QuoteProject
Solemnity is proper in church, but things that are proper in church are not necessarily proper outside, and vice versa. For example, I can say a prayer while washing my teeth, but that does not mean I should wash my teeth in church.
C. S. Lewis
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote emphasizes the distinction between appropriate behavior in different contexts.

C. S. Lewis highlights that societal norms and expectations vary depending on the setting. He suggests that while certain practices, such as prayer, can occur anywhere, the context in which we perform actions influences their appropriateness. This reflection encourages individuals to consider the relevance of behavior based on their surroundings and the cultural or situational standards that apply.

Themes

ContextAppropriatenessBehaviorSocietyNorms

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion on etiquette at a social gathering, one might reference this quote to illustrate how behavior should adapt to context.

More from C. S. Lewis

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
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

Where is human nature so weak as in the bookstore?
Henry Ward BeecherRead
Many people never grow up. They stay all their lives with a passionate need for external authority and guidance, pretending not to trust their own judgment.
Alan WattsRead
State solutions are imposed from above; they are often without corrective devices, and cannot easily be reversed on the proof of failure. Their inflexibility goes hand in hand with their planned and goal-directed nature, and when they fail the efforts of the state are directed not to changing them but to changing people’s belief that they have failed.
Roger ScrutonRead
One should always have one's boots on and be ready to leave.
Michel De MontaigneRead
Every day I try to be in communication with the universe in an unconscious way.
Paulo CoelhoRead
I always wondered if there was a purpose to the universe, if there was a plan, if there was some sort of organizing factor, hopefully that I played a role in.
John GreenRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.