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
The change which the writing wrought in me (and of which I did not write) was only a beginning; only to prepare me for the gods' surgery. They used my own pen to probe my wound.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Writing can transform the writer, often preparing them for deeper self-discovery and healing.
C. S. Lewis reflects on how the act of writing can initiate personal change and understanding, suggesting that his writings allowed deeper introspection and prepared him for profound, transformative experiences. The phrase 'gods' surgery' implies that this process is not always comfortable, but necessary for growth and healing, using his own words as a tool for examining and addressing his inner wounds.
Themes
ChangeWritingTransformationSelf-DiscoveryHealing
In practice
Example use cases
In a workshop on personal growth, the facilitator quotes C. S. Lewis to encourage writing as a tool for self-reflection.
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
Ideas by themselves cannot produce change of being; your effort must go in the right direction, and one must correspond to the other.
P.D. OuspenskyRead
The western model of growth that India and China wish to emulate is intrinsically toxic. It uses huge resources - energy and materials - and generates enormous waste... it remains many steps behind the problems it creates. India and China have no choice but to reinvent the development trajectory
Sunita NarainRead
Your children are grown and your career has slowed down - all the stuff that took up so much attention is gone, and you're left with expansive time and space. You have to reimagine who you are and what life is about.
Jessica LangeRead
The Revolution did not assume a socialist nature because of support from the U.S.S.R.; it was the other way around: support from the U.S.S.R. was produced by the socialist nature of the Cuban Revolution. To such a degree, that when the U.S.S.R. disappears, Cuba keeps on being socialist.
Fidel CastroRead
If you're in space on the way to Mars, and a conflict develops... you can't turn around and go back, because Earth is already gone on its orbit.
Julie PayetteRead
You have to seed internal disruptors. You need sources of internal disruption. They don't guarantee your survival, but you have got to try.
Anand MahindraRead