quote of the day

I've been surprised this semester by how few of my peers have heard anything about G.K. Chesterton, especially in light of his influence on C.S. Lewis. But, truthfully, I can't give anyone a hard time about it, as I'm just now actually sitting down to read some of the works I've heard of for years... the ongoing predicament of my life: too many books, too little time. Anyway, here's some truth from Chesterton's Orthodoxy to think about today.

As we have taken the circle as the symbol of reason and madness, we may very well take the cross as the symbol at once of mystery and of health. Buddhism is centripetal, but Christianity is centrifugal: it breaks out. For the circle is perfect and infinite in its nature; but it is fixed forever in its size; it can never be larger or smaller. But the cross, though it has at its heart a collision and a contradiction, can extend its four arms forever without altering its shape. Because it has a paradox in its center it can grow without changing. The circle returns upon itself and is bound. The cross opens its arms to the four winds; it is a signpost for free travelers. [G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy, Chapter 2]