"Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to the small and arrogant oligarchy of those who merely happen to be walking about. All democrats object to men being disqualified by the accident of birth; tradition objects to their being disqualified by the accident of death."

G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy.
In honour of the Anglican church’s traditional Book of Common Prayer, which turned 350 yesterday. “We stand on the shoulders of past men - but only if they stand on the Scriptures.”

My, what a writer Chesterton is. Quite apart from what he writes, I’m stunned by the way he writes: his ability to cleverly frame discussions; to rapidly conclude so many pages with one breathtaking sentence that says it all; to make stunning, crystal clear analogies; and despite all this, he still leaves you feeling you’ve not quite got it all under your belt.
(The quote is totally unrelated to the Chesterton I’m reading, but I like it, and pictures are nice occasionally)

(Source: jennaleeschilling)