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
Satan, the leader or dictator of devils, is the opposite, not of God, but of Michael.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Satan represents a force of opposition against divine good, embodying evil rather than simply opposing God.
In this quote, C. S. Lewis distinguishes between the nature of Satan and the divine authority of God. Rather than viewing Satan as the polar opposite of God, Lewis suggests that Satan's true counterpart is the archangel Michael, who represents divine order and goodness. This framing highlights the complexity of moral and spiritual leadership, suggesting that evil is an inherent part of the struggle between good and not merely a rival to divinity.
Themes
SatanGood Vs EvilPhilosophyMoralitySpirituality
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture on morality, one might use this quote to illustrate the complexities of good and evil.
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.
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
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There are people who are suffering beyond description. They are innocent people, they didn't bring this upon themselves. They are the victims of the sins of other people. And while it's hard to see, it's important to understand that these people exist.
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I had the same sensation as when we watch someone sleep. When asleep we all become children again. Perhaps because in the state of slumber we can do no wrong and are unconscious of life, the greatest criminal and most self- absorbed egotist are holy, by a natural magic, as long as they're sleeping. For me there's no discernible difference between killing a child and killing a sleeping man.
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If you and I are to live religious lives, it mustn't be that we talk a lot about religion, but that our manner of life is different. It is my belief that only if you try to be helpful to other people will you in the end find your way to God.
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We must, however, acknowledge, as it seems to me, that man with all his noble qualities... still bears in his bodily frame the indelible stamp of his lowly origin.
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We know the future will outlast all of us, but I believe that all of us will live on in the future we made.
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Every global concern - economic, environmental or security-related - can be addressed more effectively when the U.S. and China work together.
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