Much of the modern resistance to chastity comes from men’s belief that they “own” their bodies—those vast and perilous estates, pulsating with the energy that made the worlds, in which they find themselves without their consent and from which they are ejected at the pleasure of Another!
—C. S. Lewis
Topics: Home
Miracles do not, in fact, break the laws of nature.
—C. S. Lewis
Topics: Miracles
Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see.
—C. S. Lewis
Topics: Miracles
Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it.
—C. S. Lewis
Topics: To Be Born Everyday, Creativity, Truth
You don’t have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body.
—C. S. Lewis
Topics: One liners, Body
True friends … face in the same direction, toward common projects, interests, goals.
—C. S. Lewis
Topics: Friendship, Goal
Do not dare not to dare.
—C. S. Lewis
Topics: Adventure
Humans are amphibians—half spirit and half animal. As spirits they belong to the eternal world, but as animals they inhabit time.
—C. S. Lewis
Topics: Animals, Humankind, Humanity
The more often a man feels without acting, the less he’ll be able to act. And in the long run, the less he’ll be able to feel.
—C. S. Lewis
You cannot go on ‘explaining away’ for ever: you will find that you have explained explanation itself away. You cannot go on ‘seeing through’ things for ever. The whole point of seeing through something is to see something through it.
—C. S. Lewis
Topics: Philosophy
Which of the religions of the world gives to its followers the greatest happiness? While it lasts, the religion of worshiping oneself is best
—C. S. Lewis
Topics: Religion
In reading Chesterton, as in reading MacDonald, I did not know what I was letting myself in for. A young man who wishes to remain a sound Atheist cannot be too careful of his reading. There are traps everywhere
—C. S. Lewis
Topics: Wishes, Atheism
I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because I’m helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time- waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God- it changes me.
—C. S. Lewis
Don’t use words too big for the subject. Don’t say “infinitely” when you mean “very”; otherwise you’ll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite.
—C. S. Lewis
Topics: Writing
If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.
—C. S. Lewis
Topics: Heaven
The value given to the testimony of any feeling must depend on our whole philosophy, not our whole philosophy on a feeling.
—C. S. Lewis
Topics: Value
If we insist on keeping Hell (or even earth) we shall not see Heaven: if we accept Heaven we shall not be able to retain even the smallest and most intimate souvenirs of Hell.
—C. S. Lewis
Topics: Heaven
Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars. You have to let go at some point in order to move forward.
—C. S. Lewis
Topics: Experience
We were promised sufferings. They were part of the program. We were even told, “Blessed are they that morn.”
—C. S. Lewis
Topics: Difficulties, Difficulty
If we did not bring to the examinations of our instincts a knowledge of their comparative dignity we could never learn it from them
—C. S. Lewis
Topics: Philosophy
I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare.
—C. S. Lewis
Topics: Giving, Charity
You can’t get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.
—C. S. Lewis
Topics: Books
God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.
—C. S. Lewis
Topics: Happiness
It is quite useless knocking at the door of heaven for earthly comfort. It’s not the sort of comfort they supply there.
—C. S. Lewis
Topics: Prayer
This is one of the miracles of love: It gives a power of seeing through its own enchantments and yet not being disenchanted.
—C. S. Lewis
Telling us to obey instinct is like telling us to obey ‘people.’ People say different things: so do instincts. Our instincts are at war…. Each instinct, if you listen to it, will claim to be gratified at the expense of the rest….
—C. S. Lewis
All joy emphasises our pilgrim status; always reminds, beckons, awakens desire. Our best havings are wantings.
—C. S. Lewis
Topics: Desires
Nothing that you have not given away will ever be really yours.
—C. S. Lewis
Topics: Giving, Charity
We must lay before him what is in us, not what ought to be in us.
—C. S. Lewis
Topics: Prayer
God, who foresaw your tribulation, has specially armed you to go through it, not without pain but without stain
—C. S. Lewis
Topics: God
Wondering Whom to Read Next?
- Rudyard Kipling British Children’s Books Writer
- Richard Brinsley Sheridan Irish-born British Playwright
- J. K. Rowling English Novelist
- Mary Wollstonecraft English Writer, Feminist
- Ouida (Maria Louise Rame) English Novelist
- Isaac Asimov American Novelist, Critic, Popular Scientist
- A. A. Milne British Humorist, Children’s Writer
- Ursula K. Le Guin Science-fiction writer
- Enoch Powell British Politician
- Carl Sandburg American Poet, Historian
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