C. S. Lewis is one of the most quoted authors of all time, with writings that offer wisdom and a unique perspective on a variety of topics. Discover the top 100 C.S. Lewis quotes that have endured well past his lifetime.
The most popular account for Lewis on Twitter and Pinterest is CSLewisDaily.
This list of C.S. Lewis quotes is a compilation of the most retweeted and repinned quotes shared by CSLewisDaily. Each quote is presented as a Pinterest picture in this gallery.
100 C.S. Lewis Quotes
100. Brave
Quote: “Since it is so likely that children will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage.”
Source: “On Stories: And Other Essays on Literature” (1966)
99. Joy
Quote: “Joy is the serious business of heaven.”
Source: “Letters to Malcolm” (1964)
98. Honor
Quote: “We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst.”
Source: “The Abolition of Man” (1943)
97. Goodness
Quote: “There is but one good; that is God. Everything else is good when it looks to Him and bad when it turns from Him.”
Source: “The Great Divorce” (1945)
96. Grief
Quote: “No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear.”
Source: “A Grief Observed” (1961)
95. Choice
Quote: “Each day we are becoming a creature of splendid glory or one of unthinkable horror.”
Source: “Mere Christianity” (1952)
94. Preach
Quote: “Jesus Christ did not say, ‘Go into all the world and tell the world that it is quite right.’”
Source: “God In The Dock” (1970)
93. Education
Quote: “The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles but to irrigate deserts.”
Source: “The Abolition of Man” (1943)
92. Mothers
Quote: “The homemaker has the ultimate career. All other careers exist for one purpose only - and that is to support the ultimate career.”
Source: “Collected Letters of C. S. Lewis” (2006)
91. Interruptions
Quote: “The truth is, of course, that what one regards as interruptions are precisely one’s life.”
Source: “Collected Works of C. S. Lewis” (1994)
90. The Future
Quote: “The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is.”
Source: “The Screwtape Letters” (1942)
89. Joy
Quote: “I sometimes wonder if all pleasures are not substitutes for joy.”
Source: “Mere Christianity” (1952)
88. Free Will
Quote: “There are only 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.’”
Source: “The Great Divorce” (1945)
87. Vulnerable
Quote: “To love at all is to be vulnerable.”
Source: “The Four Loves” (1960)
86. Remember
Quote: “A pleasure is not full grown until it is remembered.”
Source: “Out of the Silent Planet” (1938)
85. Service
Quote: “It’s so much easier to pray for a bore than to go and see one.”
Source: “Letters to Malcolm” (1964)
84. Sacrifice
Quote: “The terrible thing, the almost impossible thing, is to hand over your whole self — all your wishes and precautions — to Christ.”
Source: “Mere Christianity” (1952)
83. Good vs. Bad
Quote: “No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good.”
Source: “Mere Christianity”
82. Change
Quote: “Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back, everything is different ...”
Source: “Prince Caspian” (1951)
81. Behavior
Quote: “When we Christians behave badly, or fail to behave well, we are making Christianity unbelievable to the outside world.”
Source: “Mere Christianity” (1952)
80. Conceit
Quote: “If a man thinks he is not conceited, he is very conceited indeed.”
Source: “Mere Christianity” (1952)
79. Love
Quote: “Love is not affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person’s ultimate good as far as it can be obtained.”
Source: “God In The Dock” (1970)
78. Mirrors
Quote: “We are mirrors whose brightness is wholly derived from the sun that shines upon us.”
Source: “The Four Loves” (1960)
77. Wants
Quote: “All get what they want; they do not always like it.”
Source: “The Magician’s Nephew” (1955)
76. Reality
![“[Reality] is not neat, not obvious, not what you expect.” — C.S. Lewis](https://www.deseret.com/resizer/v2/PJF2R7FK3DUMQHPIBLOHQ2I5DM.jpg?auth=d8abc96359c286e497ec7a625ec7a9c1800fe29d42c64eeb94d694131511de40&focal=225%2C225&width=800&height=800)
Quote: “[Reality] is not neat, not obvious, not what you expect.”
Source: “Mere Christianity”
75. Pure in Heart
Quote: “It is safe to tell the pure in heart that they shall see God, for only the pure in heart want to.”
Source: “The Problem of Pain” (1940)
74. Fidelity
Quote: “‘Being in love’ first moved them to promise fidelity: this quieter love enables them to keep the promise.”
Source: “Mere Christianity” (1952)
73. Narnia
Quote: “All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.”
Source: “The Last Battle” (1956)
72. Truth
Quote: “Thirst was made for water; inquiry for truth.”
