---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The average man votes below himself; he…"
description: "\"The average man votes below himself; he votes with half a mind or a hundredth part of one. A man ought to vote with the whole of himself, as he worship..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/634/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_average_the-average-man-votes-below-himself-he-v_2590145.jpg"
---

#  The average man votes below himself; he votes with half a…

![“The average man votes below himself; he votes with half a mind or a hundredth part of one. A man ought to vote with the whole of himself, as he worships or gets married. A man ought to vote with his head and heart, his soul and stomach, his eye for faces and his ear for music; also (when…” quote by Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/634/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_average_the-average-man-votes-below-himself-he-v_2590145.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/634/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_average_the-average-man-votes-below-himself-he-v_2590145.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/634/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_average_the-average-man-votes-below-himself-he-v_2590145.jpg)

> “The average man votes below himself; he votes with half a mind or a hundredth part of one. A man ought to vote with the whole of himself, as he worships or gets married. A man ought to vote with his head and heart, his soul and stomach, his eye for faces and his ear for music; also (when sufficiently provoked) with his hands and feet. If he has ever seen a fine sunset, the crimson color of it should creep into his vote. The question is not so much whether only a minority of the electorate votes. The point is that only a minority of the voter votes.”

[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.

Voting should engage the whole person—mind, heart, senses—rather than a detached, half‑hearted act.

**In simple terms:** Vote with full personal involvement.

Key Takeaway

Vote thoughtfully and passionately.

Themes

civic duty integrity holistic engagement

Mood

thoughtful serious

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- elections
- community meetings
- public debates

Key Concepts

philosophy ethics participation

Questions to Reflect On

- How can citizens be motivated to vote fully?
- What role does emotion play in political decisions?

A Different Perspective

Voter apathy can limit impact.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Average](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/average/) [Average man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/average-man/) [Color](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/color/) [Creeps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creeps/) [Crimson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crimson/) [Ears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ears/) [Electorate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/electorate/) [Electorate Votes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/electorate-votes-1853019/) [Eye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eye/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Feet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feet/) [Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fine/) [Half](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/half/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Hands and feet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands-and-feet/) [Head and heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/head-and-heart/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [His eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/his-eyes/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Married](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/married/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Minorities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minorities/) [Minority Electorate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minority-electorate-1853018/) [Minority Voter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minority-voter-1853017/) [Not voting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/not-voting/) [Ought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ought/) [Ought Vote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ought-vote-1853015/) [Provoked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/provoked/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Stomach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stomach/) [Sunset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sunset/) [Vote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vote/) [Vote Worships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vote-worships-1853016/) [Voters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voters/) [Voting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voting/) [Whole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole/) [Worship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worship/)

## Related quotes

> [Most often the electorate votes for change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sirota/most-often-the-electorate-votes-for-change/)

[David Sirota](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sirota/)

> [I don't want to get into an argument with somebody about how they ought to vote.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kasich/i-don-t-want-to-get-into-an-argument-with-somebody-about-how-they/)

[John Kasich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kasich/)

> [If the federal government is going to cost $100 million or more of your jobs going away, at a minimum the people who are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/if-the-federal-government-is-going-to-cost-100-million-or-more-of/)

[Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/)

> [“Captain Jim thought women were delightful creatures, who ought to have the vote, and everything else they wanted, bless their hearts; but he did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/captain-jim-thought-women-were-delightful-creatures-who-ought-to-have/)

[L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/)

> [My book is focused on the power of the American state, not least because the government of the United States governs so much that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-gitlin/my-book-is-focused-on-the-power-of-the-american-state-not-least/)

[Todd Gitlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-gitlin/)

> [I'm not voting for Hillary Clinton.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-heck/i-m-not-voting-for-hillary-clinton/)

[Joe Heck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-heck/)

> [If you let the world roll on the way it's rolling, you're voting for death. I'm not voting for death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mollison/if-you-let-the-world-roll-on-the-way-it-s-rolling-you-re-voting-for/)

[Bill Mollison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mollison/)

> [Not voting is one of the worst things that could happen in our community. You can vote for whoever you want to, but choosing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otis-moss-iii/not-voting-is-one-of-the-worst-things-that-could-happen-in-our/)

[Otis Moss III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otis-moss-iii/)

> [People who think I'm gay, some part of me thinks it's wonderful. Because I want to challenge people on their homophobia. I love seeing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/people-who-think-i-m-gay-some-part-of-me-thinks-it-s-wonderful/)

[Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/)

> [I don't know what's going to happen. But I will say this, you're going to have a lot of very unhappy people. And I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-don-t-know-what-s-going-to-happen-but-i-will-say-this-you-re-going/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [Now more than ever the people are responsible for the character of their Congress. If that body be ignorant, reckless, and corrupt, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/now-more-than-ever-the-people-are-responsible-for-the-character-of/)

[James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/)

> [The vote gives us the power to hire or fire governments. By not voting you diminish and weaken all of us. You reduce and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-danzig/the-vote-gives-us-the-power-to-hire-or-fire-governments-by-not-voting/)

