Ben

“Middle-aged people can balance between believing in God and breaking all the commandments without difficulty.”
― T.H. White, The Ill-Made Knight

“Evil is not able to create anything new, it can only distort and destroy what has been invented or made by the forces of good.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien

“It is easy to think that the Church has a lot of different objects—education, building, missions, holding services. Just as it is easy to think the State has a lot of different objects—military, political, economic, and what not. But in a way things are much simpler than that. The State exists simply to promote and to protect the ordinary happiness of human beings in this life. A husband and wife chatting over a fire, a couple of friends having a game of darts in a pub, a man reading a book in his own room or digging in his own garden—that is what the State is there for. And unless they are helping to increase and prolong and protect such moments, all the laws, parliaments, armies, courts, police, economics, etc., are simply a waste of time. In the same way the Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time.”
― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity: A Classic Non-Fiction Guide to Faith

“The King of England painfully climbed the two hundred and eight steps which led to Merlyn's tower room, and knocked on the door. The magician was inside, with Archimides sitting on the back of his chair, busily trying find the square root of minus one. He had forgotten how to do it.
"Merlyn," said the King, panting. "I want to talk to you."
He slammed his book with a bang, leaped to his feet, seized the wand of lignum vitae, and rushed at Arthur as if he were trying to shoo away a stray chicken.
"Go away!" he shouted. "What are you doing here? Why do you mean by it? Aren't you the King of England? Go away and send for me! Get out of my room! I never heard of such a thing! Go away!"
"But I am here."
"No, you're not," retorted the old man resourcefully. And he pushed the King out of the door, slamming it in his face.
"Well!" said Arthur, and he went off sadly down the two hundred and eight stairs.”
― T.H. White, The Witch in the Wood