As long as [man] does not convert it into action, it does not matter how much he thinks about this new repentance.. Wallow in it.. Write a book about it; that is often an excellent way of sterilising the seeds which [Heavenly Father] plants in a human soul.. Do anything but act. No amount of piety in his imagination and affections will harm [the cause of evil] if [it is kept] out of his will.. The more often he feels without acting, the less he will ever be able to act, and, in the long run, the less he will be able to feel. C.s. Lewis
About This Quote

The idea that we must wallow in our emotions and thoughts before we can act on them is a harmful one. Instead of thinking and feeling and talking and writing and moping and reading and praying and weeping and laughing, we should be doing. If we do not act on our feelings, our feelings will not be acted upon. The more often we think of acting on our feelings, the less likely we will ever be able to act on them.

In the long run, the less we will be able to think of acting on them, because we will never feel able to act upon them. This quote is a warning against indulging in emotional or mental activities rather than taking action.

Source: The Screwtape Letters

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