“There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, ‘All right, then, have it your way.'”
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
“There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, ‘All right, then, have it your way.'”
Explanation
In this quote, C. S. Lewis presents a powerful contrast between two attitudes toward God’s will and human free will. The first group consists of those who submit to God’s will, saying to God, “Thy will be done,” recognizing that their lives are meant to align with God’s plan and purpose. These individuals trust in God’s wisdom and embrace the transformative power of His will, even when it may lead to sacrifice or challenge. On the other hand, the second group represents those who reject God’s guidance and assert their own will. For them, God says, “All right, then, have it your way.” This reflects a moral autonomy in which people pursue their own desires, disregarding God’s plans for them. Lewis suggests that, in the end, the choice is not merely between good and bad, but between submission to God’s will and the consequences of living apart from it.
Historically, Lewis was deeply concerned with the concept of free will and the importance of choosing to align one’s life with God’s purpose. In many of his works, he emphasized that true freedom comes not from doing whatever we want, but from choosing to submit to God’s will, which leads to fulfillment and spiritual growth. Lewis’s Christian understanding of salvation involves this surrender—recognizing that our own desires often lead us astray, and that real peace and purpose come from allowing God to shape our lives. The quote illustrates this spiritual tension: the idea that we either choose to submit to God’s authority or, in rejecting Him, we create a kind of self-imposed separation from the divine that leaves us to our own devices.
In the modern context, this quote challenges the common individualistic mindset, where people often prioritize personal autonomy over divine guidance. It serves as a reminder that while we have the freedom to make choices, those choices have eternal consequences. The quote invites us to reflect on the direction of our lives—whether we are truly saying to God, “Thy will be done,” or whether we are instead insisting, in our own lives, “All right, then, have it your way.” The second choice, Lewis suggests, is ultimately an empty and destructive path, one that leads away from true fulfillment and connection with God. The call to align ourselves with God’s will is, therefore, not one of restriction but of freedom—the kind of freedom that allows us to live fully in the purpose for which we were created.
