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
The monstrosity of sexual intercourse outside marriage is that those who indulge in it are trying to isolate one kind of union (the sexual) from all the other kinds of union which were intended to go along with it and make up the total union.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote critiques sexual intercourse outside of marriage, emphasizing that it separates sexual union from other vital forms of union.
C. S. Lewis highlights the complexity of human relationships, arguing that sexual intercourse should not be viewed in isolation but rather as part of a broader union that includes emotional, spiritual, and social aspects. He suggests that engaging in sex outside of marriage undermines the holistic nature of human connections, leading to a fragmented understanding of love and commitment.
Themes
Sexual IntercourseMarriageUnionRelationshipsCommitment
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture on the importance of commitment in relationships.
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
If a girl looks swell when she meets you, who gives a damn if she's late? Nobody.
J. D. SalingerRead
In that shrinking moment he discovered that he had never hated anyone until now. It was a feeling as pure as love, but dispassionate and icily rational.
Ian McewanRead
Muslims should live like brothers.
Abu BakrRead
Frenemies are worse than enemies, and it's not just in the workplace.
Adam GrantRead
Part of forgiving people is releasing them from our own agendas.
Marianne WilliamsonRead
Human relationships didn't work anyhow. Only the first two weeks had any zing, then the participants lost their interest. Masks dropped away and real people began to appear: cranks, imbeciles, the demented, the vengeful, sadists, killers. Modern society had created its own kind and they feasted on each other. It was a duel to the death--in a cesspool.
Charles BukowskiRead