--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Estates are sometimes held by foolish…" description: "\"“Estates are sometimes held by foolish forms, the breaking of a stick or the payment of a peppercorn. I was willing to hold the whole huge estate of ea..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a23/g-k-chesterton-224_fairy-tale_estates-are-sometimes-held-by-foolish-fo_299896.jpg" --- # Estates are sometimes held by foolish forms, the breaking… ![“Estates are sometimes held by foolish forms, the breaking of a stick or the payment of a peppercorn. I was willing to hold the whole huge estate of earth and heaven by any such feudal fantasy. It could not well be wilder than the fact that I was allowed to hold it at all. At this stage I give only…” quote by G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a23/g-k-chesterton-224_fairy-tale_estates-are-sometimes-held-by-foolish-fo_299896.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a23/g-k-chesterton-224_fairy-tale_estates-are-sometimes-held-by-foolish-fo_299896.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a23/g-k-chesterton-224_fairy-tale_estates-are-sometimes-held-by-foolish-fo_299896.jpg) > ““Estates are sometimes held by foolish forms, the breaking of a stick or the payment of a peppercorn. I was willing to hold the whole huge estate of earth and heaven by any such feudal fantasy. It could not well be wilder than the fact that I was allowed to hold it at all. At this stage I give only one ethical instance to show my meaning. I could never mix in the common murmur of the rising generation against monogamy, because no restriction on sex seemed so odd and unexpected as sex itself. To be allowed, like Endymion, to make love to the moon and then to complain that Jupiter kept his own moons in a harem seemed to me (bred on fairy tales like Endymion's) a vulgar anticlimax.Keeping to one woman is a small price for so much as seeing one woman. To complain that I could only be married once was like complaining that I could only be born once. It was incommensurate with the terrible excitement of which one was talking. It showed, not an exaggerated sensibility to sex, but a curious insensibility to it. A man is a fool who complains that he cannot enter Eden by five gates at once. Polygamy is a lack of the realization of sex; it is like a man plucking five pears in mere absence of mind.”” [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Chesterton satirically argues that monogamy is a modest price for deep intimacy, while polygamy reflects a superficial, mindless pursuit of sexual variety. **In simple terms:** Monogamy offers depth; polygamy shows shallow desire. Key Takeaway Value depth over quantity in relationships. Themes relationships sexuality monogamy polygamy philosophy Mood thoughtful reflective Type philosophical satirical When to use this quote - marriage counseling - personal relationships - cultural debates on fidelity - literary analysis Key Concepts existential critique satire ethical paradox Questions to Reflect On - How does society shape our view of monogamy? - Can multiple partners ever provide the same depth as one? A Different Perspective Polygamy may be culturally accepted and emotionally fulfilling for some individuals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Endymion Vulgar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/endymion-vulgar-2867299/) [Fairy tale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairy-tale/) [Fairy tales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairy-tales/) [Gates Polygamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gates-polygamy-2867301/) [Like Endymion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-endymion-2867302/) [Polygamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/polygamy/) [Polygamy Lack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/polygamy-lack-2867300/) ## Related quotes > [“Fairy tales, then, are not responsible for producing in children fear, or any of the shapes of fear; fairy tales do not give the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/fairy-tales-then-are-not-responsible-for-producing-in-children-fear/) [G.K. 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I was willing to hold the whole huge estate of earth and heaven by any such feudal fantasy. It could not well be wilder than the fact that I was allowed to hold it at all. At this stage I give only one ethical instance to show my meaning. I could never mix in the common murmur of the rising generation against monogamy, because no restriction on sex seemed so odd and unexpected as sex itself. To be allowed, like Endymion, to make love to the moon and then to complain that Jupiter kept his own moons in a harem seemed to me (bred on fairy tales like Endymion's) a vulgar anticlimax.Keeping to one woman is a small price for so much as seeing one woman. To complain that I could only be married once was like complaining that I could only be born once. It was incommensurate with the terrible excitement of which one was talking. It showed, not an exaggerated sensibility to sex, but a curious insensibility to it. A man is a fool who complains that he cannot enter Eden by five gates at once. 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