Manalive (1912) is a book by G. K. Chesterton detailing a popular theme both in his own philosophy, and in Christianity, of the "holy fool," such as in Dostoevsky's The Idiot and Cervantes' Don Quixote. Perhaps the most light-hearted of all Chesterton's "serious" works, Manalive pits a group of disillusioned young people against Mr. Innocent Smith, a bubbly, high-spirited gentleman who literally falls into their midst. Later accused of murder and denounced for philandering everywhere he goes, Smith prompts his newfound acquaintances to recognize an important idea in most unexpected ways.

From The Man Who Was Thursday ""Moderate strength is shown in violence; supreme strength is shown in levity."" ""The poor have sometimes objected to being governed badly; the rich have always objected to being governed at all."" ""There is your precious

Chesterton portrays Father Brown as a stumpy Roman Catholic priest, with shapeless clothes, a large umbrella, and an uncanny insight into human nature. His ability to uncover the truth behind the mystery continually surpasses that of the people around him, who are fooled by his unimpressive outward appearance. He explains his detective approach in these mystery stories as follows: "You see, I had murdered them all myself.... I had planned out each of the crimes very carefully. I had thought out exactly how a thing like that could be done, and in what style or state of mind a man could really...