C.S. Lewis Quotes

A collection of quotes by C.S. Lewis.

Clive Staples Lewis, commonly known as C.S. Lewis, was a highly influential British writer and scholar, born on November 29, 1898, in Belfast, Ireland. He is best known for his captivating fantasy series, "The Chronicles of Narnia." Lewis developed a deep love for storytelling and mythology from a young age, and this passion would shape his future work.

Lewis served as a professor of English literature at both Oxford University and Cambridge University. He gained widespread recognition for his expertise in medieval literature, becoming a renowned academic figure. In addition to his scholarly pursuits, Lewis penned numerous works of fiction, non-fiction, and essays, exploring various genres such as theology, Christian apologetics, and allegorical fiction.

His most notable literary achievement, "The Chronicles of Narnia," consists of seven books that continue to enchant readers of all ages. Published between 1950 and 1956, this beloved series has sold millions of copies worldwide and has been adapted into multiple films, further cementing Lewis's status as a celebrated author.

Central to Lewis's writing was his strong Christian faith, which infused his stories and informed his persuasive works on Christianity. Still, many of his works have garnered critical acclaim and readership beyond religious circles, appealing to individuals from diverse backgrounds due to their timeless themes, vivid imagination, and masterful storytelling.

C.S. Lewis passed away on November 22, 1963, leaving an enduring legacy as one of the most respected and beloved writers of the twentieth century. His works continue to captivate generations, inspiring readers to explore the depths of imagination, faith, and the power of good storytelling.

We are afraid that Heaven is a bribe, and that if we make it

We are afraid that Heaven is a bribe, and that if we make it our goal we shall no longer be disinterested. It is not so. Heaven offers nothing that the mercenary soul can desire. It is safe to tell the pure in heart that they shall see God, for only the pure in heart want to. There are rewards that do not sully motives. A man's love for a woman is not mercenary because he wants to marry her, nor his love for poetry mercenary because he wants to read it, nor his love of exercise less disinterested because he wants to run and leap and walk. Love, by definition, seeks to enjoy its object.

The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate o

The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is.

The perfect church service,would be one we were almost unawa

The perfect church service,would be one we were almost unaware of.Our attention would have been on God.

Man is to be understood only in his relationship to God.

Man is to be understood only in his relationship to God.

If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this worl

If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.

All joy... emphasizes our pilgrim status; always reminds, be

All joy... emphasizes our pilgrim status; always reminds, beckons, awakens desire. Our best havings are wantings.

The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a ci

The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are.

Telling us to obey instinct is like telling us to obey peopl

Telling us to obey instinct is like telling us to obey people. People say different things: so do instincts. Our instincts are at war.... Each instinct, if you listen to it, will claim to be gratified at the expense of the rest....

Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good

Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.

There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, Thy wil

There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, Thy will be done, and those to whom God says, All right, then, have it your way

We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best fo

We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be.

There is no safe investment. To love at all is to be vulnera

There is no safe investment. To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket - safe, dark, motionless, airless - it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell.

If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if y

If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin, and in the end, despair.

Courage is not simply one of the virtues but the form of eve

Courage is not simply one of the virtues but the form of every virtue at the testing point, which means at the point of highest reality.

What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where

What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing. It also depends on what sort of person you are.

I have learned now that while those who speak about one's mi

I have learned now that while those who speak about one's miseries usually hurt, those who keep silence hurt more.

To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your

To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.

A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and

A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.

To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your h

To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.

If I discover within myself a desire which no experience in

If I discover within myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.