--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is a thought that stops thought…" description: "\"“There is a thought that stops thought. That is the only thought that ought to be stopped.”\" — G.K. Chesterton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce1/g-k-chesterton-224_thought_there-is-a-thought-that-stops-thought-th_785243.jpg" --- # There is a thought that stops thought. That is the only… ![“There is a thought that stops thought. That is the only thought that ought to be stopped.” quote by G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce1/g-k-chesterton-224_thought_there-is-a-thought-that-stops-thought-th_785243.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce1/g-k-chesterton-224_thought_there-is-a-thought-that-stops-thought-th_785243.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce1/g-k-chesterton-224_thought_there-is-a-thought-that-stops-thought-th_785243.jpg) > ““There is a thought that stops thought. That is the only thought that ought to be stopped.”” [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. The mind can become trapped by a single thought, preventing further reflection; mental freedom requires letting go. **In simple terms:** Stop the thought that stops thinking. Key Takeaway Identify and release mental blocks. Themes cognition mental freedom reflection Mood introspective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - creative writing - problem solving - meditation - decision making Key Concepts philosophy psychology critical thinking Questions to Reflect On - What thought is limiting your progress? - How can you balance focus with openness? A Different Perspective Some thoughts are necessary for focus; too much release can cause indecision. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ought Stopped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ought-stopped-5499059/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Stops Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stops-thought-4689785/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) [Thought Ought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-ought-2786653/) [Thought Stops](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-stops-1589729/) ## Related quotes > [In meditation the mind stops, thought ceases. When thought stops, the world stops. When the world stops, perception stops. When perception stops, the sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/in-meditation-the-mind-stops-thought-ceases-when-thought-stops-the/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“The mercy of the world is time. Time does not stop for love, but it does not stop for death and grief, either. After…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-mercy-of-the-world-is-time-time-does-not-stop-for-love-but-it-2/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [Violence stops thought. Hence its popularity as a pain-killer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/violence-stops-thought-hence-its-popularity-as-a-pain-killer/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [When thought stops, a doorway opens into dimensions that are pure and unassociated. They're nonbinding realities. They're non-samskaric, which simply means that they're beautiful;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/when-thought-stops-a-doorway-opens-into-dimensions-that-are-pure-and/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Seeing occurs, of course, through stopping thought. Thought is the fog. When thought stops in meditation, at any point, when there's no thought, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/seeing-occurs-of-course-through-stopping-thought-thought-is-the-fog/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Nothing stops my thought's from breeding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leaether-strip/nothing-stops-my-thought-s-from-breeding/) [Leaether Strip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leaether-strip/) > [The artists who stick around for a while are the ones who go, 'Oh, that's cool, never thought of that. Ought to do that.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-paisley/the-artists-who-stick-around-for-a-while-are-the-ones-who-go-oh-that/) [Brad Paisley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-paisley/) > [“Who wants a leader who wants to be leader?" And I could see his point there. I've always sort of thought we ought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-rex/who-wants-a-leader-who-wants-to-be-leader-and-i-could-see-his-point/) [Adam Rex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-rex/) > [I had a very good English teacher who said to me that she thought I ought to do it. She - I don't know,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-smith/i-had-a-very-good-english-teacher-who-said-to-me-that-she-thought-i/) [Maggie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-smith/) > [What I thought we ought to try to do in a book like this is to focus closely on Lincoln, himself, to see what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/what-i-thought-we-ought-to-try-to-do-in-a-book-like-this-is-to-focus/) [David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/) > [A sound does not view itself as thought, as ought, as needing another sound for its elucidation, as etc.; it has not time for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cage/a-sound-does-not-view-itself-as-thought-as-ought-as-needing-another/) [John Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cage/) > [It's only a thought and a thought can be changed. Choose good ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/it-s-only-a-thought-and-a-thought-can-be-changed-choose-good-ones/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [Thought determines action. Do not let your whole life be a reaction to the things that happen around you each day. Let your life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-kelly/thought-determines-action-do-not-let-your-whole-life-be-a-reaction-to/) [Matthew Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-kelly/) > [All