--- title: "6 Saying Quotes By C.S. Lewis" description: "6 Saying quotes by C.S. Lewis. Plus more from C.S. Lewis and more Saying sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/c-s-lewis-121_face-to-face_the-complaint-was-the-answer-to-have-hea_310441.jpg" --- > [“The complaint was the answer. To have heard myself making it was to be answered. Lightly men talk of saying what they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/the-complaint-was-the-answer-to-have-heard-myself-making-it-was-to-be/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/c-s-lewis-121_face-to-face_the-complaint-was-the-answer-to-have-hea_310441.jpg) > [“In writing. Don't use adjectives which merely tell us how you want us to feel about the thing you are describing. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/in-writing-don-t-use-adjectives-which-merely-tell-us-how-you-want-us/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25a/c-s-lewis-121_adjectives_in-writing-don-t-use-adjectives-which-me_2025914.jpg) > [“Often when he was teaching me to write in Greek, the Fox would say, "Child, to say the very thing you really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/often-when-he-was-teaching-me-to-write-in-greek-the-fox-would-say/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5d/c-s-lewis-121_art_often-when-he-was-teaching-me-to-write-i_2092938.jpg) > [“One word, Ma'am," he said, coming back from the fire; limping, because of the pain. "One word. All you've been saying is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/one-word-ma-am-he-said-coming-back-from-the-fire-limping-because-of/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d75/c-s-lewis-121_moon-and-stars_one-word-ma-am-he-said-coming-back-from_2669867.jpg) > [“We appear to be saying something very important about something: and actually we are only saying something about our own feelings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/we-appear-to-be-saying-something-very-important-about-something-and/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d99/c-s-lewis-121_feelings_we-appear-to-be-saying-something-very-im_2782061.jpg) > [“Lightly men talk of saying what they mean. Often when he was teaching me to write in Greek the Fox would say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/lightly-men-talk-of-saying-what-they-mean-often-when-he-was-teaching/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f2/c-s-lewis-121_children_lightly-men-talk-of-saying-what-they-mea_2804975.jpg) ## Other authors on Saying ## More by C.S. Lewis > [“At the moment, then, of Man’s victory over Nature, we find the whole human race subjected to some individual men, and those individuals subjected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/at-the-moment-then-of-man-s-victory-over-nature-we-find-the-whole/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“Isn’t it absolutely essential to keep a fierce Left and a fierce Right, both on their toes and each terrified of the other?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/isn-t-it-absolutely-essential-to-keep-a-fierce-left-and-a-fierce/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“All Hell is smaller than one pebble of your earthly world: but it is smaller than one atom of this world, the Real World.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/all-hell-is-smaller-than-one-pebble-of-your-earthly-world-but-it-is/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“the greatest service we can do to education today is to teach fewer subjects. No one has time to do more than a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/the-greatest-service-we-can-do-to-education-today-is-to-teach-fewer/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“If the Divine call does not make us better, it will make us very much worse. Of all bad men religious bad men are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/if-the-divine-call-does-not-make-us-better-it-will-make-us-very-much/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“The husband is the head of the wife just in so far as he is to her what Christ is to the Church -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/the-husband-is-the-head-of-the-wife-just-in-so-far-as-he-is-to-her/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“We use a most unfortunate idiom when we say, of a lustful man prowling the streets, that he "wants a woman". Strictly speaking, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/we-use-a-most-unfortunate-idiom-when-we-say-of-a-lustful-man-prowling/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“Después de cada fracaso, pedid perdón, levantaos del suelo y volved a intentarlo. Muy a menudo, lo que Dios nos otorga primero no es…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/despu-s-de-cada-fracaso-pedid-perd-n-levantaos-del-suelo-y-volved-a/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“Then two wonders happened at the same moment. One was that the voice was suddenly joined by other voices; more voices than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/then-two-wonders-happened-at-the-same-moment-one-was-that-the-voice/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“Because free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/because-free-will-though-it-makes-evil-possible-is-also-the-only/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“Laugh and fear not, creatures. Now that you are no longer dumb and witless, you need not always be grave. For jokes as well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/laugh-and-fear-not-creatures-now-that-you-are-no-longer-dumb-and/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“When two humans have lived together for many years it usually happens that each has tones of voice and expressions of face which are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/when-two-humans-have-lived-together-for-many-years-it-usually-happens/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“He sees as well as you do that courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/he-sees-as-well-as-you-do-that-courage-is-not-simply-one-of-the/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“If you do not take the distinction between good and bad very seriously, then it is easy to say that anything you find in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/if-you-do-not-take-the-distinction-between-good-and-bad-very/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“Now the whole offer which Christianity makes is this: that we can, if we let God have His way, come to share in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/now-the-whole-offer-which-christianity-makes-is-this-that-we-can-if/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saying/c-s-lewis-2/#itemlist", "name": "6 Saying Quotes By C.S. Lewis", "numberOfItems": 6, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The complaint was the answer. To have heard myself making it was to be answered. Lightly men talk of saying what they mean. Often when he was teaching me to write in Greek the Fox would say, '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.' A glib saying. When the time comes to you at which you will be forced at last to utter the speech which has lain at the center of your soul for years which you have, all that time, idiot-like, been saying over and over, you'll not talk about the joy of words. I saw well why the gods do not speak to us openly, nor let us answer. Till that word can be dug out of us, why should they hear the babble that we think we mean? How can they meet us face to face till we have faces?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "C.S. Lewis" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/the-complaint-was-the-answer-to-have-heard-myself-making-it-was-to-be/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/c-s-lewis-121_face-to-face_the-complaint-was-the-answer-to-have-hea_310441.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/c-s-lewis-121_face-to-face_the-complaint-was-the-answer-to-have-hea_310441.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/c-s-lewis-121_face-to-face_the-complaint-was-the-answer-to-have-hea_310441.