Ronald Knox quotes

Ronald Knox was an English priest, theologian, and author known for his influential writings on Christianity and detective fiction. His works include significant religious translations as well as popular detective stories. He contributed greatly to both literary and religious thought during his lifetime. Here are 14 of his quotes:

A loud noise at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.

Ronald Knox

When suave politeness, temp'ring bigot zeal Corrected I believe to One does feel.

Ronald Knox

Only man has dignity; only man, therefore, can be funny.

Ronald Knox

The prevailing attitude of the speakers was one of heavy disagreement with a number of things which the reader had not said.

Ronald Knox

If you have a sloppy religion you get a sloppy atheism.

Ronald Knox

Only those of us, I think, who were born under Queen Victoria know what it feels like to assume, without questioning, that England is permanently top nation, that foreigners do not matter, and that if the worst comes to the worst, Lord Salisbury will send a gunboat.

Ronald Knox

He who travels in the Barque of Peter had better not look too closely into the engine room.

Ronald Knox

It doesn't do to say that heresy produces the development of doctrine, because that annoys the theologians. But it is true to say that as a matter of history the development of doctrine has been largely a reaction on the Church's part to the attacks of heresy.

Ronald Knox

All these riches, then, of her theology the Church has acquired, one might almost say, like the British Empire, in a fit of absence of mind. She was so busy scrapping with the heretics that she wasn't conscious of saying anything she hadn't always said; and yet, when she had time to sit down and look about her, she found it took ten minutes to sing the Credo instead of three.

Ronald Knox

There once was a man who said: "God Must think it exceedingly odd If he finds that this tree Continues to be When there's no one about in the Quad."

Ronald Knox

A good sermon should be like a woman's skirt: short enough to arouse interest but long enough to cover the essentials.

Ronald Knox

The hall-mark of American humour is its pose of illiteracy.

Ronald Knox