Chesterton

I love this quote:

But the new rebel is a skeptic, and will not entirely trust anything. He has no loyalty; therefore he can never be really a revolutionist. And the fact that he doubts everything really gets in his way when he wants to denounce anything. For all denunciation implies a moral doctrine of some kind; and the modern revolutionist doubts not only the institution he denounces, but the doctrine by which he denounces it. Thus he writes one book complaining that imperial oppression insults the purity of women, and then he writes another book in which he insults it himself. He curses the Sultan because Christian girls lose their virginity, and then curses Mrs. Grundy because they keep it. As a politician, he will cry out that war is a waste of life, and then, as a philosopher, that all life is waste of time. A Russian pessimist will denounce a policeman for killing a peasant, and then prove by the highest philosophical principles that the peasant ought to have killed himself. A man denounces marriage as a lie, and then denounces aristocratic profligates for treating it as a lie. He calls a flag a bauble, and then blames the oppressors of Poland or Ireland because they take away that bauble. The man of this school goes first to a political meeting, where he complains that savages are treated as if they were beasts; then he takes his hat and umbrella and goes on to a scientific meeting, where he proves that they practically are beasts. In short, the modern revolutionist, being an infinite skeptic, is always engaged in undermining his own mines. In his book on politics he attacks men for trampling on morality; in his book on ethics he attacks morality for trampling on men. Therefore the modern man in revolt has become practically useless for all purposes of revolt. By rebelling against everything he has lost his right to rebel against anything. (from G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy)

Seneca

One of my favorite philosophers is Seneca. I read one of his quotes today that said:

No man was ever wise by chance.

I have said before that fear is the thief of joy. Well, he agrees (or rather, said it first):

Where fear is, happiness is not.

Quotes

I love to read and I come across different things that really hit home with me, so I am starting a regular post category so that I can share these quotes with others. Here are a few that I really enjoy:

It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. (Professor Dumbledore, Harry Potter)

The behavior of the fully human being is always unpredictable, simply because it is free. (John Powell)

To tell you my thoughts is to locate myself in a category. To tell you about my feelings is to tell you about me. (John Powell)

To my ears a lot of religious exortation seems to be aimed about two to three miles above where most people really live. (John Powell)

A man who would be his sisters keeper must protect every woman first of all from himself, from everything that calls itself love... (George MacDonald)

Every father who loved his children, ought to make them independent of himself, that neither clog, nor poet, nor hindrance of any kind might hamper the true working of their consciences: then would the service they rendered their parents be precious indeed! Then, indeed, would love be lord, and neither self, nor fear of man, nor fear of fate be a law in their life! (George MacDonald)

He loves Thee too little
Who loves anything together with Thee
Which he loves not for Thy sake. (St. Augustine)

In every country where independence has taken the place of liberty, the first desire of a manly heart is to possess a weapon... (Alexander Dumas)

Children always say 'do it again'.. God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning 'Do it again' to the sun; and every evening, 'Do it again' to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our father is younger than we. ( G.K. Chesterton)

When it comes time to die, make sure that all you have to do is die. (Jim Elliot)

Be careful, lest in fighting the dragon you become the dragon. (Nietzsche)