The Screwtape Letters | C.S. Lewis

In this creative compilation of letters, Lewis shows that often it’s the most subtle temptation that leads one away from God. He challenges the reader to check motives, to examine the heart and to reflect on the sin and pride that taints virtue.

Screwtape, an experienced devil, writes letters to his nephew Wormwood, a novice devil in training. Screwtape imparts his wisdom on winning souls for eternity, in Hell. He knows the tactics of the Enemy (God) and how simple it is draw men away from Him, but will temptation prevail?

“It is funny how mortals always picture us as putting things into their minds: in reality our best work is done by keeping things out.

If this fails, you must fall back on a subtler misdirection of his intention. Whenever they are attending to the Enemy Himself we are defeated, but there are ways of preventing them from doing so. The simplest is to turn their gaze away from Him towards themselves. Keep them watching their own minds and trying to produce feelings there by the action of their own wills. When they meant to ask Him for charity, let them, instead, start trying to manufacture charitable feelings for themselves and not notice that this is what they are doing. When they mean to pray for courage, let them really be trying to feel brave. When they say they are praying for forgiveness, let them be trying to feel forgiven. Teach them to estimate the value of each prayer by their success in producing the desired feeling; and never let them suspect how much success or failure of that kind depends on whether they are well or ill, fresh or tired, at the moment.”

The Screwtape Letters Chapter 4