--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All men thirst to confess their crimes…" description: "\"All men thirst to confess their crimes more than tired beasts thirst for water; but they naturally object to confessing them while other people, who ha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4eb/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_beast_all-men-thirst-to-confess-their-crimes-m_944792.png" --- # All men thirst to confess their crimes more than tired… ![“All men thirst to confess their crimes more than tired beasts thirst for water; but they naturally object to confessing them while other people, who have also committed the same crimes, sit by and laugh at them.” quote by Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4eb/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_beast_all-men-thirst-to-confess-their-crimes-m_944792.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4eb/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_beast_all-men-thirst-to-confess-their-crimes-m_944792.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4eb/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_beast_all-men-thirst-to-confess-their-crimes-m_944792.png) > “All men thirst to confess their crimes more than tired beasts thirst for water; but they naturally object to confessing them while other people, who have also committed the same crimes, sit by and laugh at them.” [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-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. People are eager to admit wrongdoing but resist when others do the same, preferring to watch from a distance. **In simple terms:** People confess easily but dislike others confessing. Key Takeaway Recognize your own bias before judging others. Themes hypocrisy justice human nature Mood reflective critical thoughtful Type aphilosophical observational When to use this quote - courtrooms - political scandals - online shaming - friend groups Key Concepts self‑deception social comparison Questions to Reflect On - Do you judge others more harshly than yourself? - How does group dynamics affect honesty? A Different Perspective Confession can be weaponized, causing shame rather than healing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beast/) [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Morality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morality/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) ## Related quotes > [“My name is John Creedmoor, and I would like to confess my crimes. Hope you all weren't going anywhere this week...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-gilman/my-name-is-john-creedmoor-and-i-would-like-to-confess-my-crimes-hope/) Felix Gilman > [“Men who thirst for freedom will find it, even if they drink at a poisoned well.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-lafferty/men-who-thirst-for-freedom-will-find-it-even-if-they-drink-at-a/) [Linda Lafferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-lafferty/) > [There is a difference between admitting and confessing. Admitting involves softening, making excuses for things that cannot be excused; confessing just names the crimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/there-is-a-difference-between-admitting-and-confessing-admitting/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [I treat anger, grief and strife as a sin, so I let all that go and I am no longer living a sinful life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kam-williams/i-treat-anger-grief-and-strife-as-a-sin-so-i-let-all-that-go-and-i-am/) [Kam Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kam-williams/) > [Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved; and to be steady on all the battlefield besides, is mere flight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/where-the-battle-rages-there-the-loyalty-of-the-soldier-is-proved-and/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [“In a sense, and as in melodrama, killing yourself amounts to confessing. It is confessing that life is too much for you or that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/in-a-sense-and-as-in-melodrama-killing-yourself-amounts-to-confessing/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [POCKET, n. The cradle of motive and the grave of conscience. In woman this organ is lacking; so she acts without motive, and her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/pocket-n-the-cradle-of-motive-and-the-grave-of-conscience-in-woman/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [It is like confessing to a murder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/it-is-like-confessing-to-a-murder/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [Saying that you spend Christmas alone is, to most middle-class Americans, akin to confessing a terminal illness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/saying-that-you-spend-christmas-alone-is-to-most-middle-class/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [So what do you have to confess now?" I don't know why I'm saying any of this, except that is the truth. "I'm confessing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/so-what-do-you-have-to-confess-now-i-don-t-know-why-i-m-saying-any-of/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [In an age when the fashion is to be in love with yourself, confessing to be in love with somebody else is an admission…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-an-age-when-the-fashion-is-to-be-in-love-with-yourself-confessing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“ so that's what you do you command attention my cheeks flush as i smile shyly confessing i can't help it ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupi-kaur/so-that-s-what-you-do-you-command-attention-my-cheeks-flush-as-i/) [Rupi Kaur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupi-kaur/) > [Ultimately, our lives hinge on the ability to make right choices and decisions. By God's grace, I made the most important decision a person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-a-dickey/ultimately-our-lives-hinge-on-the-ability-to-make-right-choices-and/) [R.A. Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-a-dickey/) > [“One obvious and rather sobering meaning of losing your life by confessing Christ is to lose it, literally, physically, in sustaining and defending your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-todd-christofferson/one-obvious-and-rather-sobering-meaning-of-losing-your-life-by/) [D. Todd Christofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-todd-christofferson/) > [Fear is a natural occurrence. We often fear confessing our feelings because we have a greater fear-the fear of rejection. But, if we feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krystal-osheanna-julien/fear-is-a-natural-occurrence-we-often-fear-confessing-our-feelings/) Krystal Osheanna Julien ## More by Gilbert K. Chesterton > [The aim of good prose words is to mean what they say. The aim of good poetical words is to mean what they do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-aim-of-good-prose-words-is-to-mean-what-they-say-the-aim-of-good/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Youth is always too serious, and just now it is too serious about frivolity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/youth-is-always-too-serious-and-just-now-it-is-too-serious-about/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Tradition does not mean a dead town; it does not mean that the living are dead but that the dead are alive. It means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/tradition-does-not-mean-a-dead-town-it-does-not-mean-that-the-living/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [It is shorter to state the things forbidden than the things permitted; precisely because most things are permitted and only a few things forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/it-is-shorter-to-state-the-things-forbidden-than-the-things-permitted/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Everyone seems to assume that the unscrupulous parts of journalism will be the frivolous or jocular parts. This is against all ethical experience. Jokes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/everyone-seems-to-assume-that-the-unscrupulous-parts-of-journalism/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [For Scotland has a double dose of the poison called heredity; the sense of blood in the aristocrat, the sense of doom in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/for-scotland-has-a-double-dose-of-the-poison-called-heredity-the/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Faith is always at a disadvantage; it is a perpetually defeated thing which survives all conquerors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/faith-is-always-at-a-disadvantage-it-is-a-perpetually-defeated-thing/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [A building is akin to dogma; it is insolent, like dogma. Whether or no it is permanent, it claims permanence, like a dogma. People…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/a-building-is-akin-to-dogma-it-is-insolent-like-dogma-whether-or-no/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [The triangle of truisms, of father, mother and child, cannot be destroyed; it can only destroy those civilizations which disregard it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-triangle-of-truisms-of-father-mother-and-child-cannot-be/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Criticism is only words about words, and of what use are words about such words as these?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/criticism-is-only-words-about-words-and-of-what-use-are-words-about/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [What we suffer from today is humility in the wrong place...The old humility was a spur that prevented a man from stopping; not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/what-we-suffer-from-today-is-humility-in-the-wrong-place-the-old/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Plato was only a Bernard Shaw who unfortunately made his jokes in Greek.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/plato-was-only-a-bernard-shaw-who-unfortunately-made-his-jokes-in/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [The word good has many meanings...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-word-good-has-many-meanings/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Music with dinner is an insult both to the cook and the violinist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/music-with-dinner-is-an-insult-both-to-the-cook-and-the-violinist/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Eugenics asserts that all men must be so stupid that they cannot manage their own affairs; and also so clever that they can manage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/eugenics-asserts-that-all-men-must-be-so-stupid-that-they-cannot/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) [Explore all 868 Gilbert K. Chesterton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) ## More Beast quotes > [We became Homo sapiens not that long ago, from the scientific perspective, and we've retained a lot of our beast nature. We've done all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangechi-mutu/we-became-homo-sapiens-not-that-long-ago-from-the-scientific/) [Wangechi Mutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangechi-mutu/) > [“Once upon a time, there was a naïve and innocent girl who thought she could tame the beast and live happily ever after. