Ги́лберт Кит Че́стертон — английский христианский мыслитель, журналист и писатель конца XIX — начала XX веков. Рыцарь-командор со звездой ватиканского ордена Святого Григория Великого .
„Я никогда не принимал всерьез свои книги, но принимаю всерьез свои мнения.“
Глава 5
I have never taken my books seriously; but I take my opinions quite seriously.
Автобиография
эссе «Об извращении истины»
I think it was a great medieval philosopher who said that all evil comes from enjoying what we ought to use and using what we ought to enjoy. A great many modern philosophers never do anything else. Thus they will sacrifice what they admit to be happiness to what they claim to be progress; though it could have no rational meaning except progress to greater happiness.
It is precisely because an ideal is necessary to man that the man without ideals is in permanent danger of fanaticism.
«Еретик» (глава 20)
Глава 15
For nothing can really be approved or applauded except finality. That is why all the ethics of evolution and expansive ideas of indefinite progress have never taken hold upon any human crowd.
Возвращение Дон Кихота (1927)
Глава 4
But they had forgotten something; they had forgotten journalism. They had forgotten that there exists in the modern world, perhaps for the first time in history, a class of people whose interest is not that things should happen well or happen badly, should happen successfully or happen unsuccessfully, should happen to the advantage of this party or the advantage of that part, but whose interest simply is that things should happen.
Шар и крест (1909)
Это прекрасно, как детская книжка.
Глава 3
Lady Joan broke out laughing again. "What horrible things you do seem to have heard of," she said. "Well, I must be going, Mr. Hump--I mean Mr. Pump--I used to call you Hump . . . oh, Hump, do you think any of us will ever be happy again?". "I suppose it rests with Providence," he said, looking at the sea. "Oh, do say Providence again!" cried the girl. "It's as good as 'Masterman Ready.'"
Перелётный кабак (1914)
Вы говорите, цивилизация ваша откроет простор всем дарованиям. Так ли это? Вы действительно полагаете, будто эскимосы научатся избирать местные советы, а вы тем временем научитесь гарпунить моржей?
When you say you want all peoples to unite, you really mean that you want all peoples to unite to learn the tricks of your people. If the Bedouin Arab does not know how to read, some English missionary or schoolmaster must be sent to teach him to read, but no one ever says, 'This schoolmaster does not know how to ride on a camel; let us pay a Bedouin to teach him.' You say your civilization will include all talents. Will it? Do you really mean to say that at the moment when the Esquimaux has learnt to vote for a County Council, you will have learnt to spear a walrus?
Наполеон Ноттингхилльский (1904)
