The most essential and fundamental aspect of culture is the study of literature, since this is an education in how to picture and understand human situations.
Iris MurdochA letter is a barrier, a reprieve, a charm against the world, an almost infallible method of acting at a distance.
Iris MurdochThe talk of lovers who have just declared their love is one of life's most sweet delights. Each vies with the other in humility, in amazement at being so valued. The past is searched for the first signs and each one is in haste to declare all that he is so that no part of his being escapes the hallowing touch.
Iris Murdoch