“Solemnity is proper in church, but things that are proper in church are not necessarily proper outside, and vice versa. For example, I can say a prayer while washing my teeth, but that does not mean I should wash my teeth in church.”
Image credits：Aronsyne,”Lewis, age 48″,CC BY-SA 4.0,C.S.-Lewis – C. S. Lewis – Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- November 29, 1898 – November 22, 1963
- Born in Ireland
- Writer, scholar
- Had a major influence on fantasy literature and religious thought through his many works, including the Chronicles of Narnia series and The Poetics of Christianity
Quote
“Solemnity is proper in church, but things that are proper in church are not necessarily proper outside, and vice versa. For example, I can say a prayer while washing my teeth, but that does not mean I should wash my teeth in church.”
Explanation
In this quote, C. S. Lewis draws attention to the importance of context and appropriateness in different settings. He acknowledges that certain behaviors—such as solemnity—are appropriate in specific environments, like a church, where reverence and respect are expected. However, Lewis also highlights that context matters: what is fitting in one situation may not be appropriate in another. For example, saying a prayer while engaging in something as mundane as brushing your teeth is perfectly acceptable because it is a private act of devotion, but washing your teeth in church would be completely inappropriate because it disrupts the sacred nature of the space. Through this analogy, Lewis suggests that we must be mindful of the specific context in which we act and recognize that different places and times call for different behaviors and attitudes.
Historically, Lewis often wrote about the sacred and the secular and how they are often experienced in different ways. As a Christian, he believed that certain spaces, such as churches, demand a sense of reverence and solemnity, while other environments, like our homes or daily routines, are more suited to informal or everyday actions. In works like Mere Christianity and The Screwtape Letters, Lewis emphasizes the idea that spiritual life is not confined to church buildings or formal rituals, but that it should be integrated into everyday life. However, he also believed that there should be distinction between the two worlds—what is appropriate in a sacred space like a church does not always translate to other areas of life.
In the modern context, this quote resonates with the way we navigate the formal and informal aspects of our lives. In a world where boundaries between work and personal life often blur, Lewis’s words encourage us to reflect on the value of context. The appropriate behavior or attitude in one setting—be it a professional environment, a home, or a spiritual setting—requires us to be attuned to the nature of that space and its purpose. The quote reminds us that while we can integrate spiritual practices like prayer into our daily routine, we should also recognize the sacredness of certain places and times, preserving their distinctive nature rather than treating all situations with the same approach. This balance ensures that we maintain respect and appropriateness for each environment while living authentically and spiritually across the spectrum of our lives.
