G. K. Chesterton

About

Gilbert Keith Chesterton (29 May 1874 – 14 June 1936) was an English Christian apologist writer. Chesterton's wit, paradoxical style, and defence of tradition made him a dominant figure in early 20th-century literature.

from Wikipedia

G. K. Chesterton is sometimes cited as:

G.K. Chesterton
Gilbert K. Chesterton

Quotes from G. K. Chesterton

Fallacies do not cease to be fallacies because they become fashions.

—G. K. Chesterton

reason fallacies

In the main, and from the beginning of time, mysticism has kept men sane. The thing that has driven them mad was logic.

—G. K. Chesterton

How much larger your life would be if your self could become smaller in it; if you could really look at other men with common curiosity and pleasure; if you could see them walking as they are in their sunny selfishness and their virile indifference! You would begin to be interested in them, because they were not interested in you. You would break out of this tiny and tawdry theater in which your own little plot is always being played, and you would find yourself under a freer sky, in a street full of splendid strangers.

—G. K. Chesterton

The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.

—G. K. Chesterton

desire trying Christian

A permanent possibility of selfishness arises from the mere fact of having a self, and not from any accidents of education or ill-treatment. And the weakness of all Utopias is this, that they take the greatest difficulty of man and assume it to be overcome, and then give an elaborate account of the overcoming of the smaller ones. They first assume that no man will

—G. K. Chesterton

It is not bigotry to be certain we are right; but it is bigotry to be unable to imagine how we might possibly have gone wrong.

—G. K. Chesterton

Don't ever take a fence down until you know the reason it was put up.

—G. K. Chesterton

reason defense borders

The men who really believe in themselves are all in lunatic asylums.

—G. K. Chesterton

humor insanity self-confidence

There are no wise few. Every aristocracy that has ever existed has behaved, in all essential points, exactly like a small mob.

—G. K. Chesterton

wisdom aristocracy mobs