--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I say that a man must be certain of his…" description: "\"I say that a man must be certain of his morality for the simple reason that he has to suffer for it.\" — Gilbert K. Chesterton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cf/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_certain_i-say-that-a-man-must-be-certain-of-his_2793350.png" --- # I say that a man must be certain of his morality for the… ![“I say that a man must be certain of his morality for the simple reason that he has to suffer for it.” quote by Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cf/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_certain_i-say-that-a-man-must-be-certain-of-his_2793350.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cf/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_certain_i-say-that-a-man-must-be-certain-of-his_2793350.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cf/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_certain_i-say-that-a-man-must-be-certain-of-his_2793350.png) > “I say that a man must be certain of his morality for the simple reason that he has to suffer for it.” [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. Moral certainty is essential because it entails personal sacrifice; one must be prepared to endure consequences of one's ethics. **In simple terms:** Being moral may require suffering. Key Takeaway Accept moral responsibility. Themes morality certainty sacrifice Mood reflective serious Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - ethical dilemmas - leadership decisions - social activism - personal choices Key Concepts ethical philosophy personal integrity Questions to Reflect On - What costs are you willing to bear for your values? - How do you handle moral conflict? A Different Perspective Moral rigidity can cause inflexibility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Dignity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dignity/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Morality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morality/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) ## Related quotes > [“Man must be certain of his morality for the simple reason that he has to suffer for it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/man-must-be-certain-of-his-morality-for-the-simple-reason-that-he-has/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [Morality is not a simple set of rules. It's a very complex struggle of conflicting patterns of values. This conflict is the residue of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-pirsig/morality-is-not-a-simple-set-of-rules-it-s-a-very-complex-struggle-of/) [Robert M. Pirsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-pirsig/) > [You have to adhere to a certain morality, a certain level of decorum, or else you'll be punished and labeled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/you-have-to-adhere-to-a-certain-morality-a-certain-level-of-decorum/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [Tis certain that Morality is an indispensable Requisite of true Religion, and there can be none without it. But it would become the Pride…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-richardson/tis-certain-that-morality-is-an-indispensable-requisite-of-true/) [Samuel Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-richardson/) > [You move totally away from reality when you believe that there is a legitimate reason to suffer".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/byron-katie/you-move-totally-away-from-reality-when-you-believe-that-there-is-a/) [Byron Katie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/byron-katie/) > [There is really no reason to suffer. The only reason you suffer is because you choose to suffer. If you look at your life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-angel-ruiz/there-is-really-no-reason-to-suffer-the-only-reason-you-suffer-is/) [Miguel Angel Ruiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-angel-ruiz/) > [“John does not know how much I really suffer. He knows there is no reason to suffer, and that satisfies him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/john-does-not-know-how-much-i-really-suffer-he-knows-there-is-no/) [Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/) > [And the law, that is the perfection of reason, cannot suffer anything that is inconvenient.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-coke/and-the-law-that-is-the-perfection-of-reason-cannot-suffer-anything/) [Edward Coke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-coke/) > [“I am glad my case is not serious! But these nervous troubles are dreadfully depressing. John does not know how much I really suffer.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/i-am-glad-my-case-is-not-serious-but-these-nervous-troubles-are/) [Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/) > [“John doesn't know how much I really suffer. He knows there is no reason to suffer, and that satisfies him. It is getting to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/john-doesn-t-know-how-much-i-really-suffer-he-knows-there-is-no/) [Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/) > [Reality - the way that is, exactly as it is, in every moment - is always kind. It's our story about reality that blurs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/byron-katie/reality-the-way-that-is-exactly-as-it-is-in-every-moment-is-always/) [Byron Katie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/byron-katie/) > [To say that a man is made up of certain chemical elements is a satisfactory description only for those who intend to use him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-joseph-muller/to-say-that-a-man-is-made-up-of-certain-chemical-elements-is-a/) [Hermann Joseph Muller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-joseph-muller/) > [“Man is certain of nothing but his ability to fail”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/man-is-certain-of-nothing-but-his-ability-to-fail/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [Every man becomes, to a certain degree, what the people he generally converses with are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-man-becomes-to-a-certain-degree-what-the-people-he-generally/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“He's a full grown man of a certain age - of which I now know - and a mouthwatering one at that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-ellen-malpas/he-s-a-full-grown-man-of-a-certain-age-of-which-i-now-know-and-a/) [Jodi Ellen Malpas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-ellen-malpas/) ## 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 Certain quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [People don't always realize that a record is forever. It'll always be there under your name. You've got to be certain that it's right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-iero/people-don-t-always-realize-that-a-record-is-forever-it-ll-always-be/) [Frank Iero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-iero/) > [Faith gives you a certain structure and meaning to your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riffat-hassan/faith-gives-you-a-certain-structure-and-meaning-to-your-life/) Riffat Hassan > [I started out dancing on a reality TV show, but always with the intention of making my way over to film. I transitioned into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-hough/i-started-out-dancing-on-a-reality-tv-show-but-always-with-the/) [Julianne Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-hough/) > [One of the deepest and strangest of all human moods is the mood which will suddenly strike us perhaps in a garden at night,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-deepest-and-strangest-of-all-human-moods-is-the-mood-which/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [I mean those people who are interested in good government will certainly contribute in order to make certain there's some counter-balance to those whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-breyer/i-mean-those-people-who-are-interested-in-good-government-will/) [Stephen Breyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-breyer/) > [Why do we love certain homes, and why do they seem to love us? It is the warmth of our individual hearts reflected in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-h-robsjohn-gibbings/why-do-we-love-certain-homes-and-why-do-they-seem-to-love-us-it-is/) T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbings > [Human life consists of doing certain things ... to take part in the life of the community; to be able to talk about subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/human-life-consists-of-doing-certain-things-to-take-part-in-the-life/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [We've all seen talented young players who get to a certain level but there comes a point where that talent will only take you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-gatland/we-ve-all-seen-talented-young-players-who-get-to-a-certain-level-but/) [Warren Gatland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-gatland/) > [The concept of humanity is an especially useful ideological instrument of imperialist expansion, and in its ethical-humanitarian form it is a specific vehicle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-concept-of-humanity-is-an-especially-useful-ideological/) [Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/) > [I think that at a certain age, say fifteen or sixteen, poetry is like masturbation. But later in life good poets burn their early…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/i-think-that-at-a-certain-age-say-fifteen-or-sixteen-poetry-is-like/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [If a person does not listen to the demands of their own spiritual and heart life and insists on a certain program, you're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/if-a-person-does-not-listen-to-the-demands-of-their-own-spiritual-and/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) Browse all 13,673 Certain quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I say that a man must be certain of his morality for the simple reason that he has to suffer for it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gilbert K. Chesterton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/i-say-that-a-man-must-be-certain-of-his-morality-for-the-simple/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Certain" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/i-say-that-a-man-must-be-certain-of-his-morality-for-the-simple/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cf/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_certain_i-say-that-a-man-must-be-certain-of-his_2793350.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cf/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_certain_i-say-that-a-man-must-be-certain-of-his_2793350.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cf/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_certain_i-say-that-a-man-must-be-certain-of-his_2793350.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I say that a man must be certain of his morality for the simple reason that he has to suffer for it.” — 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": "I say that a man must...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/i-say-that-a-man-must-be-certain-of-his-morality-for-the-simple/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/i-say-that-a-man-must-be-certain-of-his-morality-for-the-simple/#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 } } ] } ```