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Literary Experience heals the wound, without undermining the privilege of individuality.. .Here, as in worship, in love, in moral action, and in knowing, I transcend myself; and am never more myself than when I do.
C. S. Lewis
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Literary experiences allow for personal healing while celebrating individuality.

C. S. Lewis expresses the idea that engaging with literature has a transformative power that can mend emotional wounds without erasing one's unique identity. This transcendent experience, akin to worship, love, and moral actions, highlights that true self-discovery often occurs when we connect deeply with something beyond ourselves.

Themes

LiteratureHealingIndividualityTranscendenceSelf-Discovery

In practice

Example use cases

This quote can be used in a discussion about the therapeutic benefits of reading.

More from C. S. Lewis

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.
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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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