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
Surely what a man does when he is taken off his guard is the best evidence for what sort of man he is.
Interpretation
What this quote means
A person's true character is revealed in unexpected situations.
This quote by C. S. Lewis suggests that the most authentic reflection of an individual's nature is displayed when they are caught off guard or in an unguarded moment. It implies that people's reactions in spontaneous circumstances often reveal their true selves, regardless of how they may present themselves in more controlled situations.
Themes
CharacterTruthAuthenticityReactionNature
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about integrity, one might cite this quote to emphasize the importance of true character.
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.
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
Part of the human Self or Soul is not subject to laws of space and time.
Carl JungRead
Men gladly believe what they wish. -Libenter homines id quod volunt credunt
Julius CaesarRead
We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both.
Louis D. BrandeisRead
Victory or defeat? It is the slogan of all-powerful militarism in every belligerent nation. And yet, what can victory bring to the proletariat?
Rosa ParksRead
You lose the world for a glance? Of course you do. That is what the world is for: to lose under the right circunstances.
Julian BarnesRead
I am a feminist, and what that means to me is much the same as the meaning of the fact that I am Black: it means that I must undertake to love myself and to respect myself as though my very life depends upon self-love and self-respect.
June JordanRead