--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They stoned the false prophets, it is…" description: "\"“They stoned the false prophets, it is said; but they could have stoned true prophets with a greater and juster enjoyment.”\" — G.K. Chesterton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/291/g-k-chesterton-224_false-prophets_they-stoned-the-false-prophets-it-is-sai_795330.jpg" --- # They stoned the false prophets, it is said; but they could… ![“They stoned the false prophets, it is said; but they could have stoned true prophets with a greater and juster enjoyment.” quote by G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/291/g-k-chesterton-224_false-prophets_they-stoned-the-false-prophets-it-is-sai_795330.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/291/g-k-chesterton-224_false-prophets_they-stoned-the-false-prophets-it-is-sai_795330.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/291/g-k-chesterton-224_false-prophets_they-stoned-the-false-prophets-it-is-sai_795330.jpg) > ““They stoned the false prophets, it is said; but they could have stoned true prophets with a greater and juster enjoyment.”” [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. Points out that true prophets may be punished more severely, suggesting that truth can be more threatening than falsehood. **In simple terms:** Truth can be more dangerous than lies. Key Takeaway Recognize the power of truth. Themes faith justice truth prophecy societal critique Mood critical provocative Type philosophical social commentary When to use this quote - political discourse - religious debate - media analysis - legal judgments Key Concepts Moral philosophy religious critique social commentary Questions to Reflect On - Why might societies punish truth more harshly? - What protects falsehood from criticism? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex moral situations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [False prophets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/false-prophets/) [Prophets Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prophets-said-957748/) [Said Stoned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said-stoned-6100017/) [Stoned False](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stoned-false-6100016/) [True Prophets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-prophets-2431116/) ## Related quotes > [Damon Lindelof said, "There are three kinds of prophets - crazy people, like the Guilty Remnant, false prophets, who just want money, sexy and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-glenn/damon-lindelof-said-there-are-three-kinds-of-prophets-crazy-people/) [Scott Glenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-glenn/) > [Satan will advocate that it is cool to doubt spiritual gifts and the teachings of true prophets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-f-uchtdorf/satan-will-advocate-that-it-is-cool-to-doubt-spiritual-gifts-and-the/) [Dieter F. Uchtdorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-f-uchtdorf/) > [“How is it that hardly any major religion has looked at science and said, 'This is better than we thought! The universe is much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/how-is-it-that-hardly-any-major-religion-has-looked-at-science-and-3/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [How is it that hardly any major religion has looked at science and concluded, “This is better than we thought! The Universe is much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/how-is-it-that-hardly-any-major-religion-has-looked-at-science-and/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [The poor are always prophetic. As true prophets always point out, they reveal God's design. That is why we should take time to listen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-vanier/the-poor-are-always-prophetic-as-true-prophets-always-point-out-they/) [Jean Vanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-vanier/) > [Will you be slack, brethren, and let the evil come upon us, when we forewarn you of the future events that are coming;… We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heber-c-kimball/will-you-be-slack-brethren-and-let-the-evil-come-upon-us-when-we/) [Heber C. Kimball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heber-c-kimball/) > [We must believe what is good and true about the prophets, that they were sages, that they did understand what proceeded from their mouths,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/origen/we-must-believe-what-is-good-and-true-about-the-prophets-that-they/) [Origen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/origen/) > [“It is, therefore, necessary to be suspicious of those who seek to convince us with means other than reason, and of charismatic leaders: we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/primo-levi/it-is-therefore-necessary-to-be-suspicious-of-those-who-seek-to/) [Primo Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/primo-levi/) > [Prophet just means intellectual. They were people giving geopolitical analysis, moral lessons, that sort of thing. We call them intellectuals today. There were the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/prophet-just-means-intellectual-they-were-people-giving-geopolitical/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There is a principle of human affairs that goes back millennia, which is that you don't look in the mirror. You can trace this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-is-a-principle-of-human-affairs-that-goes-back-millennia-which/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [The Bible is full of warnings about false prophets and false messiahs. These satanically inspired people have appeared in almost every generation of history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/the-bible-is-full-of-warnings-about-false-prophets-and-false-messiahs/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [You got a lot of fradulent rebels and revolutionaries who are really false prophets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prodigy/you-got-a-lot-of-fradulent-rebels-and-revolutionaries-who-are-really/) [Prodigy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prodigy/) > [“Historically, all ethics undoubtedly begin with religion; but I do not now deal with historical questions. I do not ask who was the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-r-popper/historically-all-ethics-undoubtedly-begin-with-religion-but-i-do-not/) [Karl R. Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-r-popper/) > [A biblical false prophet was a servant of the devil attempting to lead people away from the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-martin/a-biblical-false-prophet-was-a-servant-of-the-devil-attempting-to/) [Walter Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-martin/) > [The problem that we have is the President himself- a President who prides himself on his own weakness and incompetence and whose love of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/femi-fani-kayode/the-problem-that-we-have-is-the-president-himself-a-president-who/) [Femi Fani-Kayode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/femi-fani-kayode/) ## 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 False prophets quotes > [The problem that we have is the President himself- a President who prides himself on his own weakness and incompetence and whose love of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/femi-fani-kayode/the-problem-that-we-have-is-the-president-himself-a-president-who/) [Femi Fani-Kayode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/femi-fani-kayode/) > [A biblical false prophet was a servant of the devil attempting to lead people away from the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-martin/a-biblical-false-prophet-was-a-servant-of-the-devil-attempting-to/) [Walter Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-martin/) > [“Historically, all ethics undoubtedly begin with religion; but I do not now deal with historical questions. I do not ask who was the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-r-popper/historically-all-ethics-undoubtedly-begin-with-religion-but-i-do-not/) [Karl R. Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-r-popper/) > [You got a lot of fradulent rebels and revolutionaries who are really false prophets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prodigy/you-got-a-lot-of-fradulent-rebels-and-revolutionaries-who-are-really/) [Prodigy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prodigy/) > [The Bible is full of warnings about false prophets and false messiahs. These satanically inspired people have appeared in almost every generation of history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/the-bible-is-full-of-warnings-about-false-prophets-and-false-messiahs/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [There is a principle of human affairs that goes back millennia, which is that you don't look in the mirror. You can trace this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-is-a-principle-of-human-affairs-that-goes-back-millennia-which/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Prophet just means intellectual. They were people giving geopolitical analysis, moral lessons, that sort of thing. We call them intellectuals today. There were the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/prophet-just-means-intellectual-they-were-people-giving-geopolitical/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [To return to higher standards of living we must abandon the false prophets and seek new leaders of our own choosing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/to-return-to-higher-standards-of-living-we-must-abandon-the-false/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [“Almost every book in the NT has something to say about false beliefs and those who advocate them. We are warned, e.g., about false…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/almost-every-book-in-the-nt-has-something-to-say-about-false-beliefs/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [After the prophets, the false prophets; after the apostles, the false apostles; after Christ, anti-Christ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-chrysostom/after-the-prophets-the-false-prophets-after-the-apostles-the-false/) [John Chrysostom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-chrysostom/) > [The more I studied the Bible, however, I had to admit that the prosperity message did not line up with the tenor of Scripture.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-bakker/the-more-i-studied-the-bible-however-i-had-to-admit-that-the/) [Jim Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-bakker/) > [“But other hordes would come, and other false prophets. Our feeble efforts to ameliorate man’s lot would be but vaguely continued by our successors;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-yourcenar/but-other-hordes-would-come-and-other-false-prophets-our-feeble/) [Marguerite Yourcenar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-yourcenar/) > [“you think the Pope or the circular denominational church can deceive the elect ? NO SIR ! she knows better than that. the false…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-tornyenyor/you-think-the-pope-or-the-circular-denominational-church-can-deceive/) [Mary Tornyenyor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-tornyenyor/) > [You expect two-year olds to wear diapers and make a mess with just about everything they touch. 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