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 wonder if people who asked for God to intervene in our world, really know what they are asking. Will they want to be there when God really does intervene?
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote questions the awareness of those who seek divine intervention in the world.
C. S. Lewis's quote suggests a profound contemplation on the implications of asking for God's intervention. It highlights the responsibility and potential consequences that come with such a request, prompting individuals to consider whether they truly understand the nature and extent of divine involvement in human affairs. The quote emphasizes a cautious approach to invoking higher powers, as it raises questions about human readiness to face the possible outcomes of such actions.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about faith and prayer, this quote could be used to illustrate the complexities of asking for divine help.
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.
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
Similar quotes
The truth is always an abyss. One must β as in a swimming pool β dare to dive from the quivering springboard of trivial everyday experience and sink into the depths, in order to later rise again β laughing and fighting for breath β to the now doubly illuminated surface of things.
Obsessed by a fairy tale, we spend our lives searching for a magic door and a lost kingdom of peace.
For those who have obtained unobstructed knowledge of Self, the world is seen merely as a bondage causing imagination.
Some people seem to believe that for each problem there is a solution readily available - a solution that can be promptly achieved by passing a law and voting some money. I think of this as the vending machine concept of social change. Put a coin in the machine and out comes a piece of candy. If there is a social problem, pass a law and out comes a solution.
Amidst the rush of worldly comings and goings, I observe how all endings become beginnings
Do we really think that the United States will have the protection of innocent Afghans in mind if it rains terror down on the Afghan infrastructure? We are supposedly fighting them because they immorally killed innocent civilians. That made them evil. If we do the same, are we any less immoral?