Quote by C.S. Lewis

The Christian says, 'Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water. Men feel sexual desire: well, there is such a thing as sex. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing. If that is so, I must take care, on the one hand, never to despise, or to be unthankful for, these earthly blessings, and on the other, never to mistake them for the something else of which they are only a kind of copy, or echo, or mirage. I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that country and to help others to do the same.

Summary

This quote by C.S. Lewis explores the concept of human desires and their ultimate fulfillment. It suggests that if we have desires that cannot be satisfied by anything in this world, it is an indication that we were made for something beyond the physical realm. While earthly pleasures may arouse these desires, they are merely fleeting reflections of the true fulfillment we can only find in the afterlife. Lewis emphasizes the importance of not disregarding or becoming ungrateful for the joys of life, but also urges us to keep our longing for our true home alive and prioritize it as the main purpose of our existence.