Source: “C.S. Lewis: An examined life” (2007)
71. Family
Quote: “The sun looks down on nothing half so good as a household laughing together over a meal.”
Source: “The Weight of Glory” (1949)
70. Forgiveness
Quote: “Forgiveness does not mean excusing.”
Source: “Fern Seed and Elephants” (1967)
69. Love
Quote: “Love is something more stern and splendid than mere kindness.”
Source: “The Problem of Pain” (1940)
68. Miracles
Quote: “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.”
Source: “God In The Dock” (1970)
67. Aslan
Quote: “This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there.”
Source: “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” (1952)
66. Peace
Quote: “God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.”
Source: “Mere Christianity” (1952)
65. Give
Quote: “Nothing you have not given away will ever really be yours.”
Source: “Mere Christianity” (1952)
64. Beauty
Quote: “We do not want merely to see beauty ... We want something else which can hardly be put into words — to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it.”
Source: “Transposition and Other Addresses” (1949)
63. Dependent
Quote: “You may forget that you are at every moment totally dependent on God.”
Source: “Mere Christianity” (1952)
62. Perspective
Quote: “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.”
Source: “The Magician’s Nephew” (1955)
61. Warning!
Quote: “Readers are advised to remember that the devil is a liar.”
Source: “The Screwtape Letters” (1942)
60. Temptation
Quote: “No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good.”
Source: “Mere Christianity” (1952)
59. Friends
Quote: “What draws people to be friends is that they see the same truth. They share it.”
Source: “The Four Loves” (1960)
58. Clean and Bright
Quote: “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.”
Source: “Mere Christianity” (1952)
57. Compliment
Quote: “It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed.”
Source: “Reflections on the Psalms” (1964)
56. God’s Glory
Quote: “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.”
Source: “The Problem of Pain” (1940)
55. Better Things Ahead
Quote: “There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.”
Source: “Collected Letters of C. S. Lewis” (2006)
54. The Door
Quote: “The door on which we have been knocking all our lives will open at last.”
Source: “The Weight of Glory” (1949)
53. Friendship
Quote: “Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: ‘What! You too? I thought I was the only one.’”
Source: “The Problem of Pain” (1940)
52. The Future
Quote: “The Past is frozen and no longer flows, and the Present is all lit up with eternal rays.”
Source: “The Screwtape Letters” (1942)
51. Desire
Quote: “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.”
Source: “Mere Christianity”
50. God speaks
Quote: “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains; it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”
Source: “The Problem of Pain” (1940)
49. Silence
Quote: “I have learned now that while those who speak about one’s miseries usually hurt, those who keep silence hurt more.”
Source: “Collected Letters of C. S. Lewis” (2006)
48. You
Quote: “When Christ died, he died for you individually just as much as if you had been the only person in the world.”
Source: “Mere Christianity” (1952)
47. Excuses
Quote: “In our own case we accept excuses too easily; in other people’s, we do not accept them easily enough.”
Source: “The Weight of Glory” (1949)
46. Forgiving ourselves
Quote: “If God forgives us we must forgive ourselves otherwise its like setting up ourselves as a higher tribunal than him.”
Source: “Collected Letters of C. S. Lewis” (2006)
45. Treasures
Quote: “All these toys were never intended to possess my heart. My true good is in another world, and my only real treasure is Christ.”
Source: “The Problem of Pain” (1940)
44. Blessings
Quote: “When we lose one blessing, another is often most unexpectedly given in its place.”
Source: “Yours, Jack: Spiritual Direction from C.S. Lewis” (2008)
43. Father of Lights
Quote: “No good work is done anywhere without aid from the Father of Lights.”
Source: “Reflections on the Psalms” (1964)
42. Pain
Quote: “God, who foresaw your tribulation, has specially armed you to go through it, not without pain but without stain.”
Source: “Collected Letters of C. S. Lewis” (2006)
41. Presence of God
Quote: “We may ignore, but we can nowhere evade, the presence of God. The world is crowded with him. He walks everywhere incognito.”
Source: “Letters to Malcolm” (1964)
40. Walking
Quote: “To walk out of his will is to walk into nowhere.”
Source: “Perelandra” (1946)
39. Despair
Quote: “Faith in Christ is the only thing to save you from despair.”
Source: “The Joyful Christian” (1977)
38. Bad men
Quote: “Of all the bad men, religious bad men are the worst.”
Source: “Reflections on the Psalms” (1964)
37. Roads
Quote: “One road leads home and a thousand roads lead into the wilderness.”
Source: “The Pilgrim’s Regress” (1933)
36. Reliance
Quote: “Relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing had yet been done.”
