HomeQuotesC.S. Lewis
Literature and scripture
Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art, like the universe itself. It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival.
The Four Loves, 1960
Literature and scripture
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What this means, and why it matters to a father

Lewis wrote The Four Loves as a meditation on what love actually is — distinguishing affection, friendship, romantic love, and charity. This line about friendship is one of his most quoted, and it is worth sitting with the argument: friendship has no survival value.

There is more to this one. The full context — the events behind the words, what the author was living through, and how it applies to the specific situations of fatherhood — is in the app under Deeper Understanding.

Read the full context in DadVice

Sources

Related themes

lovewisdomidentityguidance

The right words for exactly where you are right now.

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