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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Acting with love towards others can cultivate genuine feelings of love.
C. S. Lewis suggests that the act of caring for others should not be contingent on our feelings. By behaving as if we love our neighbors, we can create a positive environment that fosters genuine love and connection, regardless of our initial emotions.
Themes
LoveActNeighborsEmpathyKindness
In practice
Example use cases
Using this quote during a community service event to inspire volunteers.
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
Myself, and all the Angelic Host, that stand in the sight of God enthroned, our happy state hold, as you yours, while our obedience hold. On other surety none: freely we serve, because we freely love.
John MiltonRead
Now love's the only thing that's free /We must take it where it's found /Pretty soon it may be costly
Tracy ChapmanRead
What kills love? Only this: Neglect. Not to see you when you stand before me. Not to think of you in the little things. Not to make the road wide for you, the table spread for you. To choose you out of habit not desire, to pass the flower seller without a thought. To leave the dishes unwashed, the bed unmade, to ignore you in the mornings, make use of you at night. To crave another while pecking your cheek. To say your name without hearing it, to assume it is mine to call.
Jeanette WintersonRead
The most powerful love songs always turn on the discrepancy between the act of declaring love and the knowledge that the ostensible addressee is no longer there, was never there, and could never be there.
Mark FisherRead
In love, unlike most other passions, the recollection of what you have had and lost is always better than what you can hope for in the future.
StendhalRead
The course of true love never did run smooth.
William ShakespeareRead