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
Do not waste time bothering whether you ‘love’ your neighbor; act as if you did. As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Acting with love toward others can lead to genuine feelings of love.
C. S. Lewis suggests that the act of behaving lovingly towards others, even if we don’t initially feel it, can lead to the development of genuine love. By focusing on our actions and treating others with kindness and compassion, we uncover a profound truth: that love can be cultivated through our behavior, ultimately transforming our feelings and relationships.
Themes
LoveNeighborActionsFeelingsRelationships
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about community service to emphasize the importance of acting with kindness.
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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Thou art my single day, God lends to leaven What were all earth else, with a feel of heaven.
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Waiting does not exist in the experience of those who recognize the presence of love wherever they are.
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