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 expect you have seen someone put a a lighted match to a bit of newspaper which is propped up in a grate against an unlit fire. And for a second nothing seems to have happened; and then you notice a tiny steak of flame creeping along the edged of the newspaper. It was like that now.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Changes often start small and gradual before becoming significant.
In this quote, C. S. Lewis uses the imagery of a match igniting a newspaper to illustrate how small, seemingly insignificant actions or events can lead to significant transformation over time. Just as the tiny spark gradually develops into a flame, the initial signs of change may not be obvious, but they can eventually lead to substantial progress or development in various aspects of life.
Themes
ChangeTransformationProgressInsignificantSmall Actions
In practice
Example use cases
Use this quote in a motivational speech about the impact of gradual change.
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.
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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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