1,399 Quotes by Gilbert K. Chesterton

When it wishes anything done which is really serious, it collects twelve of the ordinary men standing round. The same thing was done, if I remember right, by the Founder of Christianity.

Lying in bed would be an altogether perfect and supreme experience if only one had a colored pencil long enough to draw on the ceiling.

Do not free a camel of the burden of his hump; you may be freeing him from being a camel.

Criticism is only words about words, and of what use are words about such words as these?

The poetry of art is in beholding the single tower; the poetry of nature in seeing the single tree; the poetry of love in following the single woman; the poetry of religion in worshipping the single star.

A radical generally meant a man who thought he could somehow pull up the root without affecting the flower. A conservative generally meant a man who wanted to conserve everything except his own reason for conserving anything.

The grinding power of the plain words of the Gospel story is like the power of mill-stones, and those who can read them simply enough will feel as if rocks had been rolled upon them.

A tragedy means always a mans struggle with that which is stronger than man.

What people call impartiality may simply mean indifference, and what people call partiality may simply mean mental activity.