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
Heaven offers nothing that a mercenary soul can desire.
Interpretation
This quote suggests that true fulfillment and value cannot be found for those who are only motivated by selfish gains.
C. S. Lewis's quote, 'Heaven offers nothing that a mercenary soul can desire,' implies that individuals who are primarily driven by materialistic or selfish motives will find no true satisfaction or spiritual reward. It encourages introspection about one’s desires and motivations, emphasizing that genuine aspirations must transcend greed and personal gain for one to truly embrace intrinsic values, especially those associated with heavenly or ethereal ideals.
In practice
This quote could be shared during a philosophy class to discuss the nature of desire.
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.
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.
Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.
Forgiving and being forgiven are two names for the same thing. The important thing is that a discord has been resolved.
I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. It doesn't change God - it changes me.
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
Ah, not to be cut off, not through the slightest partition shut out from the law of the stars. The inner -- what is it? if not the intensified sky, hurled through with birds and deep with the winds of homecoming.
Tolerance obviously requires a non-contentious manner of relating toward one another’s differences. But tolerance does not require abandoning one’s standards or one’s opinions on political or public policy choices. Tolerance is a way of reacting to diversity, not a command to insulate it from examination.
You get racism crossing the street; it's in the very fabric of American society.
Now, one of the most essential branches of English liberty is the freedom of one's house.
The world has a soul and whoever understands that soul can also understand the language of many things.
It's important to debunk the myths of Africa being this benighted continent civilized only when white people arrived. In fact, Africans had been creators of culture for thousands of years before. These were very intelligent, subtle and sophisticated people, with organized societies and great art.
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