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
Submit to death, death of your ambitions and favorite wishes every day and death of your whole body in the end: submit with every fiber of your being, and you will find eternal life. Keep back nothing. Nothing that you have not given away will be really yours. Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the dead. . . look to Christ and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of surrendering one's ambitions and desires to attain true fulfillment and eternal life through faith in Christ.
C. S. Lewis suggests that true fulfillment and the essence of life come from the act of surrendering one's personal ambitions and desires. By embracing the concept of daily 'death' to these ambitions, individuals can transcend their earthly desires and find a deeper, lasting purpose. The quote indicates that nothing truly valuable is retained unless it is given away, and through this selflessness, one can connect with the divine and achieve eternal life.
Themes
SurrenderFaithEternal LifeSelflessnessAmbitionC. S. Lewis
In practice
Example use cases
During a sermon on selflessness, a pastor might quote Lewis to illustrate the theme of sacrificing personal ambition.
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.
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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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