Clive Staples Lewis, more commonly known as C.S. Lewis, is a revered figure in the literary world, celebrated for his insightful and inspiring narratives. His words resonate deeply with various aspects of life, touching on themes of love, friendship, courage, and faith. In this article, we explore ten categories of quotes by C.S. Lewis, each offering a unique perspective and wisdom that spans generations. Whether you're seeking motivation, comfort, or a deeper understanding of life, Lewis’s words provide a guiding light.
Inspirational Quotes
"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream."
"Courage, dear heart."
"Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny."
"There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind."
"You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me."
"The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is."
"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."
"Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither."
"Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again."
"Do not let your happiness depend on something you may lose."
"You can't go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending."
"Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back, everything is different?"
Friendship Quotes
"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: 'What! You too? I thought I was the only one.'
"Is any pleasure on earth as great as a circle of Christian friends by a good fire?"
"I have no duty to be anyone’s Friend and no man in the world has a duty to be mine. No claims, no shadow of necessity. Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art..."
"The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are."
"In friendship...we think we have chosen our peers. In reality a few years difference in the dates of our births, a few more miles between certain houses, the choice of one University instead of another...the accident of a topic being raised or not raised on a first meeting—any of these chances might have kept us apart."
"Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival."
"I have learned now that while those who speak about one's miseries usually hurt, those who keep silence hurt more."
"The very condition of having Friends is that we should want something else besides Friends. Where the truthful answer to the question 'Do you see the same truth?' would be 'I see nothing and I don’t care about the truth; I only want a Friend,' no Friendship can arise."
"Affection is responsible for nine-tenths of whatever solid and durable happiness there is in our lives."
"What draws people to be friends is that they see the same truth. They share it."
"We meet no ordinary people in our lives."
"True friends...gradually become more and more interested in the same thing. You will not find what their interests are by asking."\
Love Quotes
"To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken."
"Affection is responsible for nine-tenths of whatever solid and durable happiness there is in our lives."
"Love is not affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person’s ultimate good as far as it can be obtained."
"To love is to be vulnerable."
"There is no safe investment. To love at all is to be vulnerable."
"The pain I feel now is the happiness I had before. That’s the deal."
"Love is something more stern and splendid than mere kindness."
"Though our feelings come and go, God’s love for us does not."
"Friendship is...the sort of love one can imagine between angels."
"We are what we believe we are."
"We are born helpless. As soon as we are fully conscious we discover loneliness. We need others physically, emotionally, intellectually; we need them if we are to know anything, even ourselves."
"Love may forgive all infirmities and love still in spite of them: but Love cannot cease to will their removal."
Faith and Religion Quotes
"Faith, in the sense in which I am here using the word, is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods."
"The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us."
"You don’t have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body."
"Trust God and keep your gunpowder dry."
"I believe in Christianity as I believe that the Sun has risen, not only because I see it but because by it I see everything else."
"When Christ died, He died for you individually just as much as if you had been the only man in the world."
"Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see."
"God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing."
"We are what we believe we are."
"Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important."
"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."
"It is when we notice the dirt that God is most present in us; it is the very sign of His presence."
Wisdom Quotes
"The trouble about trying to make yourself stupider than you really are is that you very often succeed."
"Experience: that most brutal of teachers. But you learn, my God do you learn."
"Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching."
"Miracles do not, in fact, break the laws of nature."
"If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world."
"What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing."
"No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear."
"We are mirrors whose brightness, if we are bright, is wholly derived from the sun that shines upon us."
"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream."
"No man can be an exile if he remembers that all the world is one city."
"Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man a more clever devil."
"You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me."
Imagination Quotes
"You can make anything by writing."
"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."
"You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me."
"Friendship is...the sort of love one can imagine between angels."
"Imagination is the organ of meaning."
"Reason is the natural order of truth; but imagination is the organ of meaning."
"Child, to say the very thing you really mean, the whole of it, nothing more or less or other than what you really mean; that’s the whole art and joy of words."
"Why did I do it? I’d always liked books; if the book about books was a sort of double pleasure."
"Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see."
"Aim at heaven and you will get earth 'thrown in': aim at earth, and you will get neither."
"Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again."
"We are what we believe we are."
Courage Quotes
"Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point."
"Courage, dear heart."
"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream."
"Courage, dear heart."
"You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me."
"The very condition of having Friends is that we should want something else besides Friends."
"The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is."
"Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point."
"There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind."
"Not where he eats, but where he is understood."
"No matter how many times you say no to fear, the feeling of pushing back against fear’s boundaries means you will survive and continue making progress against whatever life throws at you next."
"Life is too deep for words, so don't try to describe it, just live it."
Life Quotes
"You can make anything by writing."
"Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny."
"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream."
"The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is."
"Life is an exciting business, and most exciting when it is lived for others."
"We are what we believe we are."
"Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither."
"You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me."
"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream."
"It’s so much easier to pray for a bore than to go and see one."
"I sometimes wonder if you are quite blind; you don't see what they are like in London!"
"Never forget that when we are dealing with any pleasure in its healthy and normal and satisfying form, we must always remember that God tells us to do good and be happy."
Wisdom Quotes
"Courage, dear heart."
"The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is."
"The very condition of having Friends is that we should want something else besides Friends."
"Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point."
"Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back, everything is different?"
"The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are."
"Experience: that most brutal of teachers. But you learn, my God do you learn."
"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."
"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream."
"The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles but to irrigate deserts."
"When we lose one blessing, another is often most unexpectedly given in its place."
"We all want progress, but if you're on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive."
Growth Quotes
"You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me."
"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream."
"Experience: that most brutal of teachers. But you learn, my God do you learn."
"Courage, dear heart."
"We all want progress, but if you're on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive."
"You can make anything by writing."
"Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again."
"The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is."
"Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back, everything is different?"
"The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles but to irrigate deserts."
"Affection is responsible for nine-tenths of whatever solid and durable happiness there is in our lives."
"You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me."
Final words
C.S. Lewis's profound reflections on life encompass wisdom, friendship, courage, and growth among many other themes. His captivating ability to delve into the human spirit offers a timeless guide that resonates with anyone looking for sustenance or inspiration. Whether it’s through the comfort of a trusting friendship or the motivational push to pursue one's dreams, Lewis’s words remind us of the beauty and complexity interwoven in our lived experiences. They inspire us to dream, encourage us in hardship, nurture our friendships, and motivate our growth. Through his words, we find a path not only to better ourselves but to connect with others, fostering a community built on shared truths and love. Such wisdom underscores that while our journeys are personal, they're also enriched by the shared paths we walk alongside others, highlighting that we're never truly alone as long as we carry these profound truths within us.
