Iris Murdoch Quotes
Iris Murdoch was a 20th-century British philosopher and novelist, the author of 26 novels and several volumes of moral philosophy. Her philosophical work, including The Sovereignty of Good and Metaphysics as a Guide to Morals, defended a Platonic moral realism in which attention to other persons and to the good is the central ethical task. The quotes below are attributed to Iris Murdoch, organized by topic.
Iris Murdoch on Death
-
Attributed to Iris Murdoch:
“Bereavement is a darkness impenetrable to the imagination of the unbereaved.”
Iris Murdoch on God
-
Attributed to Iris Murdoch:
“The love of God is moral and not mystical.”
Iris Murdoch on Happiness
-
Attributed to Iris Murdoch:
“One of the secrets of a happy life is continuous small treats.”
Iris Murdoch on Love
-
Attributed to Iris Murdoch:
“Love is the perception of individuals.”
-
Attributed to Iris Murdoch:
“We can only learn to love by loving.”
-
Attributed to Iris Murdoch:
“Writing is like getting married. One should never commit oneself until one is amazed at one's luck.”
Iris Murdoch on Politics
-
Attributed to Iris Murdoch:
“Tyrants always fear art because tyrants want to mystify, while art tends to clarify.”
Iris Murdoch on Truth
-
Attributed to Iris Murdoch:
“Anything that consoles is fake.”