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 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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Finding joy in simple pleasures can coexist with moral self-reflection.
In this quote, C. S. Lewis expresses the idea that enjoying lifeβs simple pleasures, such as breakfast, is not inherently wrong or condemned by a higher power. However, he also acknowledges a sense of humility and self-awareness, suggesting that oneβs enjoyment does not translate into self-righteousness or virtue. This reflects a balance between pleasure and moral contemplation.
Themes
EnjoymentBreakfastHumilityPleasureMoral Reflection
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about enjoying lifeβs moments, I quoted Lewis to emphasize that it's okay to appreciate small joys.
More from C. S. Lewis
All quotes βAim 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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The castle of Cair Paravel on its little hill towered up above them; before them were the sands, with rocks and little pools of salt water, and seaweed, and the smell of the sea and long miles of bluish-green waves breaking for ever and ever on the beach. And oh, the cry of the seagulls! Have you ever heard it? Can you remember?
C. S. LewisRead
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