Gilbert K. Chesterton
Gilbert K. Chesterton
Gilbert Keith Chesterton, KC*SG, better known as G. K. Chesterton, was an English writer, poet, philosopher, dramatist, journalist, orator, lay theologian, biographer, and literary and art critic. Chesterton is often referred to as the "prince of paradox." Time magazine has observed of his writing style: "Whenever possible Chesterton made his points with popular sayings, proverbs, allegories—first carefully turning them inside out."...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionWriter
Date of Birth29 May 1874
citizens economic fine
A citizen can hardly distinguish between a tax and a fine, except that the fine is generally much lighter.
numbers pay inspired
[No society can survive the socialist] fallacy that there is an absolutely unlimited number of inspired officials and an absolutely unlimited amount of money to pay them.
socialism economic states
Big Business and State Socialism are very much alike, especially Big Business.
home imagination morality
It is the main earthly business of a human being to make his home, and the immediate surroundings of his home, as symbolic and significant to his own imagination as he can.
benefits morality rich
Modern broad-mindedness benefits the rich; and benefits nobody else.
desire morality desirable
There are some desires that are not desirable.
choices soul morality
What we call emancipation is always and of necessity simply the free choice of the soul between one set of limitations and another.
intelligent trying goes-on
The world will very soon be divided, unless I am mistaken, into those who still go on explaining our success, and those somewhat more intelligent who are trying to explain our failure.
dirty luxury giving
If we want to give poor people soap we must set out deliberately to give them luxuries. If we will not make them rich enough to be clean, then empathically we must do what we did with the saints. We must reverence them for being dirty.
sea voice special
The voice of the special rebels and prophets, recommending discontent, should, as I have said, sound now and then suddenly, like a trumpet. But the voices of the saints and sages, recommending contentment, should sound unceasingly, like the sea.
humble men sea
To the humble man, and to the humble man alone, the sun is really a sun; to the humble man, and to the humble man alone, the sea is really a sea.
simple men suffering
I say that a man must be certain of his morality for the simple reason that he has to suffer for it.
tired men water
All men thirst to confess their crimes more than tired beasts thirst for water; but they naturally object to confessing them while other people, who have also committed the same crimes, sit by and laugh at them.
believe sacred morality
Truth is sacred; and if you tell the truth too often nobody will believe it.