---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: An important spiritual law is here…"
description: "\"“An important spiritual law is here involved. I have explained that you can weaken his prayers by diverting his attention from the Enemy Himself to his..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbc/c-s-lewis-121_fear_an-important-spiritual-law-is-here-invol_962239.jpg"
---

#  An important spiritual law is here involved. I have…

![“An important spiritual law is here involved. I have explained that you can weaken his prayers by diverting his attention from the Enemy Himself to his own states of mind about the Enemy. On the other hand fear becomes easier to master when the patient’s mind is diverted from the thing feared to…” quote by C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbc/c-s-lewis-121_fear_an-important-spiritual-law-is-here-invol_962239.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbc/c-s-lewis-121_fear_an-important-spiritual-law-is-here-invol_962239.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbc/c-s-lewis-121_fear_an-important-spiritual-law-is-here-invol_962239.jpg)

> ““An important spiritual law is here involved. I have explained that you can weaken his prayers by diverting his attention from the Enemy Himself to his own states of mind about the Enemy. On the other hand fear becomes easier to master when the patient’s mind is diverted from the thing feared to the fear itself, considered as a present and undesirable state of his own mind; and when he regards the fear as his appointed cross he will inevitably think of it as a state of mind. One can therefore formulate the general rule; in all activities of mind which favour our cause, encourage the patient to be unself-conscious and to concentrate on the object, but in all activities favourable to the Enemy bend his mind back on itself.””

[C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Diverting attention from a feared object to the feeling of fear itself can reduce its power; focusing on the object strengthens resolve.

**In simple terms:** Shift focus from fear to the fear itself.

Key Takeaway

Redirect attention to diminish fear.

Themes

psychology spirituality mindfulness fear management

Mood

reflective hopeful

Type

philosophical self‑help

When to use this quote

- therapy sessions
- meditation practice
- stressful negotiations

Key Concepts

cognitive reframing spiritual discipline mental focus

Questions to Reflect On

- How does focusing on fear change its impact?
- When is confronting the object more effective?

A Different Perspective

The approach may not work for all types of fear or trauma.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Fear Itself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear-itself/) [Patience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patience/) [Prayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayer/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [State of mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/state-of-mind/)

## Related quotes

> [He was trapped in the electrochemical web of cognition, wherein curiosity leads into temptation, temptation leads into fear, and fear is considered an impulse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laird-barron/he-was-trapped-in-the-electrochemical-web-of-cognition-wherein/)

[Laird Barron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laird-barron/)

> [“The danger was within itself: it was the crisis of confidence it was going through, the fear of being itself. When you considered them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-guehenno/the-danger-was-within-itself-it-was-the-crisis-of-confidence-it-was/)

[Jean Guéhenno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-guehenno/)

> [Indonesian people are living in constant fear, in horror. Often they do not realize it, because this state of mind, this 'living in fear',…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-vltchek/indonesian-people-are-living-in-constant-fear-in-horror-often-they-do/)

[Andre Vltchek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-vltchek/)

> [While a modicum of consciousness may have had survivalist properties during an immemorial chapter of our evolution – so one theory goes – this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/while-a-modicum-of-consciousness-may-have-had-survivalist-properties/)

[Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/)

> [“A bright mind illuminates. A patient mind transforms.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhal-zahi/a-bright-mind-illuminates-a-patient-mind-transforms/)

Rhal Zahi

> [Nihil tam acerbum est in quo non æquus animus solatium inveniat. There is nothing so disagreeable, that a patient mind can not find some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/nihil-tam-acerbum-est-in-quo-non-quus-animus-solatium-inveniat-there/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

> [Consciousness has forced us into the paradoxical position of striving to be unself-conscious of what we are - hunks of spoiling flesh on disintegrating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/consciousness-has-forced-us-into-the-paradoxical-position-of-striving/)

[Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/)

> [“What I call innocence is the spirit's unself-conscious state at any moment of pure devotion to any object. It is at once a receptiveness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/what-i-call-innocence-is-the-spirit-s-unself-conscious-state-at-any/)

[Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/)

> [“When we play with the unself-conscious concentration of a child, this is: art: prayer: love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-we-play-with-the-unself-conscious-concentration-of-a-child-this/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“White people can be so unself-conscious. It’s offensive, charming, and pathetic, all at the same time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-browning/white-people-can-be-so-unself-conscious-it-s-offensive-charming-and/)

[Barbara Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-browning/)

> [If I was single and did not have kids, I wonder whether if I would try as hard to be patient, to mind how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-boyle/if-i-was-single-and-did-not-have-kids-i-wonder-whether-if-i-would-try/)

[Danny Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-boyle/)

> [“For the rest of the earth’s organisms, existence is relatively uncomplicated. Their lives are about three things: survival, reproduction, death—and nothing else. But we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/for-the-rest-of-the-earth-s-organisms-existence-is-relatively-2/)

[Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/)

> [“Worries about the power of a doctor's suggestions to influence and shape his patient's mind, whether they are made under hypnosis or not, are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/worries-about-the-power-of-a-doctor-s-suggestions-to-influence-and/)

[Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/)

> [“If you are patient, your mind will be more settled, and what you do will be more perfect.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-morrison/if-you-are-patient-your-mind-will-be-more-settled-and-what-you-do/)

[Suzanne Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-morrison/)

> [In the book the relationship with Katharine and Almasy is sort of only in the patient's mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ondaatje/in-the-book-the-relationship-with-katharine-and-almasy-is-sort-of/)

[Michael Ondaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ondaatje/)

## 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/)

[Explore all 1,165 C.S. Lewis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/)

## More Fear quotes

> [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/)

[Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/)

> [“That horrible stinging sensation returned, the muscles behind my eyes straining as the first tear began to fall. “I’m scared, too. For eighteen months…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devon-ashley/that-horrible-stinging-sensation-returned-the-muscles-behind-my-eyes/)

[Devon Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devon-ashley/)

> [“...Often that which most we fear births the resolve that spurs us on to altitudes we could not have achieved, had we continued walking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-t-anderson/often-that-which-most-we-fear-births-the-resolve-that-spurs-us-on-to/)

[M.T. Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-t-anderson/)

> [What an incredible drug fear is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/what-an-incredible-drug-fear-is/)

[Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/)

> [“Anything that you find yourself worrying about regularly may find you suddenly wanting unrealistic changes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nagisa-tatsumi/anything-that-you-find-yourself-worrying-about-regularly-may-find-you/)

Nagisa Tatsumi

> [“We all know how the thing we secretly fear is not a secret at all but the open and eternal thing that predicts its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/we-all-know-how-the-thing-we-secretly-fear-is-not-a-secret-at-all-but/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/)

[Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/)

> [“I had nowhere to go and did not wish to be seen by anyone for fear they would recognize my sadness and so for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/i-had-nowhere-to-go-and-did-not-wish-to-be-seen-by-anyone-for-fear/)

[Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/)

> [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/)

[Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/)

> [“Snip off the little worries and expressions of worry” like little branches atop a tall tree.28 If you are truly worried, sharing your concerns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-sanders/snip-off-the-little-worries-and-expressions-of-worry-like-little/)

[Tim Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-sanders/)

> [“Fear and desire for pleasure. Aggressiveness comes out of fear, predominantly, and sexuality predominantly out of the other. But they mix in the middle.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/fear-and-desire-for-pleasure-aggressiveness-comes-out-of-fear/)

[Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/)

> [“Carrie Fisher. “Stay afraid, but do it anyway.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-union/carrie-fisher-stay-afraid-but-do-it-anyway/)

[Gabrielle Union](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-union/)

> [“Yes, the issue was courage. It always had been, even as a kid. Things scared him. He couldn't help it. Noise scared him, dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/yes-the-issue-was-courage-it-always-had-been-even-as-a-kid-things/)

[Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/)

> [Don't be afraid of hard work. Nothing worthwhile comes easily. Don't let others discourage you or tell you that you can't do it. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-b-elion/don-t-be-afraid-of-hard-work-nothing-worthwhile-comes-easily-don-t/)

[Gertrude B. Elion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-b-elion/)

> [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/)

[John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/)

[Browse all 35,569 Fear quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“An important spiritual law is here involved. I have explained that you can weaken his prayers by diverting his attention from the Enemy Himself to his own states of mind about the Enemy. On the other hand fear becomes easier to master when the patient’s mind is diverted from the thing feared to the fear itself, considered as a present and undesirable state of his own mind; and when he regards the fear as his appointed cross he will inevitably think of it as a state of mind. One can therefore formulate the general rule; in all activities of mind which favour our cause, encourage the patient to be unself-conscious and to concentrate on the object, but in all activities favourable to the Enemy bend his mind back on itself.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "C.S. Lewis"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/an-important-spiritual-law-is-here-involved-i-have-explained-that-you/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Fear"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/an-important-spiritual-law-is-here-involved-i-have-explained-that-you/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbc/c-s-lewis-121_fear_an-important-spiritual-law-is-here-invol_962239.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbc/c-s-lewis-121_fear_an-important-spiritual-law-is-here-invol_962239.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbc/c-s-lewis-121_fear_an-important-spiritual-law-is-here-invol_962239.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“An important spiritual law is here involved. I have explained that you can weaken his prayers by diverting…” — C.S. Lewis",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "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": "C.S. Lewis",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“An important spiritual law is here...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/an-important-spiritual-law-is-here-involved-i-have-explained-that-you/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/an-important-spiritual-law-is-here-involved-i-have-explained-that-you/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
