The sane man knows that he has a touch of the beast, a touch of the devil, a touch of the saint, a touch of the citizen. Nay, the really sane man knows that he has a touch of the madman. But the materialist's world is quite simple and solid, just as the madman is quite sure he is sane.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Chesterton defines a sane person as one who recognizes their own contradictions and madness, unlike materialists who view the world as simple and solid like a madman who thinks he is sane.
- In plain terms
- A sane person knows they have madness inside them.
- What can you take from it?
- True sanity involves recognizing your own flaws and contradictions.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Can you be sane without admitting you are mad?
- Is certainty a sign of madness?
Another view
The definition of sanity here is circular and subjective.
More from Gilbert Keith Chesterton
There is a very special sense in which materialism has more restrictions than spiritualism. Mr. McCabe thinks me a slave because I am not allowed to believe in…
Permalink to quote #119 Materialists and madmen never have doubts.
Permalink to quote #121 The materialist philosophy (whether true or not) is certainly much more limiting than any religion. In one sense, of course, all intelligent ideas are narrow. …
Permalink to quote #118
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