---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Human relations are impossible. When they…"
description: "\"Human relations are impossible. When they are real they are uncomfortable, and when they are comfortable they are unreal. It was for the journey into s..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50b/e-m-forster-1118_comfortable_human-relations-are-impossible-when-they_3207734.jpg"
---

#  Human relations are impossible. When they are real they…

![“Human relations are impossible. When they are real they are uncomfortable, and when they are comfortable they are unreal. It was for the journey into solitude that the human soul was created.” quote by E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50b/e-m-forster-1118_comfortable_human-relations-are-impossible-when-they_3207734.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50b/e-m-forster-1118_comfortable_human-relations-are-impossible-when-they_3207734.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50b/e-m-forster-1118_comfortable_human-relations-are-impossible-when-they_3207734.jpg)

> “Human relations are impossible. When they are real they are uncomfortable, and when they are comfortable they are unreal. It was for the journey into solitude that the human soul was created.”

[E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Human connections are paradoxical; authenticity feels uneasy, while comfort feels inauthentic, prompting a desire for solitary introspection.

**In simple terms:** Real relationships feel uneasy; comfortable ones feel fake.

Key Takeaway

Embrace solitude to understand yourself.

Themes

relationships authenticity solitude identity

Mood

reflective melancholic

Type

philosophical thought‑provoking

When to use this quote

- personal growth
- creative work
- team dynamics
- leadership
- friendship

Key Concepts

existentialism paradox

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you prefer authenticity over comfort?
- How does solitude shape your identity?

A Different Perspective

Comfort can mask superficiality, hindering depth.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Comfortable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comfortable/) [Human relations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-relations/) [Human soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-soul/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Impossible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impossible/) [Journey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journey/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Quiet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quiet/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Relation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relation/) [Relations Impossible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relations-impossible-5981181/) [Solitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solitude/) [Solitude Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solitude-human-909457/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Uncomfortable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uncomfortable/) [Unreal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unreal/)

## Related quotes

> [Solitude is the human condition in which I keep myself company. Loneliness comes about when I am alone without being able to split up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/solitude-is-the-human-condition-in-which-i-keep-myself-company/)

[Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/)

> [“It was somehow clear, even then, that the monster had been lonely. The folds above its eye made the old face look wistful, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-groff/it-was-somehow-clear-even-then-that-the-monster-had-been-lonely-the/)

[Lauren Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-groff/)

> [“Solitude is a human presumption. Every quiet step is thunder to beetle life underfoot, a tug of impalpable thread on the web pulling mate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/solitude-is-a-human-presumption-every-quiet-step-is-thunder-to-beetle-2/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [“Thinking, existentially speaking, is a solitary but not a lonely business; solitude is that human situation in which I keep myself company. Loneliness comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/thinking-existentially-speaking-is-a-solitary-but-not-a-lonely/)

[Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/)

> [Friendship, according to Proust, is the negation of that irremediable solitude to which every human being is condemned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/friendship-according-to-proust-is-the-negation-of-that-irremediable/)

[Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/)

> [“Her body moved with the frankness that comes from solitary habits. But solitude is only a human presumption. Every quiet step is thunder to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/her-body-moved-with-the-frankness-that-comes-from-solitary-habits-but/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [Solitude is a human presumption. Every quiet step is thunder to beetle life underfoot, a tug of impalpable thread on the web pulling mate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/solitude-is-a-human-presumption-every-quiet-step-is-thunder-to-beetle/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [“Solitude is only a human presumption. Every quiet step is thunder to beetle life underfoot; every choice is a world made new for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/solitude-is-only-a-human-presumption-every-quiet-step-is-thunder-to/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [You hate America, don't you?' That would be as silly as loving it,' I said. 'It's impossible for me to get emotional about it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-hate-america-don-t-you-that-would-be-as-silly-as-loving-it-i-said/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [No sane person wants hell to exist. No sane person wants evil to exist. But hell is just evil eternalized. If there is evil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/no-sane-person-wants-hell-to-exist-no-sane-person-wants-evil-to-exist/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [“And slowly a discussion begins - as Morrie has wanted all along - about the effect of silence on human relations. Why are we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/and-slowly-a-discussion-begins-as-morrie-has-wanted-all-along-about/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [Against the suffering which may come upon one from human relationships the readiest safeguard is voluntary isolation, keeping oneself aloof from other people. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/against-the-suffering-which-may-come-upon-one-from-human/)

