---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One can hardly think too little of one's…"
description: "\"One can hardly think too little of one's self. One can hardly think too much of one's soul.\" — Gilbert K. Chesterton"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/384/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_identity_one-can-hardly-think-too-little-of-one-s_116151.png"
---

#  One can hardly think too little of one's self. One can…

![“One can hardly think too little of one's self. One can hardly think too much of one's soul.” quote by Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/384/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_identity_one-can-hardly-think-too-little-of-one-s_116151.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/384/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_identity_one-can-hardly-think-too-little-of-one-s_116151.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/384/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_identity_one-can-hardly-think-too-little-of-one-s_116151.png)

> “One can hardly think too little of one's self. One can hardly think too much of one's soul.”

[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.

Self‑esteem and spiritual depth are both essential; neglecting either leads to imbalance.

**In simple terms:** Balance ego and soul.

Key Takeaway

Both self‑respect and spiritual reflection matter.

Themes

self‑worth spirituality balance

Mood

thoughtful inspirational

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- personal growth coaching
- religious counseling
- leadership development

Key Concepts

psychological health moral philosophy

Practical Applications

- daily self‑reflection journal
- mindful meditation on purpose

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you gauge when you are over‑valuing self versus neglecting inner life?
- What practices help you nurture both self‑esteem and soul?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

## Related quotes

> [What I call my 'self' now is hardly a person at all. It's mainly a meeting place for various natural forces, desires, and fears,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/what-i-call-my-self-now-is-hardly-a-person-at-all-it-s-mainly-a/)

[C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/)

> [“It seems that we had...not a better education, per se, but perhaps more incentive to use it. They learn, but they hardly think.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/it-seems-that-we-had-not-a-better-education-per-se-but-perhaps-more/)

[Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/)

> [you are so great, and I am so small, I hardly can think of you, World, at all](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-brighty-rands/you-are-so-great-and-i-am-so-small-i-hardly-can-think-of-you-world-at/)

William Brighty Rands

> [Men aspiring to be free can hardly think of enslaving others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/men-aspiring-to-be-free-can-hardly-think-of-enslaving-others/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [“Rain, in your glorious presence, Miss Temminnick? I hardly think it should dare.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carriger/rain-in-your-glorious-presence-miss-temminnick-i-hardly-think-it/)

[Gail Carriger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carriger/)

> [“When I stay in one Place, I can hardly think at all; my body had to be on the move to set my mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rousseau/when-i-stay-in-one-place-i-can-hardly-think-at-all-my-body-had-to-be/)

ROUSSEAU

> [“money I could hardly think of it. “Go on, take it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/money-i-could-hardly-think-of-it-go-on-take-it/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [Never did I think so much, exist so much, be myself so much as in the journeys I have made alone and on foot.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/never-did-i-think-so-much-exist-so-much-be-myself-so-much-as-in-the/)

[Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/)

> [“I think that your soul needs to learn that it is always loved, no matter whether your mother is there to see it or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tricia-o-malley/i-think-that-your-soul-needs-to-learn-that-it-is-always-loved-no/)

[Tricia O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tricia-o-malley/)

> [In the end, I don't think you can find soul. Soul finds you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-cocker/in-the-end-i-don-t-think-you-can-find-soul-soul-finds-you/)

[Joe Cocker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-cocker/)

> [I don't think I am a soul singer and definitely don't think that I am a country artist by any stretch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anderson-east/i-don-t-think-i-am-a-soul-singer-and-definitely-don-t-think-that-i-am/)

[Anderson East](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anderson-east/)

> [I don't think anyone, until their soul leaves their body, is past the point of no return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/i-don-t-think-anyone-until-their-soul-leaves-their-body-is-past-the/)

[Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/)

> [Man, do you think yours is the only soul? Look around you. Everything that you see quivers with being. Though your thoughts are free,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-rard-de-nerval/man-do-you-think-yours-is-the-only-soul-look-around-you-everything/)

[Gerard De Nerval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-rard-de-nerval/)

> [I think that whenever soul is present, it's because what you're doing, whom you're with, where you are, evokes love without your thinking about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-shinoda-bolen/i-think-that-whenever-soul-is-present-it-s-because-what-you-re-doing/)

[Jean Shinoda Bolen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-shinoda-bolen/)

