The “Father Brown” detective series of books include the most popular writings by Gilbert Keith Chesterton. They were written in the early 1900’s and even today they are still being adapted for television. While Mr. Chesterton never considered himself a good writer he was actually extremely gifted and could write anything. He has published more than 70 books. Here are just 20 powerful G.K. Chesterton quotes from this gifted, outspoken and clearly witty author.
“Man seems to be capable of great virtues but not of small virtues; capable of defying his torturer but not of keeping his temper.”
Happiness and Love
Happiness is a mystery like religion, and should never be rationalized.
I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.
Drink because you are happy, but never because you are miserable.
The way to love anything is to realize that it may be lost.
The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because they are generally the same people.
There is the great lesson of ‘Beauty and the Beast,’ that a thing must be loved before it is lovable.
Bible Quotes About Happiness and Love
Job 5:17-27 – Behold, happy [is] the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty
Psalms 36:8 – They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.
Psalms 127:5 – Happy [is] the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.
Proverbs 3:13-18 – Happy [is] the man [that] findeth wisdom, and the man [that] getteth understanding.
1 Peter 3:14 – But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy [are ye]: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;
Life, Religion and Politics
Beware of no man more than yourself; we carry our worst enemies within us.
Art, like morality, consists of drawing the line somewhere.
The people who are the most bigoted are the people who have no convictions at all.
Democracy means government by the uneducated, while aristocracy means government by the badly educated.
If there were no God, there would be no Atheists.
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.
To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it.
I am not absentminded. It is the presence of mind that makes me unaware of everything else.
Bible Quotes About Life
Deuteronomy 30:19-20 – I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.
Proverbs 14:27 – The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.
John 8:12 – Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
Romans 5:10 – For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
1 John 5:20 – And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
Witty and True
Do not be so open-minded that your brains fall out.
Poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese.
“My country, right or wrong,” is a thing that no patriot would think of saying except in a desperate case. It is like saying, “My mother, drunk or sober.”
Don’t ever take a fence down until you know the reason it was put up.
Every man is important is he loses his life; and every man is funny if he loses his hat and has to run after it.
Bible Quotes About Truth
Psalms 85:11 – Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven.
Psalms 86:11 – Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.
Ephesians 4:15-16 – But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
Ephesians 4:21-24 – If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Final Thoughts
It was so much fun to learn about this talented writer as I was researching for this article. Do you have any quotes by G. K. Chesterton that you would like to share in the comments below?
More quotes to read: Christian Quotes by Topic
Resource – The Holy Bible, King James Version
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