Quotessence
Home / Books / The Sovereignty of Good

The Sovereignty of Good

Book by Iris Murdoch · 3 quotes · Good, Illusion, Love

Filter quotes by topic

AllGoodIllusionLoveSelfFantasyPhilosophyArtAttentionBeginner S MindConceptsCreaturesDependsDestinyEgoEnergyEntrapmentErrorsEthicsEvilExcellence

The Sovereignty of Good Quotes

“It is not simply that suppression of self is required before accurate vision can be obtained. The great artist sees his objects (and this is true whether they are sad, absurd, repulsive or even evil) in a light of justice and mercy. The direction of attention is, contrary to nature, outward, away from self which reduces all to a false unity, towards the great surprising variety of the world, and the ability so to direct attention is love.”

LoveArtSelfEvilAttentionGoodLearning To See
Book:The Sovereignty of Good
Create image

“The self, the place where we live, is a place of illusion. Goodness is connected with the attempt to see the unself, to see and to respond to the real world in the light of a virtuous consciousness. This is the non-metaphysical meaning of the idea of transcendence to which philosophers have so constantly resorted in their explanations of goodness. 'Good is a transcendent reality' means that virtue is the attempt to pierce the veil of selfish consciousness and join the world as it really is. It is an empirical fact about human nature that this attempt cannot be entirely successful.”

RealHuman NatureEgoIllusionGoodTranscendence
Book:The Sovereignty of Good
Create image

“The same virtues, in the end, the same virtue (love), are required throughout, and fantasy (self) can prevent us from seeing a blade of grass just as it can prevent us from seeing another person. An increasing awareness of 'goods' and the attempt (usually only partially successful) to attend to them purely, without self, brings with it an increasing awareness of the unity and interdependence of the moral world. One-seeking intelligence is the image of faith.”

LoveSelfFaithVisionFantasyIllusionUnityIntellectGood
Book:The Sovereignty of Good
Create image