--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [I]t's difficult to make people see that…" description: "\"“[I]t's difficult to make people see that what you have been taught counts for nothing, and that the only things worth having are the things you find o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/485/dorothy-l-sayers-738_christian-religion_i-t-s-difficult-to-make-people-see-that_1177069.jpg" --- # \[I\]t's difficult to make people see that what you have… ![“[I]t's difficult to make people see that what you have been taught counts for nothing, and that the only things worth having are the things you find out for yourself. Also, that when so many brands of what Chesterton calls 'fancy souls' and theories of life are offered you, there is no sense in…” quote by Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/485/dorothy-l-sayers-738_christian-religion_i-t-s-difficult-to-make-people-see-that_1177069.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/485/dorothy-l-sayers-738_christian-religion_i-t-s-difficult-to-make-people-see-that_1177069.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/485/dorothy-l-sayers-738_christian-religion_i-t-s-difficult-to-make-people-see-that_1177069.jpg) > ““\[I\]t's difficult to make people see that what you have been taught counts for nothing, and that the only things worth having are the things you find out for yourself. Also, that when so many brands of what Chesterton calls 'fancy souls' and theories of life are offered you, there is no sense in not looking pretty carefully to see what you are going in for. \[...\] It isn't a case of 'Here is the Christian religion, the one authoritative and respectable rule of life. Take it or leave it'. It's 'Here's a muddling kind of affair called Life, and here are nineteen or twenty different explanations of it, all supported by people whose opinions are not to be sneezed at. Among them is the Christian religion in which you happpen to have been brought up. Your friend so-and-so has been brought up in quite a different way of thinking; is a perfectly splendid person and thoroughly happy. What are you going to do about it?' -- I'm worrying it out quietly, and whatever I get hold of will be valuable, because I've got it for myself; but really, you know, the whole question is not as simple as it looks.”” [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote urges personal inquiry over blind acceptance, recognizing many worldviews coexist and each individual must discern truth for themselves. **In simple terms:** Seek truth yourself, not just follow teachings. Key Takeaway Question assumptions, explore personally. Themes critical thinking religion personal growth Mood reflective inquisitive Type philosophical contemplative When to use this quote - education - interfaith dialogue - career choices - ethical decisions Key Concepts epistemology pluralism existentialism Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance personal discovery with respect for others' beliefs? - What criteria guide you when evaluating competing worldviews? A Different Perspective May overlook the value of shared traditions that provide community support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Christian religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian-religion/) [Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/) [Diversity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diversity/) [Guidance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guidance/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Looking pretty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looking-pretty/) [Meaning of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaning-of-life/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Rule of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rule-of-life/) [Self determination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-determination/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) [Way of thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way-of-thinking/) ## Related quotes > [“He had just graduated from college...and he wanted to decide whether life was worth living. 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T”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-balogh/he-watched-her-go-wondering-if-life-ever-offered-happiness-in-more/) [Mary Balogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-balogh/) > [People spend a lifetime looking for more, when they could have spent a lifetime enjoying what life has offered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-spend-a-lifetime-looking-for-more-when-they-could-have-spent-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [G.K. Chesterton was the best writer of the 20th century. He said something about everything and he said it better than anybody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-ahlquist/g-k-chesterton-was-the-best-writer-of-the-20th-century-he-said/) [Dale Ahlquist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-ahlquist/) > [“I never use paradox. The statements I make are wearisome and obvious common sense. I have even been driven to the tedium of reading…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/i-never-use-paradox-the-statements-i-make-are-wearisome-and-obvious/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) ## More by Dorothy L. Sayers > [“The really essential factors of success in any undertaking are money and opportunity, and as a rule, the man who can make the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/the-really-essential-factors-of-success-in-any-undertaking-are-money/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [The trouble is. . .that everybody sneers at restrictions and demands freedom, till something annoying happens; then they demand angrily what has become of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/the-trouble-is-that-everybody-sneers-at-restrictions-and-demands/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [“ Peter! Were you looking for a horse-shoe?" "No; I was expecting the horse, but the shoe is a piece of pure, gorgeous luck."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/peter-were-you-looking-for-a-horse-shoe-no-i-was-expecting-the-horse/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [ “See that the mind is honest, first; the rest may follow or not as God wills. \[That\] the fundamental treason to the mind ...… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/see-that-the-mind-is-honest-first-the-rest-may-follow-or-not-as-god/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [But it is the mark of all movements, however well-intentioned, that their pioneers tend, by much lashing of themselves into excitement, to lose sight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/but-it-is-the-mark-of-all-movements-however-well-intentioned-that/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [We may argue eloquently that 'Honesty is the best Policy' - unfortunately, the moment honesty is adopted for the sake of policy it mysteriously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/we-may-argue-eloquently-that-honesty-is-the-best-policy-unfortunately/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [One must not only die daily, but every day we must be born again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/one-must-not-only-die-daily-but-every-day-we-must-be-born-again/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [“By teaching them all to read, we have left them at the mercy of the printed word. By the invention of the film and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/by-teaching-them-all-to-read-we-have-left-them-at-the-mercy-of-the/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [ Perhaps \[the critics are right and\] the drama is played out now and Jesus