Obedience Quote by C.S. Lewis
““We have been trying, like Lear, to have it both ways: to lay down our human prerogative and yet at the same time to retain it. It is impossible. Either we are rational spirit obliged for ever to obey the absolute values of the Tao, or else we are mere nature to be kneaded and cut into new shapes for the pleasures of masters who must, by hypothesis, have no motive but their own ‘natural’ impulses. Only the Tao provides a common human law of action which can over-arch rulers and ruled alike. A dogmatic belief in objective value is necessary to the very idea of a rule which is not tyranny or an obedience which is not slavery.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis, 1943
Human beings cannot simultaneously deny their rational nature and claim absolute moral authority without contradiction; a universal moral law is needed to prevent tyranny.
In simple terms: We need a shared moral framework to avoid oppression.
Key Takeaway
Adopt a common ethical standard.
Themes
ethics
human nature
authority
law
tyranny
Mood
thoughtful
serious
Type
philosophical
political
When to use this quote
- political leadership
- education
- legal systems
- community decision making
Key Concepts
moral objectivity
social contract
human rationality
Questions to Reflect On
- What universal values can truly respect individual differences?
- How do we balance rational law with personal freedom?
A Different Perspective
A single moral code may ignore cultural diversity.
![“In 1914... [German] history, poetry, dream and the individual moment were all combined in one exhilarating sensation...The nation was a creation of one's imagination, a poetic truth, an ethical, not a social, construct... blind obedience was the true value... the stronger a person is... the more…” quote by The Rites of Spring Modris Eksteins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/9a2/the-rites-of-spring-modris-eks_blind-obedience_in-1914-german-history-poetry-dream-and_16799.jpg)
