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
I have swallowed up girls and boys, women and men, kings and emperors, cities and realms," said the Lion. It didn't say this as if it were boasting, nor as if it were sorry, nor as if it were angry. It just said it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the inevitability of death and how it transcends all distinctions among people or statuses.
In this quote by C. S. Lewis, the Lion speaks of its powerful consumption of all types of beings, indicating that death is an ultimate equalizer. It emphasizes that regardless of one's status—be it gender, rank, or power—all are eventually subject to the same fate, delivered in a tone that suggests neither pride nor regret, simply an acceptance of this universal truth.
Themes
DeathInevitabilityLifeExistencePower
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the nature of life and death, this quote can highlight the common fate everyone faces.
More from C. S. Lewis
All quotes →I 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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