--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He can be made to take a positive…" description: "\"“He can be made to take a positive pleasure in the perception that the two sides of his life are inconsistent. This is done by exploiting his vanity. H..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/018/c-s-lewis-121_life_he-can-be-made-to-take-a-positive-pleasu_584215.jpg" --- # He can be made to take a positive pleasure in the… ![“He can be made to take a positive pleasure in the perception that the two sides of his life are inconsistent. This is done by exploiting his vanity. He can be taught to enjoy kneeling beside the grocer on Sunday just because he remembers that the grocer could not possibly understand the urbane and…” quote by C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/018/c-s-lewis-121_life_he-can-be-made-to-take-a-positive-pleasu_584215.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/018/c-s-lewis-121_life_he-can-be-made-to-take-a-positive-pleasu_584215.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/018/c-s-lewis-121_life_he-can-be-made-to-take-a-positive-pleasu_584215.jpg) > ““He can be made to take a positive pleasure in the perception that the two sides of his life are inconsistent. This is done by exploiting his vanity. He can be taught to enjoy kneeling beside the grocer on Sunday just because he remembers that the grocer could not possibly understand the urbane and mocking world which he inhabited on Saturday evening; and contrariwise, to enjoy the bawdy and blasphemy over the coffee with these admirable friends all the more because he is aware of a ‘deeper’, ‘spiritual’ world within him which they cannot understand. You see the idea—the worldly friends touch him on one side and the grocer on the other, and he is the complete, balanced, complex man who sees round them all. Thus, while being permanently treacherous to at least two sets of people, he will feel, instead of shame, a continual undercurrent of self-satisfaction. Finally, if all else fails, you can persuade him, in defiance of conscience, to continue the new acquaintance on the ground that he is, in some unspecified way, doing these people ‘good’ by the mere fact of drinking their cocktails and laughing at their jokes, and that to cease to do so would be ‘priggish’, ‘intolerant’, and (of course) ‘Puritanical’. Meanwhile”” [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. A person can be manipulated into feeling superior by exploiting vanity, creating a false sense of balance between contradictory social circles, leading to self‑satisfaction despite deceit. **In simple terms:** Manipulating vanity creates a false balanced self‑image. Key Takeaway Beware of self‑justifying contradictions. Themes vanity self‑deception social conflict morality identity Mood reflective critical analytical Type philosophical ethical literary When to use this quote - political networking - social gatherings - personal relationships - self‑reflection - moral decision‑making Key Concepts psychology ethical manipulation dualism Questions to Reflect On - Do you justify contradictory actions for self‑esteem? - How does vanity affect your moral choices? 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This is done by exploiting his vanity. He can be taught to enjoy kneeling beside the grocer on Sunday just because he remembers that the grocer could not possibly understand the urbane and mocking world which he inhabited on Saturday evening; and contrariwise, to enjoy the bawdy and blasphemy over the coffee with these admirable friends all the more because he is aware of a ‘deeper’, ‘spiritual’ world within him which they cannot understand. You see the idea—the worldly friends touch him on one side and the grocer on the other, and he is the complete, balanced, complex man who sees round them all. Thus, while being permanently treacherous to at least two sets of people, he will feel, instead of shame, a continual undercurrent of self-satisfaction. Finally, if all else fails, you can persuade him, in defiance of conscience, to continue the new acquaintance on the ground that he is, in some unspecified way, doing these people ‘good’ by the mere fact of drinking their cocktails and laughing at their jokes, and that to cease to do so would be ‘priggish’, ‘intolerant’, and (of course) ‘Puritanical’. Meanwhile”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "C.S. 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