9 Gilbert Keith Chesterton Quotes on Leadership

Gilbert Keith Chesterton quotes on leadership

13. Moderate strength is shown in violence, supreme strength is shown in levity.

32. When a politician is in opposition he is an expert on the means to some end; and when he is in office he is an expert on the obstacles to it.

33. It is terrible to contemplate how few politicians are hanged.

44. A change of opinions is almost unknown in an elderly military man.

84. The weak point in the whole of Carlyle's case for aristocracy lies, indeed, in his most celebrated phrase. Carlyle said that men were mostly fools. Christianity, with a surer and more reverent realism, says that they are all fools. This doctrine is sometimes called the doctrine of original sin. It may also be described as the doctrine of the equality of men. But the essential point of it is merely this, that whatever primary and far-reaching moral dangers affect any man, affect all men. All men can be criminals, if tempted; all men can be heroes, if inspired. And this doctrine does away altogether with Carlyle's pathetic belief (or any one else's pathetic belief) in 'the wise few.' There are no wise few. Every aristocracy that has ever existed has behaved, in all essential points, exactly like a small mob.

106. There is a great man who makes every man feel small. But the real great man is the man who makes every man feel great.

114. For fear of the newspapers politicians are dull, and at last they are too dull even for the newspapers. The speeches in our time are more careful and elaborate, because they are meant to be read, and not to be heard. And exactly because they are more careful and elaborate, they are not so likely to be worthy of a careful and elaborate report. They are not interesting enough. So the moral cowardice of modern politicians has, after all, some punishment attached to it by the silent anger of heaven. Precisely because our political speeches are meant to be reported, they are not worth reporting. Precisely because they are carefully designed to be read, nobody reads them.

173. Prince, Bayard would have smashed his sword To see the sort of knights you dub-- Is that the last of them--O Lord Will someone take me to a pub?

176. Our chiefs said 'Done,' and I did not deem it; Our seers said 'Peace,' and it was not peace; Earth will grow worse till men redeem it, And wars more evil, ere all wars cease.