The Great Divorce

Reading again, this time as a project with my son Tim, one of my favorite of all C.S. Lewis books. It's also one of the shortest, 128 pp. in my edition. Very entertaining story of a bus trip from Hell to the very outskirts of Heaven. Every passenger has been given the opportunity to stay, on certain very simple conditions. Most elect to go back to Hell, though their heavenly greeters try desperately to convince them otherwise.

We get to hear several conversations including the one from which my favorite lines in the book are excerpted—it's between one particularly self-righteous passenger and his greeter, a man he knew and despised in life who now in heaven begs him to stay:

Bus Passenger: "What do you keep on arguing for? I'm only telling you the sort of chap I am. I only want my rights. I'm not asking for anybody's bleeding charity."

Heavenly Greeter: "Then do. At once. Ask for the Bleeding Charity. Everything is here for the asking and nothing can be bought."