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
Many things have gone wrong with the world that God made and... God insists, and insists very loudly, on our putting them right again
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses the belief that while the world has imperfections, it is our responsibility to correct them.
C. S. Lewis emphasizes the importance of human agency in addressing the flaws and wrongdoings present in the world. He suggests that despite the imperfections and challenges we face, there is a divine expectation for us to take action and work towards creating a better world. This quote inspires individuals to engage in efforts of improvement and to acknowledge their role in the broader context of existence.
Themes
ResponsibilityImprovementAgencyWorldFaith
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about community service, one might say, 'As C. S. Lewis pointed out, God insists on our putting things right in the world.'
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.
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
That religion which costs a man nothing is usually worth nothing.
Charles SpurgeonRead
To use words to sense reality is like going with a lamp to search for darkness.
Alfred KorzybskiRead
Man is now able to soar into outer space and reach up to the moon; but he is not moral enough to live at peace with his neighbor!
Sathya Sai BabaRead
All humans are frightened of their own solitude. But only in solitude can we learn to know ourselves, learn to handle our own eternal aloneness.
Han SuyinRead
The world as pure object is something that is not there. It is not a reality outside us for which we exist....It is a living and self-creating mystery of which I am myself a part, to which I am myself, my own unique door.
Thomas MertonRead
I confess that I am not charmed with the ideal of life held out by those who think that the normal state of human beings is that of struggling to get on; that the trampling, crushing, elbowing, and treading on each other's heels, which form the existing type of social life, are the most desirable lot of human beings
John Stuart MillRead