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
If conversion makes no improvements in a man's outward actions then I think his 'conversion' was largely imaginary.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True conversion should result in positive changes in behavior; otherwise, it may be insincere or imaginary.
C. S. Lewis suggests that genuine conversion or change in a person's beliefs should manifest in noticeable improvements in their actions. If an individual's outward behavior does not reflect any positive transformation after such a conversion, it raises questions about the authenticity of their change, implying it may be more of a conceptual shift rather than a real, impactful one.
Themes
ConversionActionImprovementAuthenticity
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech on personal growth, one might use this quote to emphasize the importance of genuine transformation.
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
Most social acts have to be understood in their setting, and lose meaning if isolated.
Solomon AschRead
The body is a reservoir of all sorts of tensions and dark forces. And it's also the potential source of amazing energy. This thing wants to live. It is a powerful engine. The brain (is) a reservoir of images, dreams, fears, associations, language. And its potential we can't even begin to understand. Movement begins to negotiate the distance between the brain and the body and it can be surprising what we learn about each other.
Bill T. JonesRead
They can fatten me up. They can give me a full body polish, dress me up, and make me beautiful again. They can design dream weapons that come to life in my hands, but they will never again brainwash me into the necessity of using them. I no longer feel allegiance to these monsters called human beings, despite being one myself.
Suzanne CollinsRead
Surrendering to jargon is a sign of journalism's dismal lack of self-confidence in the optimized age of content-management systems.
George PackerRead
At bottom, the battle has been waged on moral grounds. The country has debated whether a society for which the dignity of the individual is the supreme value can, without a fundamental inconsistency, follow the practice of deliberately putting one of its members to death.
William J. BrennanRead
Patanjali, declares that the true secret of evolution is the manifestation of the perfection which is already in every being; that this perfection has been barred and the infinite tide behind is struggling to express itself. These struggles and competitions are but the results of our ignorance, because we do not know the proper way to unlock the gate and let the water in. This infinite tide behind must express itself; it is the cause of all manifestation.
Swami VivekanandaRead