Quotations from C.S. Lewis

• Short quotes with their exact source.
• Translations proposed by the site.
• Four false quotes exposed.

In Narnia

“Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.”

— Dedication of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (to Lucy Barfield), 1950

“Of course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

— Mr. Beaver, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, ch. 8

“Things never happen the same way twice.”

— Aslan, Prince Caspian, ch. 10

“Once there was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it.”

— The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, opening line

“I call all times soon.”

— Aslan, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, ch. 10

“Remember the signs. Trust the signs.”

— Aslan, The Silver Chair, ch. 2

“Further up and further in!”

— Aslan, The Last Battle, ch. 15

“The term is over: the holidays have begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning.”

— Aslan, The Last Battle, ch. 16

Elsewhere in the work

“A children’s story which is enjoyed only by children is a bad children’s story.”

— “On Three Ways of Writing for Children”, 1952

“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”

— “Is Theology Poetry?”, 1945

“If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”

— Mere Christianity (The Foundations of Christianity), Book III, ch. 10

“Friendship is born at the moment when one man says to another ‘What! You too? I thought I was the only one.’”

— The Four Loves, 1960

“Nobody ever told me that grief felt so like fear.”

— A Grief Observed, 1961, opening line

“Courage, dear heart.”

— The Last Battle, ch. 14

“Courage is not simply one of the qualities, but the form that every quality takes when tested.”

— The Screwtape Letters, Letter 29

“There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, in the end, ‘Thy will be done.’”

— The Great Divorce, ch. 9

Watch out for false quotes

These lines circulate under Lewis’s name, but he never wrote them, or not in this form:

• “We read to know that we are not alone.” — line from the script of Shadowlands (William Nicholson), not from Lewis.
• “You don’t have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body.” — often attributed to Lewis, but not found in his work.
• “Don’t ever be afraid of the dark.” — attributed to Lewis online, but no source (often linked to The Silver Chair).
• “Courage is not merely a virtue of the mind, it is the virtue of the heart.” — attributed to Lewis online, but no source (often linked to The Silver Chair).

Daily Thoughts (2006)

In January 2006, the old website used to send each morning an email with an excerpt from Lewis. The 31 thoughts are preserved in the archives of this page.

• citations —
  • One day, you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again. — Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again. — Dedication of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (to Lucy Barfield), 1950 — true — source (replace with published translation)
  • Of course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you. — 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you. — Mr. Beaver, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Chapter 8 — true — source (replace with published translation)
  • Things never happen the same way twice. — Things never happen the same way twice. — Aslan, Prince Caspian, Chapter 10 — true — source (replace with published translation)
  • There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it. — There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it. — The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, First line — true — source (replace with published translation)
  • I call all times soon. — I call all times soon. — Aslan, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Chapter 10 — true — source (replace with published translation)
  • Remember the signs. Believe the signs. — Remember the signs. Believe the signs. — Aslan, The Silver Chair, Chapter 2 — true — source (replace with published translation)
  • Further up and further in! — Further up and further in! — Aslan, The Last Battle, Chapter 15 — true — source (replace with published translation)
  • The term is over: the holidays have begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning. — The term is over: the holidays have begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning. — Aslan, The Last Battle, Chapter 16 — true — source (replace with published translation)
  • A children's story which is enjoyed only by children is a bad children's story. — A children's story which is enjoyed only by children is a bad children's story. — « On Three Ways of Writing for Children », 1952 — true — source (replace with published translation)
  • I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else. — I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else. — « Is Theology Poetry? », 1945 — true — source (replace with published translation)
  • If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. — If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. — Mere Christianity (Les Fondements du christianisme), Book III, Chapter 10 — true — source (replace with published translation)
  • Friendship is born at the moment when one man says to another: 'What! You too? I thought that no one but myself…' — Friendship is born at the moment when one man says to another: 'What! You too? I thought that no one but myself…' — The Four Loves, 1960 — true — source (replace with published translation)
  • No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear. — No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear. — Apprendre la mort (A Grief Observed), 1961, First line — true — source (replace with published translation)
  • Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point. — Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point. — Aslan, The Last Battle, Letter 29 — true — source (replace with published translation)
  • There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says, in the end, 'Thy will be done.' — There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says, in the end, 'Thy will be done.' — The Last Battle, Chapter 9 — true — source (replace with published translation)
  • We read to know we are not alone. — We read to know we are not alone. — Aslan, Apocrypha: line from the Shadowlands screenplay (William Nicholson) — false — source (replace with published translation)
  • You don't have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body. — You don't have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body. — Apocrypha: often attributed to Lewis online, but untraceable in his works — false — source (replace with published translation)
  • You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. — You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. — Apocrypha: attributed to Lewis online, but without source (often linked to Les Brown) — false — source (replace with published translation)
  • Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less. — Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less. — Apocrypha in this form: modern summary of an idea from Mere Christianity (Book III, Chapter 8) — false — source (replace with published translation)

See also

• C.S. Lewis bibliography
• Joy Davidman and A Grief Observed
• Aslan
• Jack's lexicon: twelve ideas from Lewis and the Narnia scene that illustrates them
• True, false or needs clarification: twelve persistent myths about Jack, examined