G. K. Chesterton

Gilbert Keith Chesterton (May 29 1874 – June 14 1936) was an English writer of the early 20th century. Chesterton was known as the "prince of paradox" because he communicated his conservative, often countercultural, ideas in an off-hand, whimsical prose studded with startling formulations. For example: "Thieves respect property. They merely wish the property to become their property that they may more perfectly respect it." Most of Chesterton's works remain in print, including collections of his Father Brown detective stories, and Ignatius Press is presently undertaking the monumental task of republishing his complete works.

Quotations

• "The human race, to which so many of my readers belong, has been playing at children's games from the beginning, and will probably do it till the end, which is a nuisance for the few people who grow up."
• "Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly."
• "The rich are the scum of the earth in every country."
• "It is impossible without humility to enjoy anything — even pride."
• "How much larger your life would be if your self could become smaller in it."
• "The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried."
• "I am the man who, with the utmost daring, discovered what had already been discovered."
• "Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead."
• "Fairy tales are more than true — not because they tell us dragons exist, but because they tell us dragons can be beaten."
• "Tea, although an Oriental, Is a gentleman at least; Cocoa is a cad and coward, Cocoa is a vulgar beast."
• "The Catholic Church is the only thing which saves a man from the degrading slavery of being a child of his age."
• "The reformer is always right about what is wrong. He is generally wrong about what is right."
• "The whole modern world has divided itself into Conservatives and Progressives. The business of Progressives is to go on making mistakes. The business of the Conservatives is to prevent the mistakes from being corrected."
• "Are they clinging to their crosses, F. E. Smith?" (see Welsh Church Act 1914)

(Although often attributed to Chesterton, the quotation "When men stop believing in God they don't believe in nothing; they believe in anything" is to be found nowhere in the writer's works, as such. However, Chesterton did write: "It's the first effect of not believing in God that you lose your common sense and can't see things as they are." (The Oracle of the Dog, 1923), and the first phrase is reflective of his philosophy. The phrase "When men stop..." most likely comes roughly from a sketch written about Chesterton by another writer.)

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