"Yes, of course, there's something fishy about describing people's feelings. You try hard to be accurate, but as soon as you start to define such and… - Iris Murdoch

"Yes, of course, there's something fishy about describing people's feelings. You try hard to be accurate, but as soon as you start to define such and such a feeling, language lets you down. It's really a machine for making falsehoods. When we really speak the truth, words are insufficient. Almost everything except things like "pass the gravy" is a lie of a sort. And that being the case, I shall shut up. Oh, and... pass the gravy."

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About Iris Murdoch

Dame Jean Iris Murdoch (15 July 1919 – 8 February 1999) was an Anglo-Irish novelist and philosopher, famed for her series of novels that combine rich characterization and compelling plotlines usually involving ethical or sexual themes. Her life-story was filmed in 2001 as Iris.

Biography information from Wikiquote

Also Known As

Native Name: Jean Iris Murdoch
Alternative Names: Dame Iris Murdoch
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Additional quotes by Iris Murdoch

Trains induce such terrible anxiety. They image the possibility of total and irrevocable failure. They are also dirty, rackety, packed with strangers, an object lesson in the foul contingency of life: the talkative fellow-traveller, the possibility of children.

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