What a test that is: more than devotion, admiration, passion. If you long and long for someone’s company you love them.
Iris MurdochRead
Perhaps when distant people on other planets pick up some wavelength of ours all they hear is a continuous scream.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that our communication might be perceived differently by others, possibly as chaotic or distressing.
Iris Murdoch's quote reflects on the nature of human expression and the possibility that our signals—be they emotional or verbal—may not be interpreted as intended by others, especially those who are fundamentally different from us. It raises questions about the effectiveness of communication across vast differences, hinting at the potential for misunderstanding and the inherent isolation we may experience in our attempts to connect with others, whether they are near or far.
Themes
CommunicationMisunderstandingDistressExpressionHuman Connection
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture on communication barriers, this quote can highlight the challenges in understanding across cultures.
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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For most of us, for almost all of us, truth can be attained, if at all, only in silence. It is in silence that the human spirit touches the divine.
Iris MurdochRead
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