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 life’s 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 one’s 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 life’s moments, I quoted Lewis to emphasize that it's okay to appreciate small joys.
More from C. S. Lewis
All quotes →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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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?
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