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 distinction between pretending you are better than you are and beginning to be better in reality is finer than moral sleuth hounds conceive.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The difference between feigning improvement and genuinely improving is subtle yet significant.
C. S. Lewis highlights the thin line that separates those who superficially act as if they are better than they truly are and those who actively strive to become better. This quote invites reflection on personal integrity and the authenticity of self-improvement, urging individuals to recognize the importance of genuine effort over mere appearances.
Themes
ImprovementAuthenticitySelf-AwarenessGrowthIntegrity
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about personal growth and honesty.
More from C. S. Lewis
All quotes →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.
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
As a trial lawyer in front of a jury and an author of true-crime books, credibility has always meant everything to me. My only master and my only mistress are the facts and objectivity. I have no others.
Vincent BugliosiRead
I have never said that there is no need for a guru. All depends on what you call guru. He need not be in a human form.
Ramana MaharshiRead
Victory puts us on a level with heaven.
LucretiusRead
But you haven't never loved God nor even nair person. You hard and tough as cowhide. But just the same I knows you. This afternoon you going to roam all over the place without never being satisfied. You going to traipse all around like you haves to find something lost. You going to work yourself up with excitement. Your heart going to beat hard enough to kill you because you don't love and don't have peace. And then some day you going to bust loose and be ruined.
Carson MccullersRead
If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.
Marcus Tullius CiceroRead
He’s always asking: ‘Is that new? I haven’t seen that before.’ It’s like, Why don’t you mind your own business? Solve world hunger. Get out of my closet.
Michelle ObamaRead