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Meaning
The quote suggests that learning forgiveness is hard, and that people may need to practice it on smaller offenses before trying to apply it to extreme cruelty. It uses the Gestapo as an example of something so severe that it sets a very high standard for forgiveness. The line also implies that forgiveness is a skill that develops gradually.
When It Was Said
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Who It Was Said To
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Historical Context
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Source
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Original Language & Translation
Originally said in English.
Did They Really Say It?
No source found on Wikiquote; the quote is listed as attributed to C.S. Lewis.
Did You Know?
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About C.S. Lewis
British author, literary scholar, and Anglican lay theologian
C. S. Lewis was a British author, literary scholar, and Anglican lay theologian. He held posts in English literature at Magdalen College, Oxford, and later at Magdalene College, Cambridge. He is best known for The Chronicles of Narnia. Lewis also wrote The Screwtape Letters and the Space Trilogy, along with Christian apologetic works such as Mere Christianity, Miracles, and The Problem of Pain. His writing ranges from imaginative fiction to religious argument, and much of it reflects his interest in Christian belief and moral questions.
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- “You know me better than you think, you know, and you shall know me better yet.”C.S. Lewis
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Explore Forgiveness
- “Is it not the great end of religion, and, in particular, the glory of Christianity, to extinguish the maligna…”William Wilberforce
- “Girls aside, the other thing I found in the last few years of being at school, was a quiet, but strong Christ…”Bear Grylls
- “Most of us need time to work through pain and loss. We can find all manner of reasons for postponing forgiven…”James E. Faust