is safely dead and buried. Perhaps. It is ironical and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/perhaps-the-critics-are-right-and-the-drama-is-played-out-now-and/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [... at no point have I yet found artistic truth and theological truth at variance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/at-no-point-have-i-yet-found-artistic-truth-and-theological-truth-at/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [I have never yet heard any middle-aged man or woman who worked with his or her brains express any regret for the passing of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/i-have-never-yet-heard-any-middle-aged-man-or-woman-who-worked-with/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [“That was the second time within five minutes that he had warned her off his private ground. His mood had changed since the early…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/that-was-the-second-time-within-five-minutes-that-he-had-warned-her/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [“To obey orders in this family has been my privilege for the last twenty years--a privilege which has been an unqualified pleasure, except perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/to-obey-orders-in-this-family-has-been-my-privilege-for-the-last/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [Those who make some other person their job... are dangerous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/those-who-make-some-other-person-their-job-are-dangerous/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [“Yes, and look at the corpses. Place always reminds me of that old thing in Punch, you know—‘Waiter, take away Lord Whatsisname, he’s been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/yes-and-look-at-the-corpses-place-always-reminds-me-of-that-old-thing/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) [Explore all 386 Dorothy L. Sayers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) ## More Chesterton quotes > [“I never use paradox. The statements I make are wearisome and obvious common sense. I have even been driven to the tedium of reading…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/i-never-use-paradox-the-statements-i-make-are-wearisome-and-obvious/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [G.K. Chesterton was the best writer of the 20th century. He said something about everything and he said it better than anybody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-ahlquist/g-k-chesterton-was-the-best-writer-of-the-20th-century-he-said/) [Dale Ahlquist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-ahlquist/) > [“the function of the imagination for Chesterton is not to make the notional and theoretical concrete and real as for Newman, but to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-ker/the-function-of-the-imagination-for-chesterton-is-not-to-make-the/) Ian Ker > [“It may be incredible that one creed is the truth and the others are relatively false. At the same time, it is not only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/it-may-be-incredible-that-one-creed-is-the-truth-and-the-others-are/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [You start reading C.S. Lewis, then you’re reading G.K. Chesterton, then you’re a Catholic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-douthat/you-start-reading-c-s-lewis-then-you-re-reading-g-k-chesterton-then/) [Ross Douthat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-douthat/) > [“The greatest influence in writing was G. K. Chesterton who never used a useless word, who saw the value of a paradox, and avoided…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-greatest-influence-in-writing-was-g-k-chesterton-who-never-used-a/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Chesterton is quoted as saying, “When a man stops believing in God, he doesn’t then believe in nothing, he believes anything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-driscoll/chesterton-is-quoted-as-saying-when-a-man-stops-believing-in-god-he/) [Mark Driscoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-driscoll/) > [“GK Chesterton once said that “thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-fargo/gk-chesterton-once-said-that-thanks-are-the-highest-form-of-thought/) [Tim Fargo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-fargo/) > [“He always wrote on the flyleaf of each new book the date and where he was, so I can follow him: reading Chesterton just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macneil/he-always-wrote-on-the-flyleaf-of-each-new-book-the-date-and-where-he/) [Robert MacNeil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macneil/) > [“in their times; we need to see more clearly than we do that the spirit of the age in which he grew to manhood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-oddie/in-their-times-we-need-to-see-more-clearly-than-we-do-that-the-spirit/) William Oddie > [“I’m a great fan of Chesterton, you know. He once said that he became a Catholic because we’re the only religion that sees no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-d-o-brien/i-m-a-great-fan-of-chesterton-you-know-he-once-said-that-he-became-a/) [Michael D. O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-d-o-brien/) > [“Chesterton says, in essence, that there is a dislocation of humility in our times. We have become more confident in who we are and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/chesterton-says-in-essence-that-there-is-a-dislocation-of-humility-in/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [“It isn’t that they can’t see the solution. It’s that they can’t see the problem.” —G. K. Chesterton”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-a-roberto/it-isn-t-that-they-can-t-see-the-solution-it-s-that-they-can-t-see/) Michael A. Roberto > [“British writer G. K. Chesterton gave a famous two-word response when a newspaper asked its readers to share what they thought was wrong with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-guyton/british-writer-g-k-chesterton-gave-a-famous-two-word-response-when-a/) [Morgan Guyton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-guyton/) > [“Chesterton had an incorrigible and persistent tendency to throw-the-baby-out-with-the-bathwater.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-alan-woods/chesterton-had-an-incorrigible-and-persistent-tendency-to-throw-the/) [R. Alan Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-alan-woods/) Browse all 41 Chesterton quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“[I]t's difficult to make people see that what you have been taught counts for nothing, and that the only things worth having are the things you find out for yourself. Also, that when so many brands of what Chesterton calls 'fancy souls' and theories of life are offered you, there is no sense in not looking pretty carefully to see what you are going in for. [...] It isn't a case of 'Here is the Christian religion, the one authoritative and respectable rule of life. Take it or leave it'. It's 'Here's a muddling kind of affair called Life, and here are nineteen or twenty different explanations of it, all supported by people whose opinions are not to be sneezed at. Among them is the Christian religion in which you happpen to have been brought up. Your friend so-and-so has been brought up in quite a different way of thinking; is a perfectly splendid person and thoroughly happy. What are you going to do about it?' -- I'm worrying it out quietly, and whatever I get hold of will be valuable, because I've got it for myself; but really, you know, the whole question is not as simple as it looks.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dorothy L. 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