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
What can you ever really know of other people's souls — of their temptations, their opportunities, their struggles? One soul in the whole of creation you do know: and it is the only one whose fate is placed in your hands. If there is a God, you are, in a sense, alone with Him.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the limitations of our understanding of others while highlighting the responsibility we have for ourselves and our relationship with the divine.
C. S. Lewis reflects on the profound mystery of other people's inner lives, acknowledging that we can never fully comprehend their individual experiences, struggles, and choices. Instead, he urges us to focus on the one soul we truly understand—our own—and the unique relationship we have with God, suggesting that in our spiritual journey, we are ultimately alone with Him, responsible for our own soul's fate.
Themes
UnderstandingSoulResponsibilityDivineMystery
In practice
Example use cases
Use this quote to encourage self-reflection during a personal development seminar.
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.
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Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.
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Forgiving and being forgiven are two names for the same thing. The important thing is that a discord has been resolved.
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I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. It doesn't change God - it changes me.
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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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