The man who is contented to be only himself, and therefore less a self, is in prison. My own eyes are not enough for me, I will see through those of others. Reality, even seen through the eyes of many, is not enough. I will see what others have invented. Even the eyes of all humanity are not enough. I regret that the brutes connot write books. Very gladly would I learn what face things present to a mouse or a bee; more gladly still would I perceive the olfactory world charged with all the information and emotion it carries for a dog. Literary experience heals the wound, without undermining the privilege, of individuality... in reading great literature I become a thousand men and yet remain myself. Like the night sky in the Greek poem, I see with a myriad of eyes, but it is still I who see. Here, as in worship, in love, in moral action, and in knowing, I transcend myself; and am never more myself than when I do.

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About C.S. Lewis

British writer and scholar of the early-to-mid 20th century, best known for his Christian apologetics and fantasy literature. His most famous works include *The Chronicles of Narnia*, a series of allegorical fantasy novels, and *Mere Christianity*, a collection of essays exploring faith. His prose blends intellectual rigor with imaginative storytelling.

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"The man who is contented to be only himself, and therefore less a sel…" — C.S. Lewis | Daily Quotes