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nenia-campbell/once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-na-ve-and-innocent-girl-who-thought-she/) [Nenia Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nenia-campbell/) > [Is man no more than this? Consider him well. Thou ow'st the worm no silk, the beast no hide, the sheep no wool, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/is-man-no-more-than-this-consider-him-well-thou-ow-st-the-worm-no/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [In giving us dominion over the animal kingdom God has signified His will that we subdue the beast within ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lancaster-spalding/in-giving-us-dominion-over-the-animal-kingdom-god-has-signified-his/) [John Lancaster Spalding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lancaster-spalding/) > [ No visiting angel, or explorer from another planet, could have guessed that this bland orb \[Earth\] teemed with vermin, with world-mastering, self-torturing, incipiently angelic… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaf-stapledon/no-visiting-angel-or-explorer-from-another-planet-could-have-guessed/) [Olaf Stapledon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaf-stapledon/) > [As a beast of toil an ox is fixed capital. If he is eaten, he no longer functions as an instrument of labour, nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/as-a-beast-of-toil-an-ox-is-fixed-capital-if-he-is-eaten-he-no-longer/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [« He squeezed his hands into fists. I picked up a grapefruit-sized rock and handed it to him. It went flying. Home run, Beast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/he-squeezed-his-hands-into-fists-i-picked-up-a-grapefruit-sized-rock/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [Was man made stupid to see his own stupidity? Is God by definition indifferent, beyond us all? Is the eternal truth man's fighting soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-eberhart/was-man-made-stupid-to-see-his-own-stupidity-is-god-by-definition/) [Richard Eberhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-eberhart/) > [When a man is treated like a beast, he says, 'After all, I'm human.' When he behaves like a beast, he says 'After all,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/when-a-man-is-treated-like-a-beast-he-says-after-all-i-m-human-when/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [The American people are incredibly generous and even playful when you open yourself up and feed the media beast until it goes away satisfied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krystal-ball/the-american-people-are-incredibly-generous-and-even-playful-when-you/) [Krystal Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krystal-ball/) > [Wherever I am, I see the yoke on women in some form or another. On some it sits easy for they are but beasts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abby-may-alcott/wherever-i-am-i-see-the-yoke-on-women-in-some-form-or-another-on-some/) [Abby May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abby-may-alcott/) > [“He's a beast. A monster. And he looks like he wants to devour me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-darhower/he-s-a-beast-a-monster-and-he-looks-like-he-wants-to-devour-me/) [J.M. Darhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-darhower/) > [ Antichrist is the pope and the Turk \[Muslim\] together. A beast full of life must have a body and soul. The spirit or soul… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/antichrist-is-the-pope-and-the-turk-muslim-together-a-beast-full-of/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [My hero among heroes is my grandmother, she's the epitome of strength and I try to mock that strength all the time. She's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeriel-miranda/my-hero-among-heroes-is-my-grandmother-she-s-the-epitome-of-strength/) [Aeriel Miranda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeriel-miranda/) > [You've heard tales of beauty and the beast. How a fair maid falls in love with a monster and sees the beauty of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-maitland/you-ve-heard-tales-of-beauty-and-the-beast-how-a-fair-maid-falls-in/) [Karen Maitland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-maitland/) [Browse all 1,640 Beast quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beast/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "All men thirst to confess their crimes more than tired beasts thirst for water; but they naturally object to confessing them while other people, who have also committed the same crimes, sit by and laugh at them.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gilbert K. Chesterton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/all-men-thirst-to-confess-their-crimes-more-than-tired-beasts-thirst/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Beast" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/all-men-thirst-to-confess-their-crimes-more-than-tired-beasts-thirst/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4eb/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_beast_all-men-thirst-to-confess-their-crimes-m_944792.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4eb/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_beast_all-men-thirst-to-confess-their-crimes-m_944792.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4eb/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_beast_all-men-thirst-to-confess-their-crimes-m_944792.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“All men thirst to confess their crimes more than tired beasts thirst for water; but they naturally object to…” — Gilbert 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": "Gilbert K. Chesterton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "All men thirst to confess their...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/all-men-thirst-to-confess-their-crimes-more-than-tired-beasts-thirst/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/all-men-thirst-to-confess-their-crimes-more-than-tired-beasts-thirst/#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 } } ] } ```