Q0519
“Man is a creature who makes pictures of himself and then comes…” — Iris Murdoch (Metaphysics as a Guide to Morals…)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Metaphysics as a Guide to Morals (1992). Theme: self.
English
Man is a creature who makes pictures of himself and then comes to resemble the picture.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Metaphysics as a Guide to Morals (1992) 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, morality.
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.
- Morality
- Morality in philosophy concerns right and wrong, obligation, and the standards by which we judge persons and acts.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Iris Murdoch. (n.d.). Man is a creature who makes pictures of himself and then comes to resemble the picture. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0519
MLA: Iris Murdoch. “Man is a creature who makes pictures of….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0519.
Chicago: Iris Murdoch. “Man is a creature who makes pictures of….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0519.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “Man is a creature who makes pictures of…”?
The passage is attributed to Iris Murdoch, Metaphysics as a Guide to Morals (1992). The archive attributes this English wording to Metaphysics as a Guide to Morals (1992) 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, morality.