"The fatal metaphor of progress, which means leaving things behind us, has utterly obscured the real idea of growth, which means leaving things inside us"
- Gilbert K. Chesterton
About this Quote
This quote by Gilbert K. Chesterton talks to the idea of development and growth. The metaphor of development suggests that we are leaving things behind us as we move on, but Chesterton recommends that this is a fatal metaphor. Rather, he recommends that development is the real concept, which suggests leaving things inside us. This recommends that progress is not practically leaving things behind, but also about taking things with us and incorporating them into our lives. Growth is about learning from our experiences and taking the lessons we learn with us as we move on. It has to do with comprehending our past and utilizing it to form our future. Chesterton's quote encourages us to think about development in regards to growth, rather than merely leaving things behind.
"In my case Pilgrim's Progress consisted in my having to climb down a thousand ladders until I could reach out my hand to the little clod of earth that I am"
"Nature gives to every time and season some beauties of its own; and from morning to night, as from the cradle to the grave, it is but a succession of changes so gentle and easy that we can scarcely mark their progress"
"Law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice and when they fail in this purpose they become the dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress"
