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 believe, to be sure, that any man who reaches Heaven will find that what he abandoned (even in plucking out his right eye) has not been lost: that the kernel of what he was really seeking even in his most depraved wishes will be there, beyond expectation, waiting for him in 'the High Countries'.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that true fulfillment and purpose can be found, even after sacrificing or losing something valued.
C. S. Lewis reflects on the notion that individuals often seek fulfillment in their lives through various desires, even those that might lead to moral conflicts or depravity. He implies that those who make significant sacrifices in pursuit of a higher truth or goal will ultimately discover that what they truly sought—genuine fulfillment—will be waiting for them beyond their struggles and losses, in a more profound existence or state of being.
Themes
HeavenSacrificeFulfillmentPurposeDesire
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared in a discussion about personal growth after difficult choices.
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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