Art Quotes by G.K. Chesterton

14 Art quotes by G.K. Chesterton

G.K. Chesterton’s brief set of fourteen art quotes captures his signature wit, delivering sharp, paradoxical observations that linger. It’s a compact glimpse into his playful yet profound take on creativity.

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“The duty of the artist lies in keeping alive a sense of wonder in the world.”

G.K. Chesterton

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“Art, like morality, consists of drawing the line somewhere.”

G.K. Chesterton

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“Art is born when the temporary touches the eternal; the shock of beauty is when the irresistible force hits the immovable post.”

G.K. Chesterton

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“A fairly clear line separated advertisement from art. The First Effect I should say the first effect of the triumph of the…

G.K. Chesterton

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“We are talking about an artist; What he makes outside him must correspond to something inside him; he can only make his…

G.K. Chesterton

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“I am sure that it was only because Michael Angelo was engaged in the ancient and honourable occupation of lying in bed…

G.K. Chesterton

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“Imagination does not breed insanity. Exactly what does breed insanity is reason. Poets do not go mad; but chess-players do. Mathematicians go…

G.K. Chesterton

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“most cannibalism is not a primitive or even a bestial habit. It is artificial and even artistic; a sort of art for…

G.K. Chesterton

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“Blasphemy is an artistic effect, because blasphemy depends upon a philosophical conviction. Blasphemy depends upon belief and is fading with it. If…

G.K. Chesterton

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“Humility is the luxurious art of reducing ourselves to a point, not to a small thing or a large one, but to…

G.K. Chesterton

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“My own general thesis was somewhat to this effect: that Artists have worried the world by being wantonly, needlessly, and gratuitously progressive.…

G.K. Chesterton

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“An artist is identical with an anarchist,' he cried. 'You might transpose the words anywhere. An anarchist is an artist. The man…

G.K. Chesterton

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“We have all read in scientific books, and, indeed, in all romances, the story of the man who has forgotten his name.…

G.K. Chesterton

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“The suburb of Saffron Park lay on the sunset side of London, as red and ragged as a cloud of sunset. It…

G.K. Chesterton

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“I never use paradox. The statements I make are wearisome and obvious common sense. I have even been driven to the tedium of reading…

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“Nothing, again, could be more prosaic and impenetrable than the domestic energies of Miss Diana Duke. But Innocent had somehow blundered on the discovery…

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“The mass of men have been forced to be gay about the little things, but sad about the big ones. Nevertheless (I offer my…

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“ask yourself how many people you have met who grumbled at a thing as incurable, and how many who attacked it as curable? How…

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“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

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“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

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“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