--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Have they [the agnostics] produced in…" description: "\"“Have they [the agnostics] produced in their universality anything grander or more beautiful than the things uttered by the fierce Ghibbeline Catholic,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b63/g-k-chesterton-224_quote_have-they-the-agnostics-produced-in-thei_633557.jpg" --- # Have they \[the agnostics\] produced in their universality… ![“Have they [the agnostics] produced in their universality anything grander or more beautiful than the things uttered by the fierce Ghibbeline Catholic, by the rigid Puritan schoolmaster? We know that they have produced only a few roundels. Milton does not merely beat them at his piety, he beats…” quote by G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b63/g-k-chesterton-224_quote_have-they-the-agnostics-produced-in-thei_633557.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b63/g-k-chesterton-224_quote_have-they-the-agnostics-produced-in-thei_633557.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b63/g-k-chesterton-224_quote_have-they-the-agnostics-produced-in-thei_633557.jpg) > ““Have they \[the agnostics\] produced in their universality anything grander or more beautiful than the things uttered by the fierce Ghibbeline Catholic, by the rigid Puritan schoolmaster? We know that they have produced only a few roundels. Milton does not merely beat them at his piety, he beats them at their own irreverence. In all their little books of verse you will not find a finer defiance of God than Satan's. Nor will you find the grandeur of paganism felt as that fiery Christian felt it who described Faranata lifting his head as in disdain of hell.”” [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 argues that religious traditions, especially Catholicism, produce more profound and daring art than agnostic or secular writers. **In simple terms:** Religious art can be more daring and beautiful than secular. Key Takeaway Recognize the depth that tradition can bring to creativity. Themes religion art tradition defiance creativity Mood reflective critical thoughtful Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - writing poetry - studying religious art - comparative literature - philosophical debate Key Concepts theology literary criticism cultural heritage Questions to Reflect On - Can secular works achieve similar depth? - How does tradition both limit and inspire creativity? A Different Perspective It overlooks the value of secular innovation and can be dismissive of non‑religious voices. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Agnostics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agnostics/) [Agnostics Produced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agnostics-produced-5100927/) [Defiance God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defiance-god-5100930/) [Grandeur Paganism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grandeur-paganism-5100928/) [Satan Grandeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/satan-grandeur-5100929/) ## Related quotes > [If all the Atheists & Agnostics left America, they'd lose 93% of The National Academy of Sciences & less than 1% of the prison population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-gervais/if-all-the-atheists-agnostics-left-america-they-d-lose-93-of-the/) [Ricky Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-gervais/) > [“While an ever-increasing number of people consider themselves agnostic, the great majority of these people live as if they are atheists, bereft of all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/while-an-ever-increasing-number-of-people-consider-themselves/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) > [“A number of my fellow religious studies majors- muddled agnostics who didn't know which way was up, who were in the thrall of reason,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/a-number-of-my-fellow-religious-studies-majors-muddled-agnostics-who/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [Sometimes I got my majors mixed up. A number of my fellow religious-studies students - muddled agnostics who didn't know which way was up,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/sometimes-i-got-my-majors-mixed-up-a-number-of-my-fellow-religious/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“Religion suits everyone’s needs, believers, agnostics, atheists and god, just in case it exists”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daya-kudari/religion-suits-everyone-s-needs-believers-agnostics-atheists-and-god/) [Daya Kudari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daya-kudari/) > [“Give me something to worship; whatever.” Cries the human soul”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/give-me-something-to-worship-whatever-cries-the-human-soul/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [“Once you believe that god is not a private property of anybody, you are on your way to becoming a new messiah. Maybe your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/once-you-believe-that-god-is-not-a-private-property-of-anybody-you/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [“I'll be honest about it. It is not atheists who get stuck in my craw, but agnostics. Doubt is useful for a while.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/i-ll-be-honest-about-it-it-is-not-atheists-who-get-stuck-in-my-craw-2/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [The government to you is what God is to agnostics--only to be invoked when your own well being is at stake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitav-ghosh/the-government-to-you-is-what-god-is-to-agnostics-only-to-be-invoked/) [Amitav Ghosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitav-ghosh/) > [The Internet has helped atheists and agnostics coalesce as never before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-strobel/the-internet-has-helped-atheists-and-agnostics-coalesce-as-never/) [Lee Strobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-strobel/) > [“All atheists will go to heaven. If god exists, not believing in him does not take him away and he cannot justly condemn those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/all-atheists-will-go-to-heaven-if-god-exists-not-believing-in-him/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [“It was my first clue that atheists are my brothers and sisters of a different faith, and every word they speak speaks of faith.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/it-was-my-first-clue-that-atheists-are-my-brothers-and-sisters-of-a/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“An atheist is someone who is disappointed in his search of god. He is a man who strongly needed god but couldn't find him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/an-atheist-is-someone-who-is-disappointed-in-his-search-of-god-he-is/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [“Some people are so stiff and inhumane as the dogma's they believe in”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/some-people-are-so-stiff-and-inhumane-as-the-dogma-s-they-believe-in/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [“All the three monotheist religions (Jewish, Christianity and Islam)claims that their God (Yahweh, God and Allah) created humans in a similar way: this indicates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajay-kansal/all-the-three-monotheist-religions-jewish-christianity-and-islam/) [Ajay Kansal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajay-kansal/) ## More by G.K. Chesterton > [“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/) > [“Nothing, again, could be more prosaic and impenetrable than the domestic energies of Miss Diana Duke. But Innocent had somehow blundered on the discovery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/nothing-again-could-be-more-prosaic-and-impenetrable-than-the/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [“The mass of men have been forced to be gay about the little things, but sad about the big ones. Nevertheless (I offer my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/the-mass-of-men-have-been-forced-to-be-gay-about-the-little-things/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [“ask yourself how many people you have met who grumbled at a thing as incurable, and how many who attacked it as curable? How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/ask-yourself-how-many-people-you-have-met-who-grumbled-at-a-thing-as/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [“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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/the-human-race-to-which-so-many-of-my-readers-belong-has-been-playing/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [“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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/internationalism-is-in-any-case-hostile-to-democracy-the-only-purely/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [“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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/there-was-a-short-railway-official-travelling-up-to-the-terminus/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [“Humility is the mother of giants. One sees great things from the valley; only small things from the peak.