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

> [“Love is not coercion, and the state is only an agent of coercion. It has no other function and can work no other way.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-mcdurmon/love-is-not-coercion-and-the-state-is-only-an-agent-of-coercion-it/)

[Joel McDurmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-mcdurmon/)

> [Men are fair, and they have learned not to personalize anger - they can disagree with you and argue to the bone, but afterward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/men-are-fair-and-they-have-learned-not-to-personalize-anger-they-can/)

[Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/)

> [Perhaps that's what all human relationships boiled down to: Would you save my life? or would you take it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/perhaps-that-s-what-all-human-relationships-boiled-down-to-would-you/)

[Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/)

## More by E. M. Forster

> [Do not be proud of your inconsistency. It is a pity, it is a pity that we should be equipped like this. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/do-not-be-proud-of-your-inconsistency-it-is-a-pity-it-is-a-pity-that/)

[E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/)

> [Reverence is fatal to literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/reverence-is-fatal-to-literature/)

[E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/)

> [This element of surprise or mystery - the detective element as it is sometimes rather emptily called - is of great importance in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/this-element-of-surprise-or-mystery-the-detective-element-as-it-is/)

[E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/)

> [It is so difficult - at least, I find it difficult - to understand people who speak the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/it-is-so-difficult-at-least-i-find-it-difficult-to-understand-people/)

[E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/)

> [Railway termini are our gates to the glorious and the unknown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/railway-termini-are-our-gates-to-the-glorious-and-the-unknown/)

[E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/)

> [Ah, but you see, I didn't want to be fair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/ah-but-you-see-i-didn-t-want-to-be-fair/)

[E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/)

> [The final test for a novel will be our affection for it, as it is the test of our friends, and of anything else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/the-final-test-for-a-novel-will-be-our-affection-for-it-as-it-is-the/)

[E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/)

> [America is rather like life. You can usually find in it what you look for It will probably be interesting, and it is sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/america-is-rather-like-life-you-can-usually-find-in-it-what-you-look/)

[E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/)

> [A critic has no right to the narrowness which is the frequent prerogative of the creative artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/a-critic-has-no-right-to-the-narrowness-which-is-the-frequent/)

[E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/)

> [All men are equal — all men, that is to say, who possess umbrellas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/all-men-are-equal-all-men-that-is-to-say-who-possess-umbrellas/)

[E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/)

> [Before the civil war, Pottibakia was a normal member of the Comity of Nations. She erected tariff walls, broke treaties, persecuted minorities, obstructed at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/before-the-civil-war-pottibakia-was-a-normal-member-of-the-comity-of/)

[E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/)

> [Chess is a forcing house where the fruits of character can ripen more fully than in life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/chess-is-a-forcing-house-where-the-fruits-of-character-can-ripen-more/)

[E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/)

> [I distrust Great Men... I believe in aristocracy, though... Its members are to be found in all nations and classes, and all through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/i-distrust-great-men-i-believe-in-aristocracy-though-its-members-are/)

[E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/)

> [Liking one person is an extra reason for liking another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/liking-one-person-is-an-extra-reason-for-liking-another/)

[E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/)

> [We are not concerned with the very poor. They are unthinkable, and only to be approached by the statistician or the poet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/we-are-not-concerned-with-the-very-poor-they-are-unthinkable-and-only/)

[E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/)

[Explore all 287 E. M. Forster quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/)

## More Comfortable quotes

> [I could not limit my values and pursuits to what makes others comfortable. Being possessed by a promise I live without options. I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/i-could-not-limit-my-values-and-pursuits-to-what-makes-others/)

[Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/)

