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 God is Love, He is, by definition, something more than mere kindness. And it appears, from all the records, that though He has often rebuked us and condemned us, He has never regarded us with contempt. He has paid us the intolerable compliment of loving us, in the deepest, most tragic, most inexorable sense.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the nature of divine love, emphasizing its depth beyond simple kindness.
C. S. Lewis articulates a profound understanding of God's love, suggesting that it transcends mere kindness and carries a weight of profound respect and regard for humanity. This love is portrayed not just as affection, but as a complex emotion that acknowledges human flaws and tragedies while still holding a fundamental respect and appreciation for each individual, highlighting both the beauty and complexity of divine love.
Themes
LoveKindnessDivineRespectHumanity
In practice
Example use cases
In a sermon discussing the nature of God, this quote can illustrate the deep respect within divine love.
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
Despair is perfectly compatible with a good dinner, I promise you.
William Makepeace ThackerayRead
One pretends to do something, or copy someone or some teacher, until it can be done confidently and easily in what becomes one's own style
Cary GrantRead
Every act of disobedience committed due to passion, its forgiveness is hoped for. Every act of disobedience committed due to arrogance, its forgiveness is not hoped for because the root of Satan’s disobedience was arrogance, whereas the root of Adam’s lapse was passion.
Sufyan Al-ThawriRead
It is only on the condition of humility and reverence before the world that our species will be able to remain in it.
Wendell BerryRead
Just as our brains fill in the details of an image our eyes record only roughly, so, too, do our brains employ tricks we are unaware of to fill in details about people we don't know intimately.
Leonard MlodinowRead
Sure, some journalists use anonymous sources just because they’re lazy, and I think editors ought to insist on more precise identification even if they remain anonymous.
Ben BradleeRead