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/humility-is-the-mother-of-giants-one-sees-great-things-from-the/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [“Anything worth doing is worth doing badly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/anything-worth-doing-is-worth-doing-badly/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [“There exists in such a case a certain institution or law; let us say for the sake of simplicity, a fence or gate erected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/there-exists-in-such-a-case-a-certain-institution-or-law-let-us-say/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [“Man, by a blind instinct, knew that if once things were wildly questioned, reason could be questioned first. The authority of priests to absolve,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/man-by-a-blind-instinct-knew-that-if-once-things-were-wildly/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [“It is idle to talk always of the alternative of reason and faith. Reason is itself a matter of faith. It is an act…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/it-is-idle-to-talk-always-of-the-alternative-of-reason-and-faith/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [“But in order that life should be a story or romance to us, it is necessary that a great part of it, at any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/but-in-order-that-life-should-be-a-story-or-romance-to-us-it-is/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [“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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/buddhism-seeks-after-god-with-the-largest-conception-it-can-find-the/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [“Man is more himself, more manlike, when joy is the fundamental thing and grief superficial.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/man-is-more-himself-more-manlike-when-joy-is-the-fundamental-thing/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) [Explore all 853 G.K. Chesterton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) ## More Agnostics quotes > [If all the Atheists & Agnostics left America, they'd lose 93% of The National Academy of Sciences & less than 1% of the prison population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-gervais/if-all-the-atheists-agnostics-left-america-they-d-lose-93-of-the/) [Ricky Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-gervais/) > [“Some people are so stiff and inhumane as the dogma's they believe in”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/some-people-are-so-stiff-and-inhumane-as-the-dogma-s-they-believe-in/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [“An atheist is someone who is disappointed in his search of god. He is a man who strongly needed god but couldn't find him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/an-atheist-is-someone-who-is-disappointed-in-his-search-of-god-he-is/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [“It was my first clue that atheists are my brothers and sisters of a different faith, and every word they speak speaks of faith.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/it-was-my-first-clue-that-atheists-are-my-brothers-and-sisters-of-a/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“All atheists will go to heaven. If god exists, not believing in him does not take him away and he cannot justly condemn those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/all-atheists-will-go-to-heaven-if-god-exists-not-believing-in-him/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [The Internet has helped atheists and agnostics coalesce as never before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-strobel/the-internet-has-helped-atheists-and-agnostics-coalesce-as-never/) [Lee Strobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-strobel/) > [The government to you is what God is to agnostics--only to be invoked when your own well being is at stake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitav-ghosh/the-government-to-you-is-what-god-is-to-agnostics-only-to-be-invoked/) [Amitav Ghosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitav-ghosh/) > [“I'll be honest about it. It is not atheists who get stuck in my craw, but agnostics. Doubt is useful for a while.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/i-ll-be-honest-about-it-it-is-not-atheists-who-get-stuck-in-my-craw-2/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“Once you believe that god is not a private property of anybody, you are on your way to becoming a new messiah. Maybe your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/once-you-believe-that-god-is-not-a-private-property-of-anybody-you/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [“Give me something to worship; whatever.” Cries the human soul”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/give-me-something-to-worship-whatever-cries-the-human-soul/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [“Religion suits everyone’s needs, believers, agnostics, atheists and god, just in case it exists”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daya-kudari/religion-suits-everyone-s-needs-believers-agnostics-atheists-and-god/) [Daya Kudari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daya-kudari/) > [Sometimes I got my majors mixed up. A number of my fellow religious-studies students - muddled agnostics who didn't know which way was up,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/sometimes-i-got-my-majors-mixed-up-a-number-of-my-fellow-religious/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“A number of my fellow religious studies majors- muddled agnostics who didn't know which way was up, who were in the thrall of reason,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/a-number-of-my-fellow-religious-studies-majors-muddled-agnostics-who/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“While an ever-increasing number of people consider themselves agnostic, the great majority of these people live as if they are atheists, bereft of all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/while-an-ever-increasing-number-of-people-consider-themselves/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) > [“All the three monotheist religions (Jewish, Christianity and Islam)claims that their God (Yahweh, God and Allah) created humans in a similar way: this indicates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajay-kansal/all-the-three-monotheist-religions-jewish-christianity-and-islam/) [Ajay Kansal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajay-kansal/) [Browse all 81 Agnostics quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agnostics/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Have they [the agnostics] produced in their universality anything grander or more beautiful than the things uttered by the fierce Ghibbeline Catholic, by the rigid Puritan schoolmaster? 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