> [The one thing in the world of value is the active soul. And I think that soul doesn't necessarily die after we're dead and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-eldon/the-one-thing-in-the-world-of-value-is-the-active-soul-and-i-think/)

[Kathy Eldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-eldon/)

## 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 Identity quotes

> [I don't doubt that straight white men have identity issues and identity complexes and struggle with defining themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-simien/i-don-t-doubt-that-straight-white-men-have-identity-issues-and/)

[Justin Simien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-simien/)

> [In the hearing world, I'm constantly having to lip-read and trying to understand what's going on. Sign language is so beautiful. It gives you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-ayling-ellis/in-the-hearing-world-i-m-constantly-having-to-lip-read-and-trying-to/)

[Rose Ayling-Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-ayling-ellis/)

> [I think the next 50 years are going to present the human race with challenges that so far exceed the limitations of geopolitical boundaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-quinto/i-think-the-next-50-years-are-going-to-present-the-human-race-with/)

[Zachary Quinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-quinto/)

> [You have expressive nationalism, I mean very identity driven, which shaped each other a lot of that in the Middle East.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/subrahmanyam-jaishankar/you-have-expressive-nationalism-i-mean-very-identity-driven-which/)

[Subrahmanyam Jaishankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/subrahmanyam-jaishankar/)

> [Family over friends, because real friends are family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/family-over-friends-because-real-friends-are-family/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I think everybody, or the great majority of human beings, have this aspiration to become other: to live a different identity, at least for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/i-think-everybody-or-the-great-majority-of-human-beings-have-this/)

[Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/)

> [The language we share is at the core of our identity as citizens, and our ticket to full participation in American political life. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-i-hayakawa/the-language-we-share-is-at-the-core-of-our-identity-as-citizens-and/)

[S. I. Hayakawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-i-hayakawa/)

> [Tell me how much a nation knows about its own language, and I will tell you how much that nation knows about its own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ciardi/tell-me-how-much-a-nation-knows-about-its-own-language-and-i-will/)

[John Ciardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ciardi/)

> [I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not "true" because we're hungry for another kind of truth:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-think-that-most-of-us-anyway-read-these-stories-that-we-know-are/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [“In the worldly life, due to maadakta (intoxication of the ego of ‘I am Chandubhai’), one has completely lost awareness of everything about one’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/in-the-worldly-life-due-to-maadakta-intoxication-of-the-ego-of-i-am/)

[Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/)

> [“At the moment, then, of Man’s victory over Nature, we find the whole human race subjected to some individual men, and those individuals subjected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/at-the-moment-then-of-man-s-victory-over-nature-we-find-the-whole/)

[C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/)

> [She might be without country, without nation, but inside her there was still a being that could exist and be free, that could simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-maas/she-might-be-without-country-without-nation-but-inside-her-there-was/)

[Sharon Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-maas/)

> [“Self-realization or self-knowing or awakening is about knowing/ becoming conscious of our true nature and living in harmony with the universe in an ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-vazhakunnathu/self-realization-or-self-knowing-or-awakening-is-about-knowing/)

[Thomas Vazhakunnathu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-vazhakunnathu/)

> [“There are some things that one individual can do for another, and there are some things that one race can do for another. But,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/there-are-some-things-that-one-individual-can-do-for-another-and/)

[Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/)

> [“Why were there no words that spoke positively about being concerned about the self? Why was there only negative connotation in terms like "selfish",…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-dalton/why-were-there-no-words-that-spoke-positively-about-being-concerned/)

A.J. Dalton

[Browse all 11,949 Identity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "One can hardly think too little of one's self. One can hardly think too much of one's soul.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Gilbert K. Chesterton"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/one-can-hardly-think-too-little-of-one-s-self-one-can-hardly-think/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Identity"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/one-can-hardly-think-too-little-of-one-s-self-one-can-hardly-think/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/384/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_identity_one-can-hardly-think-too-little-of-one-s_116151.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/384/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_identity_one-can-hardly-think-too-little-of-one-s_116151.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/384/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_identity_one-can-hardly-think-too-little-of-one-s_116151.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“One can hardly think too little of one's self. One can hardly think too much of one's soul.” — 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": "One can hardly think too little...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/one-can-hardly-think-too-little-of-one-s-self-one-can-hardly-think/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/one-can-hardly-think-too-little-of-one-s-self-one-can-hardly-think/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
