Classic Quote by C. S. Lewis
“Who can endure a doctrine which would allow only dentists to say whether our teeth were aching, only cobblers to say whether our shoes hurt us, and only governments to tell us whether we were being well governed?”
About This Quote
Source Essay: The Weight of Glory, 1942
Authority is questioned when only specialists can judge specific pains, and only governments can claim overall governance, highlighting the absurdity of limiting expertise.
In simple terms: Limiting judgment to narrow experts is absurd.
Key Takeaway
Seek broader perspectives beyond narrow expertise.
Themes
authority
expertise
governance
Mood
skeptical
thoughtful
Type
critical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- health care decisions
- public policy
- personal autonomy
- education reform
Key Concepts
epistemology
political philosophy
Questions to Reflect On
- Who decides what truly matters to you?
- Can one authority govern all aspects of life?
A Different Perspective
Specialists cannot address all aspects of well‑being.
![“...those who sit at their work and are therefore called 'chair workers,' such as cobblers and tailors, suffer from their own particular diseases ... [T]hese workers ... suffer from general ill-health and an excessive accumulation of unwholesome humors caused by their sedentary life ... so to some…” quote by Bernardino Ramazzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/5e1/bernardino-ramazzini-41586_accumulation_those-who-sit-at-their-work-and-are-ther_614122.jpg)
![“Other people had strived for freedom and promise and ratatatata but the Constitution [of USA] was the first time we codified it aspirationally and wrote it down and put it up on a wall and said, "this is us." If your father was a cobbler, and his father was a cobbler, and his father was a cobbler…” quote by Ben Dreyfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b5c/ben-dreyfuss-43214_cobblers_other-people-had-strived-for-freedom-and_267365.jpg)
