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
Fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement: he is a rebel who must lay down his arms. Laying down your arms, surrendering, saying you are sorry, realizing that you have been on the wrong track and getting ready to start life over again from the ground floor-that is the only way out of a "hole." This process of surrender-this movement full speed astern-is repentance.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the need for genuine repentance and humility in order to initiate true change and improvement in one's life.
C. S. Lewis presents a profound understanding of the human condition, suggesting that to truly progress in life, one must first acknowledge their failures and actively choose to repent. Rather than viewing oneself simply as flawed and needing enhancement, the quote frames the struggle as one of rebellion against a misguided path, indicating that surrendering one's pride and starting anew is essential for profound transformation and escaping one's troubles.
Themes
RepentanceSurrenderChangeSelf-ImprovementHumility
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about personal growth, one could use this quote to illustrate the importance of acknowledging one's mistakes.
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.
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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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You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We will preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on earth, or we will sentence them to take the first step into a thousand years of darkness. If we fail, at least let our children and our childrenβs children say of us we justified our brief moment here. We did all that could be done.
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Ninety percent of our lives is governed by emotion.
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I detest the niqab and the burka for their erasure of women and for dangerously equating piety with that disappearance - the less of you I can see, the closer you must be to God.
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