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
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We all have private ails. The troublemakers are they who need public cures for their private ails.
I wish I had never been born--there or anywhere else.
All people are special, and all moments are golden. There is no person and there is no time more special than another. Many people choose to believe that God communicates in special ways and only with special people. This removes the mass of the people from responsibility for hearing God's message, much less receiving it (which is another matter), and allows them to take someone else's word for everything.
Only her tight, tight eyes were left. They were always left...They were everything. Everything was there, in them...Thrown, in this way, into the binding conviction that only a miracle could relieve her, she would never know her beauty. She would see only what there was to see: the eyes of other people.
Even if I had expected it, even if I had known what I was going to do with my life, it would have knocked the wind out of me. When something that violent hits you, you can't help but lose your balance and fall. And after you pick yourself up, you realize you can't trust anybody to save you- not your husband, not your mother, not God. So what can you do to stop yourself from tilting and falling all over again?
We want to go forward, but which way are we facing?