Source: “Collected Letters of C. S. Lewis” (2006)
35. Fairy tales
Quote: “Someday you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.”
Source: “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” (1950)
34. Prayers
Quote: “If God had granted all the silly prayers I’ve made in my life, where should I be now?”
Source: “Letters to Malcolm” (1964)
33. A lovely idea
Quote: “Everyone says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive.”
Source: “Mere Christianity” (1952)
32. A stable
Quote: “Once in our world, a stable had something in it that was bigger than our whole world.”
Source: “The Last Battle” (1956)
31. Love
Quote: “Though our feelings come and go, his love for us does not.”
Source: “Mere Christianity” (1952)
30. Success
Quote: “It is not your business to succeed, but to do right; when you have done so, the rest lies with God.”
Source: “Yours, Jack: Spiritual Direction from C.S. Lewis” (2008)
29. Faith
Quote: “Faith is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted in spite of your changing moods.”
Source: “Mere Christianity” (1952)
28. Becoming a Christian
Quote: “If you’re thinking of becoming a Christian, I warn you, you’re embarking on something, which will take the whole of you.”
Source: “Mere Christianity” (1952)
27. Choices
Quote: “Now is our chance to choose the right side. God is holding back to give us that chance. It won’t last forever. We must take it or leave it.”
Source: “Mere Christianity” (1952)
26. Help
Quote: “You must ask for God’s help. ... After each failure, ask forgiveness, pick yourself up, and try again.”
Source: “Mere Christianity” (1952)
25. Aim
Quote: “Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.”
Source: “Mere Christianity” (1952)
24. Free will
Quote: “Free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having.”
Source: “Mere Christianity” (1952)
23. Alive
Quote: “When all the suns and nebulae have passed away, each one of you will still be alive.”
Source: “The Weight of Glory” (1949)
22. Arguing
Quote: “When you are arguing against God you are arguing against the very power that makes you able to argue at all.”
Source: “Mere Christianity” (1952)
21. The best
Quote: “We’re not doubting that God will do the best for us; we’re wondering how painful the best will turn out to be.”
Source: “Letters of C. S. Lewis” (1966)
20. Infinite attention
Quote: “God has infinite attention to spare for each one of us. You are as much alone with him as if you were the only being he had ever created.”
Source: “Mere Christianity” (1952)
19. Happiness and peace
Quote: “God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.”
Source: “Mere Christianity” (1952)
18. Parachute
Quote: “We regard God as an airman regards his parachute; it’s there for emergencies, but he hopes he’ll never have to use it.”
Source: “The Problem of Pain” (1940)
17. Desire
Quote: “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.”
Source: “Mere Christianity” (1952)
16. Crucifixion
Quote: “It cost God nothing, so far as we know, to create nice things: but to convert rebellious wills cost him crucifixion.”
Source: “Mere Christianity” (1952)
15. The heart
Quote: “The heart never takes the place of the head: but it can, and should, obey it.”
Source: “The Abolition of Man” (1943)
14. Goals and dreams
Quote: “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”
Source: “Chicken Soup for the Soul” (1993)
13. Trust
Quote: “There would be no sense in saying you trusted Jesus if you would not take his advice.”
Source: “Mere Christianity” (1952)
12. Needs
Quote: “God intends to give us what we need, not what we now think we want.”
Source: “The Problem of Pain” (1940)
11. Human history
Quote: “Human history is the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.”
Source: “Mere Christianity” (1952)
10. Neighbors
Quote: “Do not waste time bothering whether you ‘love’ your neighbor; act as if you do, and you will presently come to love him.”
Source: “Mere Christianity” (1952)
9. Low points
Quote: “God allows us to experience the low points of life in order to teach us lessons that we could learn in no other way.”
Source: “The Problem of Pain”
8. Importance of Christianity
Quote: “Christianity, if false, is of no importance and, if true, is of infinite importance. The one thing it cannot be is moderately important.”
Source: “God In The Dock” (1970)
7. Pride
Quote: “Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man.”
Source: “Mere Christianity” (1952)
6. Religion
Quote: “If you want a religion to make you feel really comfortable, I certainly don’t recommend Christianity.”
Source: “God In The Dock” (1970)
5. Humility
Quote: “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.”
Source: “Mere Christianity” (1952)
4. Forgiveness
Quote: “To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.”
Source: “Essays on Forgiveness” (1960)
3. The Son of God
Quote: “The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God.”
Source: “Mere Christianity”
2. Happiness
Quote: “Don’t let your happiness depend on something you may lose.”
Source: “The Four Loves” (1960)
1. Christianity
Quote: “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.”
Source: “Is Theology Poetry” (1945)