---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No man can break any of the Ten…"
description: "\"No man can break any of the Ten Commandments. He can only break himself against them.\" — Gilbert K. Chesterton"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/497/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_break_no-man-can-break-any-of-the-ten-commandm_3130952.png"
---

#  No man can break any of the Ten Commandments. He can only…

![“No man can break any of the Ten Commandments. He can only break himself against them.” quote by Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/497/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_break_no-man-can-break-any-of-the-ten-commandm_3130952.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/497/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_break_no-man-can-break-any-of-the-ten-commandm_3130952.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/497/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_break_no-man-can-break-any-of-the-ten-commandm_3130952.png)

> “No man can break any of the Ten Commandments. He can only break himself against 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.

Moral law is immutable; individuals can only fail themselves by opposing it, not the law itself.

**In simple terms:** You can’t break the law, only yourself by fighting it.

Key Takeaway

Respect moral absolutes.

Themes

morality self‑discipline law ethics

Mood

reflective serious

Type

ethical philosophical

When to use this quote

- legal debates
- personal decisions
- spiritual practice

Key Concepts

philosophy self‑reflection

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you ever feel you’re fighting a principle you truly believe?
- How can self‑compassion help when you feel you’ve broken a rule?

A Different Perspective

Law may be interpreted differently across cultures.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Break](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/break/) [Break Commandments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/break-commandments-622773/) [Commandments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commandments/) [Commandments Break](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commandments-break-787045/) [Man Break](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-break-263795/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Ten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ten/) [Ten commandments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ten-commandments/)

## Related quotes

> [“We cannot break the Ten Commandments. We can only break ourselves against them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecil-b-demille/we-cannot-break-the-ten-commandments-we-can-only-break-ourselves/)

[Cecil B. DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecil-b-demille/)

> [“In writing, a good guy must never break any of the Ten Commandments. A bad guy must break every one. That's why writing female…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-black/in-writing-a-good-guy-must-never-break-any-of-the-ten-commandments-a/)

[Kimberly Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-black/)

> [We may not all break the Ten Commandments, but we are certainly all capable of it. Within us lurks the breaker of all laws,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/we-may-not-all-break-the-ten-commandments-but-we-are-certainly-all/)

[Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/)

> [“Why do the Ten Commandments begin with a prohibition of idolatry? It is, Luther argued, because we never break the other commandments without breaking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/why-do-the-ten-commandments-begin-with-a-prohibition-of-idolatry-it/)

[Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/)

> [In vain we call old notions fudge, And bend our conscience to our dealing; The Ten Commandments will not budge, And stealing will continue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/in-vain-we-call-old-notions-fudge-and-bend-our-conscience-to-our/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [Man has made 32 million laws since THE COMMANDMENTS were handed down to Moses on Mount Sinai more than three thousand years ago, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecil-b-demille/man-has-made-32-million-laws-since-the-commandments-were-handed-down/)

[Cecil B. DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecil-b-demille/)

> [In ten phrases, the ten commandments express the essential of life. And these three words--liberty, equality, and fraternity--do just as much. Millions of people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krzysztof-kieslowski/in-ten-phrases-the-ten-commandments-express-the-essential-of-life-and/)

[Krzysztof Kieslowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krzysztof-kieslowski/)

> [I favor candidates who are biblically oriented, who hold the views of the Ten Commandments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bright/i-favor-candidates-who-are-biblically-oriented-who-hold-the-views-of/)

[Bill Bright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bright/)

> [If God had been a liberal, we wouldn't have had the Ten Commandments - we'd have the Ten Suggestions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-bradbury/if-god-had-been-a-liberal-we-wouldn-t-have-had-the-ten-commandments/)

[Malcolm Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-bradbury/)

> [We have staked the whole future of our new nation, not upon the power of government; far from it. We have staked the future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/we-have-staked-the-whole-future-of-our-new-nation-not-upon-the-power/)

[James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/)

> [The only way those Ten Commandments and prayer would be stripped from that Courtroom is with the force of arms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fob-james/the-only-way-those-ten-commandments-and-prayer-would-be-stripped-from/)

[Fob James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fob-james/)

