A blog dedicated to providing quotes by and posts relating to one of the most influential (and quotable!) authors of the twentieth century, G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936). If you do not know much about GKC, I suggest visiting the webpage of the American Chesterton Society as well as this wonderful Chesterton Facebook Page by a fellow Chestertonian

I also have created a list detailing examples of the influence of Chesterton if you are interested, that I work on from time to time.

(Moreover, for a list of short GKC quotes, I have created one here, citing the sources)

"...Stevenson had found that the secret of life lies in laughter and humility."

-Heretics (1905)
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Monday, January 1, 2018

Beggars

I know the more general objection; that one can 'never know' whether the man is honest. Alas! That is bitterly true and can never be answered. I can never know whether any man is honest. I can never know whether I am honest; in my more solemn moments I incline to the belief that I am not. But this I will say with no special hesitation. I am more certain of the honesty of a certain type of beggar than I am of the honesty of a certain type of rich man, who fills the committees of most philanthropic institutions. I know more about one beggar whom I have seen than about ten guinea-pig peers whom I have never seen and never want to see. The beggar may deceive me, but he has to do it with a human eye, which may fail him, not with a prospectus, which will mechanically do his will. It is often hard to keep a stiff face; but institutions keep stiff of themselves. Still, I return to the original compromise; by all means let it be at the tenth beggar that you lose your temper. But do not let it be at the tenth beggar that you find your political economy.
October 10, 1908, Daily News

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