“But there is a way of despising the dandelion which is not that of the dreary pessimist, but of the more offensive… — G.K. Chesterton Gratitude 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
“It is not only possible to say a great deal in praise of play; it is really possible to say the highest… — G.K. Chesterton Human life Copy Share Image
“There are, I believe, some who still deny that England is governed by an oligarchy. It is quite enough for me to… — G.K. Chesterton Oligarchy Copy Share Image
“Until we realize that things might not be, we cannot realize that things are. Until we see the background of darkness, we… — G.K. Chesterton Creation Copy Share Image
“I mean to keep the remaining shots for people in the shameful state you and I were in last night—I wish we… — G.K. Chesterton Life after death Copy Share Image
“The horrible thing about all legal officials, even the best, about all judges, magistrates, barristers, detectives, and policeman, is not that they… — G.K. Chesterton Judges Copy Share Image
“If you have, let us say, a theory about man, and if you can only prove it by talking about Plato and… — G.K. Chesterton Copy Share Image
“This is the first principle of democracy: that the essential things in men are the things they hold in common, not the… — G.K. Chesterton Falling in love Copy Share Image
“It is constantly assured, especially in our Tolstoyan tendencies, that when the lion lies down with the lamb the lion becomes lamb-like.… — G.K. Chesterton Lion Copy Share Image
“In the specially Christian case we have to react against the heavy bias of fatigue. It is almost impossible to make the… — G.K. Chesterton Christianity Copy Share Image
“All the terms used in the science books, 'law,' 'necessity,' 'order,' 'tendency,' and so on, are really unintellectual … The only words… — G.K. Chesterton Books Copy Share Image
“Our friend Tuesday," said the President in a deep voice at once of quietude and volume, "our friend Tuesday doesn't seem to… — G.K. Chesterton Anarchist Copy Share Image
“That Jones shall worship the god within him turns out ultimately to mean that Jones shall worship Jones. Let Jones worship the… — G.K. Chesterton Christianity Copy Share Image
“It is as if a man were asked, 'What is the use of a hammer?' and answered, 'To make hammers'; and when… — G.K. Chesterton Human life 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 Conservative Copy Share Image
“I know the Unknown God," said the little priest, with an unconscious grandeur of certitude that stood up like a granite tower.… — G.K. Chesterton Satan Copy Share Image
“There is no basis for democracy except in a dogma about the divine origin of man. That is a perfectly simple fact… — G.K. Chesterton Creeds Copy Share Image
“It is at least as possible for a Philadelphian to feel the presence of Penn and Franklin as for an Englishman to… — G.K. Chesterton New york city Copy Share Image
“But the more shrewdly and earnestly we study the histories of men, the less ready shall we be to make use of… — G.K. Chesterton Copy Share Image
“A child kicks his legs rhythmically through excess, not absence, of life. Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit… — G.K. Chesterton Children Copy Share Image
“If I beat my grandmother to death to-morrow in the middle of Battersea Park, you may be perfectly certain that people will… — G.K. Chesterton Aesthetics Copy Share Image
“I see everything," he cried, "everything that there is. Why does each thing on the earth war against each other thing? Why… — G.K. Chesterton Anarchist Copy Share Image
“Internationalism is in any case hostile to democracy….The only purely popular government is local, and founded on local knowledge. The citizens can… — G.K. Chesterton Internationalism Copy Share Image
“For most people there is a fascinating inconsistency in the position of St. Francis. He expressed in loftier and bolder language than… — G.K. Chesterton Faith 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 Beauty Copy Share Image
“There exists in such a case a certain institution or law; let us say for the sake of simplicity, a fence or… — G.K. Chesterton Reformer 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 End of the world Copy Share Image
“An imbecile habit has arisen in modern controversy of saying that such and such a creed can be held in one age… — G.K. Chesterton Habits Copy Share Image
“A few people have ventured to imitate Shakespeare's tragedy. But no audacious spirit has dreamed or dared to imitate Shakespeare's comedy. No… — G.K. Chesterton Comedy Copy Share Image
“Therefore I see no wrong in riding with the Nightmare to-night; she whinnies to me from the rocking tree-tops and the roaring… — G.K. Chesterton Fancies Copy Share Image
“No one doubts that an ordinary man can get on with this world: but we demand not strength enough to get on… — G.K. Chesterton Ordinary man Copy Share Image
“The fallacy is one of the fifty fallacies that come from the modern madness for biological or bodily metaphors. It is convenient… — G.K. Chesterton Copy Share Image
“A man treats his own faults as original sin and supposes them scattered everywhere with the seed of Adam. He supposes that… — G.K. Chesterton Character Copy Share Image
“I have never been able to understand where people got the idea that democracy was in some way opposed to tradition. It… — G.K. Chesterton Democracy Copy Share Image
“An imbecile habit has arisen in modern controversy of saying that such and such a creed can be held in one age… — G.K. Chesterton Habits Copy Share Image
“The poor have been rebels, but they have never become anarchists: they have got more interest than anyone in there being some… — G.K. Chesterton Anarchists Copy Share Image
“A man cut off by the sea may save his life if he will risk it on the precipice. He can only… — G.K. Chesterton Death Copy Share Image
“The whole modern world has divided itself into Conservatives and Progressives. The business of Progressives is to go on making mistakes. The… — G.K. Chesterton Business Copy Share Image
“It is not true that we have never been broken. We have been broken upon the wheel. It is not true that… — G.K. Chesterton Copy Share Image
