--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Hegel says that Truth is a great word and…" description: "\"Hegel says that Truth is a great word and the thing is greater still. With Dave we never seemed to get past the word.\" — Iris Murdoch" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d2/iris-murdoch-993_dave_hegel-says-that-truth-is-a-great-word-an_2688665.png" --- # Hegel says that Truth is a great word and the thing is… ![“Hegel says that Truth is a great word and the thing is greater still. With Dave we never seemed to get past the word.” quote by Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d2/iris-murdoch-993_dave_hegel-says-that-truth-is-a-great-word-an_2688665.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d2/iris-murdoch-993_dave_hegel-says-that-truth-is-a-great-word-an_2688665.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d2/iris-murdoch-993_dave_hegel-says-that-truth-is-a-great-word-an_2688665.png) > “Hegel says that Truth is a great word and the thing is greater still. With Dave we never seemed to get past the word.” [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Truth is presented as a lofty concept, yet its practical grasp often remains elusive, highlighting a gap between language and reality. **In simple terms:** Words can’t fully capture reality. Key Takeaway Seek understanding beyond labels. Themes philosophy truth language Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - academic debate - personal reflection Key Concepts epistemology semantic gap Questions to Reflect On - How do we bridge the gap between words and reality? - Can truth exist without language? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hegel/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [To a society that inarticulately and thoughtlessly takes itself to be divine, Hegel says, Yes, we are indeed divine, and philosophy can show how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merold-westphal/to-a-society-that-inarticulately-and-thoughtlessly-takes-itself-to-be/) [Merold Westphal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merold-westphal/) > [“Master, don’t. Please.” “Please is a great word–and I intend to please. Me, for sure. Maybe even you.” Lindsey and deVries”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherise-sinclair/master-don-t-please-please-is-a-great-word-and-i-intend-to-please-me/) [Cherise Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherise-sinclair/) > ['MacGruber' came to life mostly because we just liked saying 'MacGyver.' 'MacGyver' this. 'MacGyver' that. It's a great word.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorma-taccone/macgruber-came-to-life-mostly-because-we-just-liked-saying-macgyver/) [Jorma Taccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorma-taccone/) > [In one great word my breath is, that breath is for you, you is for me , is for you, everything is for one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nkemjika/in-one-great-word-my-breath-is-that-breath-is-for-you-you-is-for-me/) [Nkemjika](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nkemjika/) > [I do like the word timeless. That's a great word.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-mccombs/i-do-like-the-word-timeless-that-s-a-great-word/) [Cass McCombs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-mccombs/) > [It's the word 'artful'; it's such a great word, with its dark and its light side, its art and its cunning, the craft and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/it-s-the-word-artful-it-s-such-a-great-word-with-its-dark-and-its/) [Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/) > [George, she says it's the truth that matters. We live and die for the chance to maybe tell a little bit of the truth,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/george-she-says-it-s-the-truth-that-matters-we-live-and-die-for-the/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [“What I see, and what I believe, is exactly who I will portray here on the Earth. If I see an unhealed, broken person,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-living/what-i-see-and-what-i-believe-is-exactly-who-i-will-portray-here-on/) [Faith Living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-living/) > [“It says, ‘I am not alone—the truth is I befriended my loneliness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasinda-wilder/it-says-i-am-not-alone-the-truth-is-i-befriended-my-loneliness/) [Jasinda Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasinda-wilder/) > [Irritation says truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anash-pathan/irritation-says-truth/) Anash Pathan > [“Those who only says what is the truth, they're not worth listening to.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-jonasson/those-who-only-says-what-is-the-truth-they-re-not-worth-listening-to/) [Jonas Jonasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-jonasson/) > [The Bible says, 'The truth shall make you free.' But let's not forget it was Spiro Agnew who said that a good lie will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-whitney-brown/the-bible-says-the-truth-shall-make-you-free-but-let-s-not-forget-it/) [A. Whitney Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-whitney-brown/) > [Easter says you can put truth in a grave, but it won't stay there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-w-hall/easter-says-you-can-put-truth-in-a-grave-but-it-won-t-stay-there/) Clarence W Hall > [“He who says the truth is not necessarily truthful - On Honesty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamine-pearlheart/he-who-says-the-truth-is-not-necessarily-truthful-on-honesty/) [Lamine Pearlheart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamine-pearlheart/) > [Mischievous mind says the truth in the more colorful way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/mischievous-mind-says-the-truth-in-the-more-colorful-way/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) ## More by Iris Murdoch > [Falling out of love is chiefly a matter of forgetting how charming someone is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/falling-out-of-love-is-chiefly-a-matter-of-forgetting-how-charming/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [One doesn't have to get anywhere in a marriage. It's not a public conveyance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/one-doesn-t-have-to-get-anywhere-in-a-marriage-it-s-not-a-public/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [“I think being a woman is like being Irish... Everyone says you're important and nice, but you take second place all the time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/i-think-being-a-woman-is-like-being-irish-everyone-says-you-re/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [Art is the final cunning of the human soul which would rather do anything than face the gods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/art-is-the-final-cunning-of-the-human-soul-which-would-rather-do/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [The sending of a letter constitutes a magical grasp upon the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/the-sending-of-a-letter-constitutes-a-magical-grasp-upon-the-future/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [emotions really exist at the bottom of the personality or at the top. in the middle they are acted. this is why