What a test that is: more than devotion, admiration, passion. If you long and long for someone’s company you love them.
Iris MurdochRead
No love is entirely without worth, even when the frivolous calls to the frivolous and the base to the base.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Every form of love has its value, even if it seems shallow or undeserving.
Iris Murdoch's quote emphasizes that all expressions of love, regardless of their depth or seriousness, hold some intrinsic value. She suggests that even love that appears trivial or is formed between individuals of low character still contributes to the broader tapestry of human relationships and emotional experiences.
Themes
LoveWorthRelationshipsValueEmotion
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech on the importance of supporting all forms of love, one might reference this quote to highlight love's intrinsic value.
More from Iris Murdoch
All quotes →The bicycle is the most civilized conveyance known to man. Other forms of transport grow daily more nightmarish. Only the bicycle remains pure in heart.
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Man's creative struggle, his search for wisdom and truth, is a love story.
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All art deals with the absurd and aims at the simple. Good art speaks truth, indeed is truth, perhaps the only truth.
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A bad review is even less important than whether it is raining in Patagonia.
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Perhaps when distant people on other planets pick up some wavelength of ours all they hear is a continuous scream.
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