A dogmatic belief in objective value is necessary to the very idea of a rule which is not tyranny or an obedience which is not slavery.
C. S. LewisRead
The Christians are right: it is Pride which has been the chief cause of misery in every nation and every family since the world began.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Pride leads to suffering and discord in society and within families.
C. S. Lewis emphasizes the detrimental effects of pride, suggesting that it is a fundamental flaw that contributes to the unhappiness and strife faced by individuals and communities throughout history. He implies that this arrogance disrupts harmony and fosters conflict, serving as a common thread in the misfortunes experienced across nations and families alike.
Themes
PrideMiseryHarmonyFamiliesSuffering
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech about community values, this quote can highlight the importance of humility.
More from C. S. Lewis
All quotes βI enjoyed my breakfast this morning, and I think that was a good thing and do not think it was condemned by God. But I do not think myself a good man for enjoying it.
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Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.
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Forgiving and being forgiven are two names for the same thing. The important thing is that a discord has been resolved.
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I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. It doesn't change God - it changes me.
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The instrument through which you see God is your whole self. And if a man's self is not kept clean and bright, his glimpse of God will be blurred
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We are concerned with that curious bunch of nonconformists who explain their participation in negative terms: that bunch of do-gooders that goes under all sorts of names - liberals, leftists, etc. These are the people who argue that they are not responsible for white racism and the country's 'inhumanity to the black man.'
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Similarly, knowledge of the future was incompatible with free will. What made it possible for me to exercise freedom of choice also made it impossible for me to know the future. Conversely, now that I know the future, I would never act contrary to that future, including telling others what I know: those who know the future don't talk about it. Those who've read the Book of Ages never admit to it.
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The Church's foundation is unshakable and firm against the assaults of the raging sea. Waves lash at the Church but do not shatter it. Although the elements of this world constantly batter and crash against her, she offers the safest harbor of salvation for all in distress.
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I put my head out of my window and see how much the windβs knife wants to slice it off. On this unseen guillotine, Iβve placed the eyeless head of all my desires.
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Either you allow Holy Scriptures to change you, or you will normally try to use it to change--and clobber--other people. It is the height of idolatry to use the supposed Word of God so that my small self can be in control and be right. But I am afraid this has been more the norm than the exception in the use of the Bible.
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Fanaticism is at its very strongest when it has political or, better still, religious motivation.
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