> [How much more comfortable it is to say 'Yes, and...' than 'Yes, but...'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-fagg/how-much-more-comfortable-it-is-to-say-yes-and-than-yes-but/)

[Lawrence Fagg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-fagg/)

> [If I had my brothers I think with just a little bit of the correct marketing, I'd like to be almost exclusively in small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bozzio/if-i-had-my-brothers-i-think-with-just-a-little-bit-of-the-correct/)

[Terry Bozzio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bozzio/)

> [I'm more comfortable modelling as a man because I don't get any criticism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rain-dove/i-m-more-comfortable-modelling-as-a-man-because-i-don-t-get-any/)

[Rain Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rain-dove/)

> [I'm aware of who I am and I'm comfortable with who I choose to date.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shibani-dandekar/i-m-aware-of-who-i-am-and-i-m-comfortable-with-who-i-choose-to-date/)

[Shibani Dandekar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shibani-dandekar/)

> [Money is only used for two things. One, it's to make you comfortable, and the more comfortable you are the more creative you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/money-is-only-used-for-two-things-one-it-s-to-make-you-comfortable/)

[Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/)

> [I am comfortable talking about sex scenes and stuff, but to me, when it's physically explicit, I do feel prudish and uncomfortable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-waller-bridge/i-am-comfortable-talking-about-sex-scenes-and-stuff-but-to-me-when-it/)

[Phoebe Waller-Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-waller-bridge/)

> [It's my intention to make something stand outside the realm of album art, but it also feels comfortable to me to be in it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dyer-baizley/it-s-my-intention-to-make-something-stand-outside-the-realm-of-album/)

[John Dyer Baizley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dyer-baizley/)

> [There's always gonna be people with a lot of money making film, and the goal is to make profit and carry on. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-howard/there-s-always-gonna-be-people-with-a-lot-of-money-making-film-and/)

[Clint Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-howard/)

> [There are those that say, if you do the uncomfortable thing long enough, it will become comfortable. But we are really not encouragers of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/there-are-those-that-say-if-you-do-the-uncomfortable-thing-long/)

[Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/)

> [It's like my second home, 'It.' And I would like to return to it, because I feel very comfortable with it, and I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/it-s-like-my-second-home-it-and-i-would-like-to-return-to-it-because/)

[Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/)

> [I was a bit overweight as a teenager, which may be why I'm more comfortable playing with clothes than showing my body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orla-brady/i-was-a-bit-overweight-as-a-teenager-which-may-be-why-i-m-more/)

[Orla Brady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orla-brady/)

> [When you're comfortable with someone you love, the silence is the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/britney-spears/when-you-re-comfortable-with-someone-you-love-the-silence-is-the-best/)

[Britney Spears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/britney-spears/)

> [Our families and our homes are the center of American life, Everything we do is to make those homes-and the lives in them-more beautiful,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-stewart/our-families-and-our-homes-are-the-center-of-american-life-everything/)

[Martha Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-stewart/)

> [You build the bonds through the community and police force, build bonds of understanding, and then when people feel comfortable in their communities, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-kaine/you-build-the-bonds-through-the-community-and-police-force-build/)

[Tim Kaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-kaine/)

[Browse all 4,560 Comfortable quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comfortable/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Human relations are impossible. When they are real they are uncomfortable, and when they are comfortable they are unreal. It was for the journey into solitude that the human soul was created.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "E. M. Forster"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/human-relations-are-impossible-when-they-are-real-they-are/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Comfortable"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/human-relations-are-impossible-when-they-are-real-they-are/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50b/e-m-forster-1118_comfortable_human-relations-are-impossible-when-they_3207734.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50b/e-m-forster-1118_comfortable_human-relations-are-impossible-when-they_3207734.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50b/e-m-forster-1118_comfortable_human-relations-are-impossible-when-they_3207734.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Human relations are impossible. When they are real they are uncomfortable, and when they are comfortable…” — E. M. Forster",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "E. M. Forster",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Human relations are impossible. When they...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/human-relations-are-impossible-when-they-are-real-they-are/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/human-relations-are-impossible-when-they-are-real-they-are/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
