What do you think?
Rate this book
G.K. Chesterton Quotes
"There is no such thing on earth as an uninteresting subject; the only thing that can exist is an uninterested person," declared the philosopher and wit G. K. Chesterton (1874–1936). The extent and variety of the author's writings ― comprising journalism, history, biography, apologetics, poetry, plays, and detective fiction ― attest to his own diversity of enthusiasms. This rich and thought-provoking anthology draws from Chesterton's vast treasury of publications to present his most trenchant observations on education, humor, literature, religion, politics, class, and other topics.
Editor Bob Blaisdell offers an insightful introduction to Chesterton's life and works and identifies the source of each quotation. Organized thematically, the quotes range from quips from Chesterton's Father Brown mysteries ("The most incredible thing about miracles is that they happen.") and novels ("Marriage is a duel to the death which no man of honour should decline.") to his newspaper columns ("An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered.") and essays ("No man must be superior to the things that are common to men.… Not only are we all in the same boat, but we are all seasick.").
Editor Bob Blaisdell offers an insightful introduction to Chesterton's life and works and identifies the source of each quotation. Organized thematically, the quotes range from quips from Chesterton's Father Brown mysteries ("The most incredible thing about miracles is that they happen.") and novels ("Marriage is a duel to the death which no man of honour should decline.") to his newspaper columns ("An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered.") and essays ("No man must be superior to the things that are common to men.… Not only are we all in the same boat, but we are all seasick.").
160 pages, Paperback
First published April 13, 2015
About the author
Bob Blaisdell
171 books24 followersBob Blaisdell is a published adapter, author, editor, and an illustrator of children's books and young adult books. He teaches English in Brooklyn at Kingsborough Community College. He is a reviewer for the San Francisco Chronicle and Christian Science Monitor and the editor of more than three dozen anthologies for Dover Publications. Email him at Robert.Blaisdell@Kingsborough.edu
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 23, 2024
A delightful collection of quotes from the great writer and thinker, G.K. Chesterton. I love how relatable and inspiring he is at the same time.
June 4, 2015
G.K. Chesterton is what I call a student of people and is able to put in words that put light into the mind of others. From children, to authors, to Christianity, his words remain powerful for us today. Here are some of my favorites.
Men have not got tired of Christianity; they have never found enough Christianity to get tired of. It has been found difficult and left untried.
A good musician loves being a musician, the musician loves music.
Every new religion bores us with the same stale rhetoric and about closer fellowship and the higher life.
In all legends men have thought of women as sublime separately but horrible in a herd.
There are two rooted spiritual realities out of which grow all kinds of democratic conception or setiment of human equality…
Every man is important if he loses his life; and every man is funny if he loses his hat, and has to run after it...
Working in wood is the supreme example of creation; creation in a material which resists just enough and not iota too much. It was surely on wonder that the greatest who ever wore the form of man was a carpenter.
The two facts which attract almost every normal person to children are, first they are very serious, and secondly that they in consequence very happy. ..It is the gravity of astonishment at the universe, and astonishment at the universe is not mysticism, but a transcendent common sense.
We often hear grown up people comparing of having to hang about a railway station and wait for a train. Did you ever hear a small boy complain of having to hang about a railway station and wait for a train. No: for to him to be inside a railway station is to be inside a cavern of wonder and a palace of poetical
Pleasure.
The whole case for Christianity is that a man who is dependent upon the luxuries of this life is a corrupt man, spiritually corrupt, politically corrupt, and financially corrupt. There is one thing that Christ and all the Christian saints have said with a sort of savage monotony. They have said simply that to be rich is to be in peculiar danger of moral wreck.
A Special Thank you to Dover Publications and Netgalley for ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.
Men have not got tired of Christianity; they have never found enough Christianity to get tired of. It has been found difficult and left untried.
A good musician loves being a musician, the musician loves music.
Every new religion bores us with the same stale rhetoric and about closer fellowship and the higher life.
In all legends men have thought of women as sublime separately but horrible in a herd.
