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
On the back of Satan's neck is a nail scarred footprint.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that even the forces of evil are marked by the suffering of good, symbolizing hope in the face of darkness.
In this profound quote, C. S. Lewis uses the imagery of a nail-scarred footprint on the back of Satan's neck to illustrate a powerful idea: that evil is forever haunted by the suffering inflicted through good and sacrifice. It evokes the Christian narrative of redemption, suggesting that even the darkest forces cannot escape the impact of sacrifice and love, represented here by the scars of Christ. This imagery can lead to reflection on the nature of good and evil, and how even in despair, hope and light persist.
Themes
SufferingHopeGoodEvilSacrificeRedemption
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a sermon to illustrate the victory of good over evil.
More from C. S. Lewis
All quotes βI 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.
C. S. LewisRead
Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.
C. S. LewisRead
Forgiving and being forgiven are two names for the same thing. The important thing is that a discord has been resolved.
C. S. LewisRead
I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. It doesn't change God - it changes me.
C. S. LewisRead
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
C. S. LewisRead
Similar quotes
He despised causeless affection, just as he despised unearned wealth. They professed to love him for some unknown reason and they ignored all the things for which he could wish to be loved.
Ayn RandRead
My mother would write letters when I was away at camp and say, 'There's an Ann-shaped space around the house. Nobody fills an Ann-shaped space except an Ann.' I'm convinced we all have a God-shaped space in us, and until we fill that space with God, we'll never know what it is to be whole.
Ann B. DavisRead
There is no avoiding war; it can only be postponed to the advantage of others.
Niccolo MachiavelliRead
A man who worships in Spirit and Truth no longer honors the Creator because of His works, but praises Him because of Himself.
Evagrius PonticusRead
And this lesson about mortal peace of mind I never forgot. Even if a ghost is ripping a house to pieces, throwing in pans all over, pouring water of pillows, making clocks chime at all hours, mortal will accept almost any "natural explanation" offered, no matter how absurd, rather than the obvious supernatural one, for what is going on.
Anne RiceRead
You think that I am impoverishing myself withdrawing from men, but in my solitude I have woven for myself a silken web or chrysalis, and, nymph-like, shall ere long burst forth a more perfect creature, fitted for a higher society.
Henry David ThoreauRead