“ The worship of will is the negation of will. To admire mere choice is to refuse to choose. ”
G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy (1908). copy citation
Author | G. K. Chesterton |
---|---|
Source | Orthodoxy |
Topic | choice worship |
Date | 1908 |
Language | English |
Reference | |
Note | |
Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/130/pg130-images.html |
Context
“for to say that is merely to say that it is an action. By this praise of will you cannot really choose one course as better than another. And yet choosing one course as better than another is the very definition of the will you are praising.
The worship of will is the negation of will. To admire mere choice is to refuse to choose. If Mr. Bernard Shaw comes up to me and says, "Will something," that is tantamount to saying, "I do not mind what you will," and that is tantamount to saying, "I have no will in the matter." You cannot admire will in general, because the essence of will is that it is particular.”
source