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
Good beats upon the damned incessantly as sound waves beat on the ears of the deaf, but they cannot receive it. Their fists are clenched, their teeth are clenched, their eyes fast shut. First they will not, in the end they cannot, open their hands for gifts, or their mouth for food, or their eyes to see.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the idea that some people are unable to receive goodness despite it being offered to them repeatedly.
C. S. Lewis emphasizes that goodness and positive influences are continually present and accessible, much like sound waves are always around us. However, individuals who are resistant or closed off due to their own choices or emotional states may remain oblivious to these gifts, as they refuse to open up and accept what could enrich their lives.
Themes
GoodnessReceptionResistanceOpennessGifts
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about overcoming personal barriers.
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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