> [When you hear people demanding that the Ten Commandments be displayed in courtrooms and schoolrooms, always be sure to ask which set. It works…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/when-you-hear-people-demanding-that-the-ten-commandments-be-displayed/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [There are ten commandments, I've only broken three.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-love/there-are-ten-commandments-i-ve-only-broken-three/)

[Courtney Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-love/)

> [In my book I specifically discussed the structural nature of injustice and offered Nine Touchstones of Goddess ethics as an alternative to the Ten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-p-christ/in-my-book-i-specifically-discussed-the-structural-nature-of/)

[Carol P. Christ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-p-christ/)

> [The Ten Commandments don't tell you what you ought to do: They only put ideas into your head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bibesco/the-ten-commandments-don-t-tell-you-what-you-ought-to-do-they-only/)

[Elizabeth Bibesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bibesco/)

## 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 Break quotes

> [I made, like, five movies while I was in college. I think they just weren't memorable movies. I've taken breaks as the years have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-made-like-five-movies-while-i-was-in-college-i-think-they-just/)

[Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/)

> [Things are going well in Germany because the economy is booming and as an export-driven nation, we are profiting from the fact that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-schulz/things-are-going-well-in-germany-because-the-economy-is-booming-and/)

[Martin Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-schulz/)

> [There were songs that we cut out after we chose the name, because 'Praise Break' turned out to be an underlying concept that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-caesar/there-were-songs-that-we-cut-out-after-we-chose-the-name-because/)

[Daniel Caesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-caesar/)

> [“He didn't break my heart. No one can break your heart except you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/he-didn-t-break-my-heart-no-one-can-break-your-heart-except-you/)

[Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/)

> [“She couldn't break the orbit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/she-couldn-t-break-the-orbit/)

[Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/)

> [Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding. Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that its heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/your-pain-is-the-breaking-of-the-shell-that-encloses-your/)

[Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/)

> [Must I go bound while you go free Must I love a manwho doesn't love me Must I be born with so little art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/must-i-go-bound-while-you-go-free-must-i-love-a-manwho-doesn-t-love/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [I hadn't worked for a year when I had my Prison Break audition and it was the easiest audition I've ever had. I got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wentworth-miller/i-hadn-t-worked-for-a-year-when-i-had-my-prison-break-audition-and-it/)

[Wentworth Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wentworth-miller/)

> [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/)

> [“A hole ain’t nothing either, but you can still break your neck in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-donati/a-hole-ain-t-nothing-either-but-you-can-still-break-your-neck-in-it/)

[Sara Donati](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-donati/)

> [“I break things, a lot of things, but I don’t want one of them to be you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/i-break-things-a-lot-of-things-but-i-don-t-want-one-of-them-to-be-you/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

> [Motor racing's less of a sport these days than a commercial break doing 150 mph.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-dunne/motor-racing-s-less-of-a-sport-these-days-than-a-commercial-break/)

[Peter Dunne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-dunne/)

> [Much like teaching art to young art students age 10 to 15 or so on, you have to break it down into bite-sized pieces,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/much-like-teaching-art-to-young-art-students-age-10-to-15-or-so-on/)

[Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/)

> [The purpose is to be in gratitude forever. Live with applied consciousness, prosperity will break through the walls, flood you with it. You do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh-yogi/the-purpose-is-to-be-in-gratitude-forever-live-with-applied/)

[Harbhajan Singh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh-yogi/)

> [Never break another man's rice bowl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akio-morita/never-break-another-man-s-rice-bowl/)

[Akio Morita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akio-morita/)

[Browse all 8,188 Break quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/break/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "No man can break any of the Ten Commandments.  He can only break himself against them.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Gilbert K. Chesterton"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/no-man-can-break-any-of-the-ten-commandments-he-can-only-break/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Break"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/no-man-can-break-any-of-the-ten-commandments-he-can-only-break/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/497/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_break_no-man-can-break-any-of-the-ten-commandm_3130952.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/497/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_break_no-man-can-break-any-of-the-ten-commandm_3130952.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/497/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_break_no-man-can-break-any-of-the-ten-commandm_3130952.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“No man can break any of the Ten Commandments. He can only break himself against them.” — 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": "No man can break any of...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/no-man-can-break-any-of-the-ten-commandments-he-can-only-break/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/no-man-can-break-any-of-the-ten-commandments-he-can-only-break/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
