The following is part of a series exploring quotations attributed to C.S. Lewis that are questionable for one reason or another. I’ve collected and expanded this material in a book (THE MISQUOTABLE C.S. LEWIS, now available from the publisher, Amazon also has it, and Google Books has a preview of it). That book examines 75 quotations, and so it has information not yet posted here. I’m continuing the series by posting adapted material from the book.
There is an “at a glance” page to quickly see what has been posted so far in this series, which also includes a list of the other quotes I’ve identified as questionable. Also, if you haven’t already, consider reading the INTRODUCTION to this series to gain an understanding of the three main categories (NOT Lewis, ALMOST Lewis and NOT QUITE Lewis quotations).
“No great wisdom can be reached without sacrifice.”
Be sure to read the introductory material about the three types of quotation classifications I’ve created if you haven’t already. The reason for encouraging you to be familiar with it is because this quotation suffers from context issues and it will be easier to understand how this defers from most of the other material I’ve examined. In fact, back when this quotation was brought to my attention I actually struggle with considering it as questionable.
If you’ve seen this quote, then it’s probably included a reference to The Magician’s Nephew. In fact, it is in the book. On their own, these words appear to be good advice. Often times gaining something can take a lot of sacrifice. However, it’s important to consider the context of the statement. Not only are the words said by one of the bad characters in that Narnia story, but they are actually expressed as a justification for selfish actions.
In The Magician’s Nephew, Digory was talking with his uncle, who intended to send his friend Polly and him to another world without their permission. Just after making the above statement about “sacrifice,” Uncle Andrew notes that it is not him who will be sacrificing anything, instead he wants to gain “great wisdom” by having the two kids take all the risk! Thus, by itself, the quotation is misleading. In context, Uncle Andrew is advocating using his own might and the ability to manipulate others to gain knowledge.
The next article is:
Related Articles:
Exploring C.S. Lewis Misquotes and Misconceptions (6-part podcast series)
What Lewis NEVER Wrote (Podcast)
Not Quite Lewis – Podcast Version
Not Quite Lewis – Questionable Lewisian Quotations (Conf. Paper)