There are two rooted spiritual realities out of which grow all kinds of democratic conception or setiment of human equality…
Every man is important if he loses his life; and every man is funny if he loses his hat, and has to run after it...
Working in wood is the supreme example of creation; creation in a material which resists just enough and not iota too much. It was surely on wonder that the greatest who ever wore the form of man was a carpenter.
The two facts which attract almost every normal person to children are, first they are very serious, and secondly that they in consequence very happy. ..It is the gravity of astonishment at the universe, and astonishment at the universe is not mysticism, but a transcendent common sense.
We often hear grown up people comparing of having to hang about a railway station and wait for a train. Did you ever hear a small boy complain of having to hang about a railway station and wait for a train. No: for to him to be inside a railway station is to be inside a cavern of wonder and a palace of poetical
Pleasure.
The whole case for Christianity is that a man who is dependent upon the luxuries of this life is a corrupt man, spiritually corrupt, politically corrupt, and financially corrupt. There is one thing that Christ and all the Christian saints have said with a sort of savage monotony. They have said simply that to be rich is to be in peculiar danger of moral wreck.
A Special Thank you to Dover Publications and Netgalley for ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.
October 10, 2019
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 3.5 of 5
I really don't feel that there is a whole lot to say about a book of quotes. I enjoy quotes (as evidenced by the recurring blog posts featuring quotes I've culled from the books I've been reading). A good quote captures a larger moment and condenses it to the essentials. Or perhaps it's captures the humor of a moment, or the honesty of a situation. It typically speaks volumes.
Editor Bob Blaisdell has pulled together a good collection of quotes from noted author G. K. Chesterton and has arranged them by topic, making it easy to look for something specific ... and I am that person who will look for a specific quote.
This is not the sort of book one sits and reads for the story. It is a reference book ... something to have on the shelf and refer to when looking for a specific quote. Or it is bathroom reading - something to occupy a little time but that can easily be put down.
Overall, I enjoyed reading through these quotes, but there were very few that actually had any sort of impact for me, and none of them were powerful enough for me to add to my own collection (although, in part, it never feels 'right' to take someone else's found quote).
Looking for a good book? If you enjoy looking through collections of quotes, then G. K. Chesterton's Quotes, edited by Bob Blaisdell, is a book you'll want to have on your shelf.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
I really don't feel that there is a whole lot to say about a book of quotes. I enjoy quotes (as evidenced by the recurring blog posts featuring quotes I've culled from the books I've been reading). A good quote captures a larger moment and condenses it to the essentials. Or perhaps it's captures the humor of a moment, or the honesty of a situation. It typically speaks volumes.
Editor Bob Blaisdell has pulled together a good collection of quotes from noted author G. K. Chesterton and has arranged them by topic, making it easy to look for something specific ... and I am that person who will look for a specific quote.
This is not the sort of book one sits and reads for the story. It is a reference book ... something to have on the shelf and refer to when looking for a specific quote. Or it is bathroom reading - something to occupy a little time but that can easily be put down.
Overall, I enjoyed reading through these quotes, but there were very few that actually had any sort of impact for me, and none of them were powerful enough for me to add to my own collection (although, in part, it never feels 'right' to take someone else's found quote).
Looking for a good book? If you enjoy looking through collections of quotes, then G. K. Chesterton's Quotes, edited by Bob Blaisdell, is a book you'll want to have on your shelf.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
June 6, 2015
There is a (paraphrased) quote by G.K. Chesterton in an episode of Criminal Minds that has always haunted me: "Fairy tales do not tell children that dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children that dragons can be killed." I knew then that I must find out more about and read some of Chesterton's work.
G.k. Chesterton Quotes is a great place to start because it gives you a glimpse into all of his writing- the fiction, the biographies, the poetry, the philosophy. I recommend it to all who are interested in learning more about Chesterton or even for those well familiar with his writing who want to reminisce.
G.k. Chesterton Quotes is a great place to start because it gives you a glimpse into all of his writing- the fiction, the biographies, the poetry, the philosophy. I recommend it to all who are interested in learning more about Chesterton or even for those well familiar with his writing who want to reminisce.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews