Ronald Knox
Ronald Knox
Ronald Arbuthnott Knoxwas an English priest, theologian and author of detective stories. He was also a writer and a regular broadcaster for BBC Radio...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionNovelist
Date of Birth17 February 1888
queens thinking matter
Only those of us, I think, who were born under Queen Victoria know what it feels like to assume, without questioning, that England is permanently top nation, that foreigners do not matter, and that if the worst comes to the worst, Lord Salisbury will send a gunboat.
loyalty men thinking
All men who have ideals . . . live by some kind of faith, by committing themselves to some kind of loyalty which is not universally recognized as the common property of all thinking men. They must have something-something outside themselves, to make them feel life is worth living, that good rather than evil is the explanation of the world.
thinking scotland world
Knox was engaged in a theological discussion with scientist John Scott Haldane. 'In a universe containing millions of planets,' reasoned Haldane, 'is it not inevitable that life should appear on at least one of them?' 'Sir,' replied Knox, 'if Scotland Yard found a body in your cabin trunk, would you tell them: 'There are millions of trunks in the world; surely one of them must contain a body? I think the would still want to know who put it there.'
bigot corrected
When suave politeness, tempering bigot zeal, corrected ''I believe'' to ''One does feel.''
funny man
Only man has dignity; only man, therefore, can be funny.
believing devil given modern stupid
It is so stupid of modern civilisation to have given up believing in the devil when he is the only explanation of it.
responsibility
A baby is a loud noise at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.
arouse cover good interest sermon
A good sermon should be like a woman's skirt: short enough to arouse interest but long enough to cover the essentials.
humor humorous pose
The hall-mark of American humor is its pose of illiteracy.
men dignity theologian
Only man had dignity; only man, therefore, can be funny.
mark humour halls
The hall-mark of American humour is its pose of illiteracy.
long ritual
Long before I had ever seen a ritualistic service I became a Ritualist.
race doubt helping
O God, for as much as without Thee We are not enabled to doubt Thee, Help us all by Thy grace To convince the whole race It knows nothing whatever about Thee.
believe suave doe
When suave politeness, tempering bigot zeal, corrected 'I believe' to 'one does feel'.