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
Before we can be cured we must want to be cured. Those who really wish for help will get it; but for many modern people even the wish is difficult.
Interpretation
What this quote means
To be helped or healed, one must truly desire it, yet many struggle to even wish for assistance.
C. S. Lewis emphasizes the importance of a genuine desire for change or healing as a prerequisite for receiving help. He suggests that while many might need support, the struggle to even acknowledge this need can prevent them from attaining it, highlighting a vital aspect of human psychology in the context of personal growth and healing.
Themes
HealingDesireHelpChangeHuman Psychology
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about personal growth, one could use this quote to illustrate the importance of wanting change.
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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