Q0518
“The self, the place where we live, is a place of illusion.…” — Iris Murdoch (The Sovereignty of Good (1970))
Verified English quotation. Primary source: The Sovereignty of Good (1970). Theme: self.
English
The self, the place where we live, is a place of illusion. Goodness is connected with the attempt to see the unself.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to The Sovereignty of Good (1970) and files it under Platonic Moral Philosophy. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Iris Murdoch
Iris Murdoch (1919–1999) was an Irish-British philosopher and novelist who revived moral attention to the good against mid-century linguistic narrowness. A student at Oxford and briefly influenced by Sartre, she turned toward Plato.
How to read this passage
To ask about the self is to ask what persists through experience, what can be known from the first-person point of view, and how character is formed. Some traditions treat the self as a substantial soul; others as a stream of experience, a social role, or a practical center of agency. This passage enters that discussion through self, good, attention.
Concepts in this quote
- Self
- Philosophy quotes about self explore identity, responsibility, and the examined life—from Socrates’ unexamined life to modern phenomenology and existential authenticity.
- Good
- Good appears in this archive as a live philosophical concern—not a slogan. These verified English passages show how thinkers treat good as a problem of judgment, practice, or explanation.
- Attention
- Attention appears in this archive as a live philosophical concern—not a slogan. These verified English passages show how thinkers treat attention as a problem of judgment, practice, or explanation.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Iris Murdoch. (n.d.). The self, the place where we live, is a place of illusion. Goodness is connected with the attempt to see the unself. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0518
MLA: Iris Murdoch. “The self, the place where we live, is….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0518.
Chicago: Iris Murdoch. “The self, the place where we live, is….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0518.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “The self, the place where we live, is…”?
The passage is attributed to Iris Murdoch, The Sovereignty of Good (1970). The archive attributes this English wording to The Sovereignty of Good (1970) and files it under Platonic Moral Philosophy. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Iris Murdoch mean by self?
To ask about the self is to ask what persists through experience, what can be known from the first-person point of view, and how character is formed. Some traditions treat the self as a substantial soul; others as a stream of experience, a social role, or a practical center of agency. This passage enters that discussion through self, good, attention.