable, and how many who attacked it as curable? How… — G.K. Chesterton Copy Share
“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… — G.K. Chesterton Copy Share
“Internationalism is in any case hostile to democracy….The only purely popular government is local, and founded on local knowledge. The citizens can rule the… — G.K. Chesterton Copy Share
“There was a short railway official travelling up to the terminus, three fairly short market-gardeners picked up two stations afterwards, one very short widow… — G.K. Chesterton Copy Share
“Humility is the mother of giants. One sees great things from the valley; only small things from the peak.” — G.K. Chesterton Copy Share
“There exists in such a case a certain institution or law; let us say for the sake of simplicity, a fence or gate erected… — G.K. Chesterton Copy Share
“Man, by a blind instinct, knew that if once things were wildly questioned, reason could be questioned first. The authority of priests to absolve,… — G.K. Chesterton Copy Share
“It is idle to talk always of the alternative of reason and faith. Reason is itself a matter of faith. It is an act… — G.K. Chesterton Copy Share
“But in order that life should be a story or romance to us, it is necessary that a great part of it, at any… — G.K. Chesterton Copy Share
“Buddhism seeks after God with the largest conception it can find, the all-producing and all-absorbing One; Christianity seeks after God with the most elementary… — G.K. Chesterton Copy Share
“Man is more himself, more manlike, when joy is the fundamental thing and grief superficial.” — G.K. Chesterton Copy Share