[Jon Danzig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-danzig/)

> [Models: I'm not voting for you for any stupid magazine list! If you were really that Hot you wouldn't have to beg the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-tosh/models-i-m-not-voting-for-you-for-any-stupid-magazine-list-if-you/)

[Daniel Tosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-tosh/)

> [In reality, there is no such thing as not voting: you either vote by voting, or you vote by staying home and tacitly doubling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/in-reality-there-is-no-such-thing-as-not-voting-you-either-vote-by/)

[David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/)

> [Normally when people say they haven't decided, they're being polite but they're definitely not voting for you. I think it's different this time. People…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cameron/normally-when-people-say-they-haven-t-decided-they-re-being-polite/)

[David Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cameron/)

## 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 Average quotes

> [I genuinely did not expect more than half our nation to choose to walk away from our long-term allies into the arms of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-reade/i-genuinely-did-not-expect-more-than-half-our-nation-to-choose-to/)

[Brian Reade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-reade/)

> [There were times last year when people looked at the scoreboard and thought my batting average was the temperature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buck-martinez/there-were-times-last-year-when-people-looked-at-the-scoreboard-and/)

[Buck Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buck-martinez/)

> [The average condition of the people improving or deteriorating, depends upon whether population is advancing faster than improvement, or improvement than population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/the-average-condition-of-the-people-improving-or-deteriorating/)

[John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

> [In comparative terms, there's no poverty in America by a long shot. Heritage Foundation political scientist Robert Rector has worked up figures showing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/in-comparative-terms-there-s-no-poverty-in-america-by-a-long-shot/)

[P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/)

> [The average well-being of our societies is not dependent any longer on national income and economic growth. ... But the differences between us and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-g-wilkinson/the-average-well-being-of-our-societies-is-not-dependent-any-longer/)

[Richard G. Wilkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-g-wilkinson/)

> [I really focus more to hit for average, just try to put the ball in play as much as I can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-soto/i-really-focus-more-to-hit-for-average-just-try-to-put-the-ball-in/)

[Juan Soto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-soto/)

> [You give me enough shots, I'll average 20. You give me a particular system where I stick close to the basket, I'll average 10 rebounds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-bosh/you-give-me-enough-shots-i-ll-average-20-you-give-me-a-particular/)

[Chris Bosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-bosh/)

> [The average ordinary citizen can do a lot of different things when it comes to the climate crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bender/the-average-ordinary-citizen-can-do-a-lot-of-different-things-when-it/)

[Lawrence Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bender/)

> [The average American expends more time becoming informed about choosing a car than choosing a candidate. But, then, the consequences of the former choice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/the-average-american-expends-more-time-becoming-informed-about/)

[George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/)

> [My phone rings, they call me up and say, 'Chael, your testosterone level is too high.' I say, 'Well, how high was it?' They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/my-phone-rings-they-call-me-up-and-say-chael-your-testosterone-level/)

[Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/)

> [In one century, we've added 28 years to our average life span - a change so rapid that our brains couldn't possibly have evolved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/in-one-century-we-ve-added-28-years-to-our-average-life-span-a-change/)

[Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/)

> [So-called Western Civilization, as practised in half of Europe, some of Asia and a few parts of North America, is better than anything else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/so-called-western-civilization-as-practised-in-half-of-europe-some-of/)

[P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/)

> [I feel like what motivates me is what would motivate the regular average person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rico-nasty/i-feel-like-what-motivates-me-is-what-would-motivate-the-regular/)

[Rico Nasty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rico-nasty/)

> [We're trying to do something so that when the average person uses Pinterest, it has to make the service better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-silbermann/we-re-trying-to-do-something-so-that-when-the-average-person-uses/)

[Ben Silbermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-silbermann/)

> [The extraordinary woman depends on the ordinary woman. It is only when we know what were the conditions of the average woman's life -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-extraordinary-woman-depends-on-the-ordinary-woman-it-is-only-when/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

[Browse all 2,816 Average quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/average/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The average man votes below himself; he votes with half a mind or a hundredth part of one. A man ought to vote with the whole of himself, as he worships or gets married. A man ought to vote with his head and heart, his soul and stomach, his eye for faces and his ear for music; also (when sufficiently provoked) with his hands and feet. If he has ever seen a fine sunset, the crimson color of it should creep into his vote. The question is not so much whether only a minority of the electorate votes. The point is that only a minority of the voter votes.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Gilbert K. Chesterton"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-average-man-votes-below-himself-he-votes-with-half-a-mind-or-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Average"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-average-man-votes-below-himself-he-votes-with-half-a-mind-or-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/634/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_average_the-average-man-votes-below-himself-he-v_2590145.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/634/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_average_the-average-man-votes-below-himself-he-v_2590145.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/634/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_average_the-average-man-votes-below-himself-he-v_2590145.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The average man votes below himself; he votes with half a mind or a hundredth part of one. A man ought 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": "The average man votes below himself;...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-average-man-votes-below-himself-he-votes-with-half-a-mind-or-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-average-man-votes-below-himself-he-votes-with-half-a-mind-or-a/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
