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
A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line.
Interpretation
What this quote means
We can only recognize faults and imperfections when we understand their opposites or better standards.
C. S. Lewis's quote emphasizes that in order to identify something as flawed or wrong, such as a 'crooked line', one must possess a certain understanding of what is considered 'straight' or right. This speaks to the idea that our perceptions and judgments are influenced by our knowledge and experience of ideals or truths.
Themes
UnderstandingTruthPerceptionStandardsJudgment
In practice
Example use cases
During a debate about ethics, one might quote this to illustrate the necessity of moral standards.
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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