all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/emotions-really-exist-at-the-bottom-of-the-personality-or-at-the-top/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [I have used the word "attention," which I borrow from Simone Weil, to express the idea of a just and loving gaze directed upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/i-have-used-the-word-attention-which-i-borrow-from-simone-weil-to/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [Starting a novel is opening a door on a misty landscape; you can still see very little but you can smell the earth and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/starting-a-novel-is-opening-a-door-on-a-misty-landscape-you-can-still/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [Art and morality are, with certain provisos…one. Their essence is the same. The essence of both of them is love. Love is the perception…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/art-and-morality-are-with-certain-provisos-one-their-essence-is-the/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [being homosexual doesn't determine a man's whole character any more than being heterosexual does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/being-homosexual-doesn-t-determine-a-man-s-whole-character-any-more/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [All artists dream of a silence which they must enter, as some creatures return to the sea to spawn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/all-artists-dream-of-a-silence-which-they-must-enter-as-some/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [“Oh if only I could take my mother away and never know of these things again. But it was impossible, the machine would go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/oh-if-only-i-could-take-my-mother-away-and-never-know-of-these-things/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [We defend ourselves by descriptions and tame the world by generalizing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/we-defend-ourselves-by-descriptions-and-tame-the-world-by-generalizing/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [“I'm sorry I was awful. I'm so full of terrors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/i-m-sorry-i-was-awful-i-m-so-full-of-terrors/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [I live, I live, with an absolutely continuous sense of failure. I am always defeated, always. Every book is the wreck of a perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/i-live-i-live-with-an-absolutely-continuous-sense-of-failure-i-am/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) [Explore all 306 Iris Murdoch quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) ## More Dave quotes > [I like 'The Usual Suspects'. Great film. I also like 'Scarface', films like that. Lots of gangster films. I really like watching all kinds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barkhad-abdi/i-like-the-usual-suspects-great-film-i-also-like-scarface-films-like/) [Barkhad Abdi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barkhad-abdi/) > [Dave Wann's recipes from his own experience in Simple Prosperity are a breath of fresh air, and just what we need for a saner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hazel-henderson/dave-wann-s-recipes-from-his-own-experience-in-simple-prosperity-are/) [Hazel Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hazel-henderson/) > [Work is a surefire money-making scheme.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-ramsey/work-is-a-surefire-money-making-scheme/) [Dave Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-ramsey/) > [Ridley Pearson also plays bass guitar and sings with the Rock Bottom Remainders, a band made up of such successful authors as Amy Tan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-penzler/ridley-pearson-also-plays-bass-guitar-and-sings-with-the-rock-bottom/) Otto Penzler > [At the end of the day, I want to be part of the same conversation as Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy, Dave Chappelle, Bill Cosby…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hart/at-the-end-of-the-day-i-want-to-be-part-of-the-same-conversation-as/) [Kevin Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-hart/) > [If someone sits and stares at you while you eat, you won't even eat the way you normally do, because it'll make you so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-chappelle/if-someone-sits-and-stares-at-you-while-you-eat-you-won-t-even-eat/) [Dave Chappelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-chappelle/) > [It's only the losers named 'Dave' that think having an unusual name is bad, and who cares what they think? They're named 'Dave.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/it-s-only-the-losers-named-dave-that-think-having-an-unusual-name-is/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [What do you think you're doing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/what-do-you-think-you-re-doing/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [Given the current state of publishing, I think it helps to have a brand name on the cover of your book. Comedians are proven…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-showalter/given-the-current-state-of-publishing-i-think-it-helps-to-have-a/) [Michael Showalter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-showalter/) > [I've played with the best drummers in rock, ranging from Josh Freese to Brooks Wackerman to even Dave Lombardo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-trujillo/i-ve-played-with-the-best-drummers-in-rock-ranging-from-josh-freese/) [Robert Trujillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-trujillo/) > [My favorite of my books is DAVE AT NIGHT, because it's loosely based on my father's childhood in an orphanage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carson-levine/my-favorite-of-my-books-is-dave-at-night-because-it-s-loosely-based/) [Gail Carson Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carson-levine/) > [I love jazz. I still do. Dave Brubeck and Stan Getz are so good. I took a notification course in Jazz Orchestration. It wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/i-love-jazz-i-still-do-dave-brubeck-and-stan-getz-are-so-good-i-took/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [Dave was great in Van Halen. No question about it. He was one of the best at being Mr. Rock Star. But it's sickening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-hagar/dave-was-great-in-van-halen-no-question-about-it-he-was-one-of-the/) [Sammy Hagar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-hagar/) > [And old Dave, he'd go up to his room, y'understand, put on his green velvet slippers - I'll never forget - and pick up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-miller/and-old-dave-he-d-go-up-to-his-room-y-understand-put-on-his-green/) [Arthur Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-miller/) > [People keep asking "Jacob or Edward?" when the really important question is "Diamond Dave or Sammy?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ysabeau-s-wilce/people-keep-asking-jacob-or-edward-when-the-really-important-question/) [Ysabeau S. Wilce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ysabeau-s-wilce/) Browse all 266 Dave quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Hegel says that Truth is a great word and the thing is greater still. 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