that we are is the result of what we have thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-that-we-are-is-the-result-of-what-we-have-thought/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Forgotten thought is the ultimate entropy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-lintern/forgotten-thought-is-the-ultimate-entropy/) [Neil Lintern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-lintern/) ## 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 Thought quotes > [When I was trying to come up with a stage name, I thought 'Lord' was super rad, but really masculine - ever since I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorde/when-i-was-trying-to-come-up-with-a-stage-name-i-thought-lord-was/) [Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorde/) > [Life thought me how to laugh, how to cry, how to stick around, how to let go. I've seen things I wish to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/usman-ismaheel/life-thought-me-how-to-laugh-how-to-cry-how-to-stick-around-how-to/) [Usman Ismaheel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/usman-ismaheel/) > [Every thought I have imprisioned in expression I must free by my deeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/every-thought-i-have-imprisioned-in-expression-i-must-free-by-my-deeds/) [Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [“Money is not every thing" but if u are saying this thought u should have enough money.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajay-jaiswal/money-is-not-every-thing-but-if-u-are-saying-this-thought-u-should/) [Ajay Jaiswal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajay-jaiswal/) > [If you strike upon a thought that baffles you, break off from that entanglement and try another, so shall your wits be fresh to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristophanes/if-you-strike-upon-a-thought-that-baffles-you-break-off-from-that/) [Aristophanes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristophanes/) > [“Always wash you feet last.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/always-wash-you-feet-last/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“sometimes when everything seems at its worst when all conspires and gnaws and the hours, days, weeks years seem wasted – stretched there upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/sometimes-when-everything-seems-at-its-worst-when-all-conspires-and/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [People take years learning how to act; it's a skill, not just a job. If I tried it out and thought I'd be OK,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-fimmel/people-take-years-learning-how-to-act-it-s-a-skill-not-just-a-job-if/) [Travis Fimmel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-fimmel/) > [Forgotten thought is the ultimate entropy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-lintern/forgotten-thought-is-the-ultimate-entropy/) [Neil Lintern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-lintern/) > [“What is all that men have done and thought over thousands of years, compared with one moment of love. But in all Nature, too,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-h-lderlin/what-is-all-that-men-have-done-and-thought-over-thousands-of-years/) [Friedrich Hölderlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-h-lderlin/) > [It doesn't matter what your circumstances are at the present moment. Think positively, expect only favorable results and situations, and circumstances will change accordingly.Your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dranil-kr-sinha/it-doesn-t-matter-what-your-circumstances-are-at-the-present-moment/) [DrAnil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dranil-kr-sinha/) > [I thought I had rheumatoid arthritis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-thought-i-had-rheumatoid-arthritis/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [Imagine what you'd do if it absolutely didn't matter what people thought of you. Got it? Good. Never go back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/imagine-what-you-d-do-if-it-absolutely-didn-t-matter-what-people/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [No matter how serious life gets, You still gotta have that one person you can be completely stupid with..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/no-matter-how-serious-life-gets-you-still-gotta-have-that-one-person/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) [Browse all 11,729 Thought quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“There is a thought that stops thought. That is the only thought that ought to be stopped.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "G.K. Chesterton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/there-is-a-thought-that-stops-thought-that-is-the-only-thought-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Thought" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/there-is-a-thought-that-stops-thought-that-is-the-only-thought-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce1/g-k-chesterton-224_thought_there-is-a-thought-that-stops-thought-th_785243.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce1/g-k-chesterton-224_thought_there-is-a-thought-that-stops-thought-th_785243.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce1/g-k-chesterton-224_thought_there-is-a-thought-that-stops-thought-th_785243.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There is a thought that stops thought. That is the only thought that ought to be stopped.” — G.K. Chesterton", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "G.K. Chesterton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“There is a thought that stops...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/there-is-a-thought-that-stops-thought-that-is-the-only-thought-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/there-is-a-thought-that-stops-thought-that-is-the-only-thought-that/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```