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 rule of the universe is that others can do for us what we cannot do for ourselves, and one can paddle every canoe except one's own.
Interpretation
What this quote means
We often need help from others to achieve what we cannot do alone.
C. S. Lewis highlights the fundamental truth that while we may rely on others for various aspects of life, there are certain personal challenges and responsibilities that only we can face. The metaphor of paddling one's own canoe symbolizes the idea that individual effort is essential for personal progress and self-discovery, even in a world where collaboration is vital.
Themes
HelpSelfUniverseResponsibilityCollaboration
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about teamwork and self-reliance.
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
I never have [suffered writer’s block], although I’ve had books that didn’t work out. I had to stop writing them. I just abandoned them. It was depressing, but it wasn’t the end of the world. When it really isn’t working, and you’ve been bashing yourself against the wall, it’s kind of a relief. I mean, sometimes you bash yourself against the wall and you get through it. But sometimes the wall is just a wall. There’s nothing to be done but go somewhere else.
Margaret AtwoodRead
Everyone complains of his memory, and nobody complains of his judgment.
Francois De La RochefoucauldRead
Sorrow is a kind of rust of the soul, which every new idea contributes in its passage to scour away. It is the putrefaction of stagnant life, and is remedied by exercise and motion.
Samuel JohnsonRead
Remember this: When you cross my doorstep, you have already been raised. With what you have learned...you know the difference between right and wrong. Do right. Don't anybody raise you from the way you have been raised. Know you will have to make adaptations, in love, in relationships, in friends, in society, in work, but don't let anybody change your mind.
Maya AngelouRead
Don't always try to be popular. It isn't possible for everyone to like you. It's far more important for you to like yourself. And when you respect yourself, strangely, you get more respect than when you court it from others.
Joyce BrothersRead
Look and you will find it - what is unsought will go undetected.
SophoclesRead