Tuesday, November 29, 2011

A WORD TO THE WISE

Today is the anniversary of the birth of Clive Staples Lewis in 1898.

C S Lewis was the author of many profoundly wise books as well as being the historian and
geographer of Narnia.

Some years ago, I compiled a book of Lewis quotations. If I were ever revising the volume, here are a few more quotes I'd want to include...

Can a mortal ask questions which God finds unanswerable? Quite easily, I should think. All nonsense questions are unanswerable.

Affection is responsible for nine-tenths of whatever solid and durable happiness there is in our lives.

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.

A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, 'darkness' on the walls of his cell.

The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of 60 minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is.

You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.

And from the very human being behind the man of wisdom:

You can't get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me.

5 comments:

WendyLady@GoodBooks said...

I'm going to go have a cup of tea to celebrate! Please, may I add one of my favorite Narnian quotes in his memory today?
"But who is Aslan? Do you know him?" said Eustace. "Well – he knows me," said Edmund."

Brian Sibley said...

Great quote, Wendy, thanks!

Anonymous said...

For all of us - not a few, I think - for whom the spiritual life is at least half made of doubt, a wonderful Lewisism is the passage in "The Silver Chair" where Puddleglum says he's determined to be on Aslan's side even if there isn't any Aslan to lead it. (RGP)

Brian Sibley said...

Yes, RGP, I'd forgotten that; I will, now, try to remember it!

Anonymous said...

...And I love the bit near the end of the "Nephew" where Aslan sends the children back to England and they're floating in a sea of gold that afterwards is always a comfort to them whenever they're unhappy. I wonder whether this is an echo of CSL's own life - for such a copious autobiographer, he's oddly reticent about his own spiritual experiences. Oh, and good luck with your and David's evenings at the BL! (RGP)

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