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
Sleeping on a dragon's hoard with greedy, dragonish thoughts in his heart, he had become a dragon himself.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects how greed can transform a person's nature over time.
C. S. Lewis suggests that when a person is consumed by greed, akin to a dragon hoarding treasure, they not only desire wealth but also begin to embody the characteristics of greed itself. This transformation speaks to the inherent danger of allowing selfish and possessive thoughts to dominate one's life, ultimately leading to a loss of humanity and compassion.
Themes
GreedTransformationSelfishnessHumanityDesire
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture on personal values, one might quote this to illustrate the dangers of greed.
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.
C. S. LewisRead
Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.
C. S. LewisRead
Forgiving and being forgiven are two names for the same thing. The important thing is that a discord has been resolved.
C. S. LewisRead
I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. It doesn't change God - it changes me.
C. S. LewisRead
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
C. S. LewisRead
Similar quotes
he wanted people to like his mind again-after awhile it might be such a nice place in which to live.
F. Scott FitzgeraldRead
The love for justice that is in us is not only the best part of our being but it is also the most true to our nature.
Cesar ChavezRead
Written on the body is a secret code only visible in certain lights; the accumulations of a lifetime gather there
Jeanette WintersonRead
None believes in his own death. In the unconscious everyone is convinced of his own immortality.
Sigmund FreudRead
Because your brain uses information from the areas around the blind spot to make a reasonable guess about what the blind spot would see if only it weren't blind, and then your brain fills in the scene with this information. That's right, it invents things, creates things, makes stuff up! It doesn't consult you about this, doesn't seek your approval. It just makes its best guess about the nature of the missing information and proceeds to fill in the scene.
Daniel GilbertRead
Religion has the right to express its opinion in the service of the people, but God in creation has set us free: it is not possible to interfere spiritually in the life of a person.
Pope FrancisRead