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The complaint was the answer. To have heard myself making it was to be answered. Lightly men talk of saying…” — C.S. Lewis", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“In writing. Don't use adjectives which merely tell us how you want us to feel about the thing you are describing. I mean, instead of telling us a thing was \"terrible,\" describe it so that we'll be terrified. Don't say it was \"delightful\"; make us say \"delightful\" when we've read the description. You see, all those words (horrifying, wonderful, hideous, exquisite) are only like saying to your readers, \"Please will you do my job for me.\" [ Letter to Joan Lancaster , 26 June 1956]”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "C.S. Lewis" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/in-writing-don-t-use-adjectives-which-merely-tell-us-how-you-want-us/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25a/c-s-lewis-121_adjectives_in-writing-don-t-use-adjectives-which-me_2025914.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25a/c-s-lewis-121_adjectives_in-writing-don-t-use-adjectives-which-me_2025914.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25a/c-s-lewis-121_adjectives_in-writing-don-t-use-adjectives-which-me_2025914.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In writing. Don't use adjectives which merely tell us how you want us to feel about the thing you are…” — C.S. Lewis", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Often when he was teaching me to write in Greek, the Fox would say, \"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 is the whole art and joy of words.\" A glib saying.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "C.S. Lewis" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/often-when-he-was-teaching-me-to-write-in-greek-the-fox-would-say/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5d/c-s-lewis-121_art_often-when-he-was-teaching-me-to-write-i_2092938.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5d/c-s-lewis-121_art_often-when-he-was-teaching-me-to-write-i_2092938.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5d/c-s-lewis-121_art_often-when-he-was-teaching-me-to-write-i_2092938.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Often when he was teaching me to write in Greek, the Fox would say, \"Child, to say the very thing you really…” — C.S. Lewis", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“One word, Ma'am,\" he said, coming back from the fire; limping, because of the pain. \"One word. All you've been saying is quite right, I shouldn't wonder. I'm a chap who always liked to know the worst and then put the best face I can on it. So I won't deny any of what you said. But there's one more thing to be said, even so. Suppose we have only dreamed, or made up, all those things-trees and grass and sun and moon and stars and Aslan himself. Suppose we have. Then all I can say is that, in that case, the made-up things seem a good deal more important than the real ones. Suppose this black pit of a kingdom of yours is the only world. Well, it strikes me as a pretty poor one. And that's a funny thing, when you come to think of it. We're just babies making up a game, if you're right. But four babies playing a game can make a play-world which licks your real world hollow. That's why I'm going to stand by the play world. I'm on Aslan's side even if there isn't any Aslan to lead it. I'm going to live as like a Narnian as I can even if there isn't any Narnia. So, thanking you kindly for our supper, if these two gentlemen and the young lady are ready, we're leaving your court at once and setting out in the dark to spend our lives looking for Overland. Not that our lives will be very long, I should think; but that's a small loss if the world's as dull a place as you say.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "C.S. Lewis" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/one-word-ma-am-he-said-coming-back-from-the-fire-limping-because-of/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d75/c-s-lewis-121_moon-and-stars_one-word-ma-am-he-said-coming-back-from_2669867.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d75/c-s-lewis-121_moon-and-stars_one-word-ma-am-he-said-coming-back-from_2669867.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d75/c-s-lewis-121_moon-and-stars_one-word-ma-am-he-said-coming-back-from_2669867.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“One word, Ma'am,\" he said, coming back from the fire; limping, because of the pain. \"One word. All you've…” — C.S. Lewis", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 5, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We appear to be saying something very important about something: and actually we are only saying something about our own feelings.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "C.S. Lewis" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/we-appear-to-be-saying-something-very-important-about-something-and/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d99/c-s-lewis-121_feelings_we-appear-to-be-saying-something-very-im_2782061.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d99/c-s-lewis-121_feelings_we-appear-to-be-saying-something-very-im_2782061.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d99/c-s-lewis-121_feelings_we-appear-to-be-saying-something-very-im_2782061.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We appear to be saying something very important about something: and actually we are only saying something…” — C.S. Lewis", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 6, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Lightly men talk of saying what they mean. Often when he was teaching me to write in Greek the Fox would say, “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.” A glib saying. When the time comes to you at which you will be forced at last to utter the speech which has lain at the centre of your soul for years, which you have, all that time, idiot-like, been saying over and over, you’ll not talk about joy of words.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "C.S. Lewis" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/lightly-men-talk-of-saying-what-they-mean-often-when-he-was-teaching/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f2/c-s-lewis-121_children_lightly-men-talk-of-saying-what-they-mea_2804975.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f2/c-s-lewis-121_children_lightly-men-talk-of-saying-what-they-mea_2804975.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f2/c-s-lewis-121_children_lightly-men-talk-of-saying-what-they-mea_2804975.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Lightly men talk of saying what they mean. Often when he was teaching me to write in Greek the Fox would…” — C.S. Lewis", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } } ] }, { "@type": "CollectionPage", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saying/c-s-lewis-2/#webpage", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saying/c-s-lewis-2/", "name": "Saying Quotes by C.S. Lewis", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saying/c-s-lewis-2/#itemlist" }, "primaryImageOfPage": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/c-s-lewis-121_face-to-face_the-complaint-was-the-answer-to-have-hea_310441.jpg" }, "description": "6 Saying quotes by C.S. Lewis. Plus more from C.S. Lewis and more Saying sayings from other authors.", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saying/c-s-lewis-2/#breadcrumb" } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saying/c-s-lewis-2/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Topics", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/categories/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Saying", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saying/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 5, "name": "C.S. Lewis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saying/c-s-lewis-2/" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```