--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For good or evil, a line has been passed…" description: "\"For good or evil, a line has been passed in our political history; and something that we have known all our lives is dead. I will take only one example..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a25/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_evil_for-good-or-evil-a-line-has-been-passed_1598109.png" --- # For good or evil, a line has been passed in our political… ![“For good or evil, a line has been passed in our political history; and something that we have known all our lives is dead. I will take only one example of it: our politicians can no longer be caricatured.” quote by Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a25/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_evil_for-good-or-evil-a-line-has-been-passed_1598109.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a25/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_evil_for-good-or-evil-a-line-has-been-passed_1598109.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a25/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_evil_for-good-or-evil-a-line-has-been-passed_1598109.png) > “For good or evil, a line has been passed in our political history; and something that we have known all our lives is dead. I will take only one example of it: our politicians can no longer be caricatured.” [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. He observes that modern politicians can no longer be reduced to simple caricatures, indicating a loss of clear moral narratives. **In simple terms:** Politicians are now complex, losing simple moral labels. Key Takeaway Recognize nuanced political realities. Themes politics morality complexity Mood critical thoughtful Type philosophical commentary When to use this quote - policy analysis - civic education Key Concepts public discourse media representation Questions to Reflect On - How can citizens navigate nuanced politics? - What role should media play in simplifying narratives? A Different Perspective Complexity may confuse voters seeking clear choices. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Caricatured](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caricatured-1857890/) [Dead Example](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dead-example-6072165/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Example](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/example/) [Example Politicians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/example-politicians-6072164/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Known](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/known/) [Life is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-is/) [Lines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lines/) [Longer Caricatured](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longer-caricatured-6072166/) [Our lives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-lives/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Political history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-history/) [Politician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politician/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) ## Related quotes > [Nixon's shifty eyes and perpetual 5 o'clock shadow made him a natural fit for caricatured villainy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-corliss/nixon-s-shifty-eyes-and-perpetual-5-o-clock-shadow-made-him-a-natural/) [Richard Corliss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-corliss/) > [“that the truth often lies below the surface, and a man may be a great deal more than his most easily caricatured characteristics”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/that-the-truth-often-lies-below-the-surface-and-a-man-may-be-a-great/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [It is an odd fact that what we now know of the mental and emotional life of infants surpasses what we comprehend about adolescents.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-j-kaplan/it-is-an-odd-fact-that-what-we-now-know-of-the-mental-and-emotional/) [Louise J. 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Whipple calls fanaticism "religion caricatured," which is a full definition in a word.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-parton/e-p-whipple-calls-fanaticism-religion-caricatured-which-is-a-full/) [James Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-parton/) > [I like the idea of seeing myself animated and caricatured.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shobana/i-like-the-idea-of-seeing-myself-animated-and-caricatured/) [Shobana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shobana/) > [There is hardly any mental misery worse than that of having our own serious phrases, our own rooted beliefs, caricatured by a charlatan or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/there-is-hardly-any-mental-misery-worse-than-that-of-having-our-own/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [Well what's funny is, again, people say they believed what was going on, but again, Bob's hands are about three times bigger than his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-bird/well-what-s-funny-is-again-people-say-they-believed-what-was-going-on/) [Brad Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-bird/) > [ Then you have \[Donald\] Trump. 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The Pashtuns are angry at the Americans because, one, they're still being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-rashid/pashtun-nationalism-is-reasserting-itself-its-political-history-spans/) [Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/) > [Fashion is not just about trends. It's about political history. You can trace it from the ancient Romans to probably until the '80s, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-guinness/fashion-is-not-just-about-trends-it-s-about-political-history-you-can/) [Daphne Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-guinness/) > [On the eve of the Civil War, James Parton could write that 'the political history of the United States, for the last thirty years,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-parton/on-the-eve-of-the-civil-war-james-parton-could-write-that-the/) [James Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-parton/) > [Political history is largely an account of mass violence and of the expenditure of vast resources to cope with mythical fears and hopes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-edelman/political-history-is-largely-an-account-of-mass-violence-and-of-the/) [Murray Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-edelman/) > [“The political history of the twentieth century is the story of greater and more direct political participation. And success kept expanding democracy's scope. Whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fareed-zakaria/the-political-history-of-the-twentieth-century-is-the-story-of/) [Fareed Zakaria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fareed-zakaria/) ## 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. 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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 Evil quotes > [I've always been fascinated by the idea that there's no such thing as evil; it's all in your point of view. To one group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-ve-always-been-fascinated-by-the-idea-that-there-s-no-such-thing-as/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) > [If ever I did a man any goodof course it was something exceptional and insignificant compared with the good or evil which I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-ever-i-did-a-man-any-goodof-course-it-was-something-exceptional/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/every-action-that-helps-us-manifest-our-divine-nature-more-and-more/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [I do conscientiously and sincerely believe that the Order of Freemasonry, if not the greatest, is one of the greatest moral and political evils…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/i-do-conscientiously-and-sincerely-believe-that-the-order-of/) [John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/) > [The Republicans do not look on the Democrats as the evil empire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/the-republicans-do-not-look-on-the-democrats-as-the-evil-empire/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [What is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-is-done-out-of-love-always-takes-place-beyond-good-and-evil/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ Evil cannot be "treated" -- nor should it be. 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