THE QUOTABLE CHESTERTON - BOOK REVIEW

When preparing for a speech, a talk or a sermon, one almost always looks for a striking quote, a meaningful word of wisdom, or an amusing anecdote. When you have a huge collection of such from a literary giant of his age, you have this book – The Quotable Chesterton by Kevin Belmonte. The Wit and Wisdom of G.K. Chesterton is a handy 284 page paper-back resource. “With much of his finest material out of print or hard to find, modern readers have long needed a standard collection of his best thoughts. Kevin Belmonte’s The Quotable Chesterton brings them to you arranged alphabetically by topic, with complete original source documentation.” Thank you Kevin Belmonte!! If this is your first time reading Chesterton, this book may get you started on reading more.

Just to pick a few quotes:

“I have a simple, melodramatic mind; there is nothing lofty or peace-loving about me; and I thoroughly enjoy seeing people knocked down on the stage. I should have no objection to seeing them knocked down in real life, if the people were wisely and thoughtfully selected.”

“His pathos was natural, almost casual. The Stoics, ancient and modern, were proud, proud of concealing their tears. Christ never concealed His tears’ He showed them plainly on His open face at any daily sight, such as the far sight of His native city.”

“The telescope makes the world smaller; it is only the microscope that makes it larger. Before long the world will be cloven with a war between the telescopists and microscopists. The first study large things and live in a small world; the second study small things and live in a large world."

“Of a sane man there is only one safe definition. He is a man who can have tragedy in his heart and comedy in his head.”

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

My favorite is the still his answer to the NYTimes question: “What’s wrong with the World?” His answer was profound.

Dear Sirs,
I am.
Sincerely yours,
G. K. Chesterton




I’ve really enjoyed reading and using this fine book and can heartily recommend it. Thank you Thomas Nelson Publishers for a free copy to review it.