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 proper aim of giving is to put the recipient in a state where he no longer needs our gifts...Thus a heavy task is laid upon Gift-love. It must work toward its own abdication. We must aim at making ourselves superfluous. The hour when we can say 'They need me no longer' should be our reward. But the instinct, simply in its own nature, has no power to fulfill this law.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Giving should ultimately lead to independence for the recipient, making the giver unnecessary.
C. S. Lewis emphasizes that the true purpose of giving is to empower the recipient to a point where they do not rely on the giver's gifts anymore. This concept of 'Gift-love' suggests that genuine love seeks to elevate others to self-sufficiency rather than maintaining them in a state of need, making the act of giving a noble yet challenging endeavor.
Themes
GivingLoveSelflessnessEmpowermentIndependence
In practice
Example use cases
During a charity event, I reminded everyone that our goal is to help people stand on their own feet rather than keep them dependent.
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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