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.
Be confident small immortals. You are not the only voice that all things utter, nor is there eternal silence in the places where you cannot come.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote encourages individuals to have confidence in their contributions, suggesting that every voice matters in the larger scheme of existence.
C. S. Lewis's quote highlights the importance of self-confidence and the acknowledgment that every individual's voice has significance. It reassures us that we are not alone in our thoughts and expressions, and even when we feel isolated or unheard, there is a symphony of voices contributing to the greater understanding of existence. This message stands as a reminder to value our unique perspectives and recognize that silence is not the only truth.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
Using this quote during a motivational speech to inspire students to express their ideas.
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.
Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.
Forgiving and being forgiven are two names for the same thing. The important thing is that a discord has been resolved.
I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. It doesn't change God - it changes me.
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
Similar quotes
The mind, whatever else it is, is a constant of everyone's experience, and, in more ways than we know, the creator of the reality that we live within... Nothing is more essential to us.
Evil can be condoned only if in the beyond it is compensated by good and god himself needs immortality to vindicate his ways to man.
Certainly the determining acts of her life were not ideally beautiful. They were the mixed result of young and novel impulse struggling amidst the conditions of an imperfect social state, in which great feelings will often take the aspect of error, and great faith the aspect of illusion.
But he could not taste, he could not feel. In the teashop among the tables and the chattering waiters the appalling fear came over him- he could not feel. He could reason; he could read, Dante for example, quite easilyβ¦he could add up his bill; his brain was perfect; it must be the fault of the world then- that he could not feel.
The remarkable insights that science affords us into the intelligible workings of the world cry out for an explanation more profound than that which itself can provide. Religion, if it is to take seriously its claim that the world is the creation of god, must be humble enough to learn from science what that world is actually like. The dialogue between them can only be mutually enriching.
I am glad you have a Cat, but I do not believe it is So remarkable a cat as My Cat.