--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People have obsessions and fears and…" description: "\"People have obsessions and fears and passions which they don't admit to. I think every character is interesting and has extremes. It's the novelist pri..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5f/iris-murdoch-993_character_people-have-obsessions-and-fears-and-pas_2411995.png" --- # People have obsessions and fears and passions which they… ![“People have obsessions and fears and passions which they don't admit to. I think every character is interesting and has extremes. It's the novelist privilege to see how odd everyone is.” quote by Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5f/iris-murdoch-993_character_people-have-obsessions-and-fears-and-pas_2411995.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5f/iris-murdoch-993_character_people-have-obsessions-and-fears-and-pas_2411995.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5f/iris-murdoch-993_character_people-have-obsessions-and-fears-and-pas_2411995.png) > “People have obsessions and fears and passions which they don't admit to. I think every character is interesting and has extremes. It's the novelist privilege to see how odd everyone is.” [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. People conceal their deepest drives; writers expose these hidden extremes to reveal humanity. **In simple terms:** People hide true fears and passions; authors reveal them. Key Takeaway Acknowledge hidden motives. Themes psychology self‑awareness literature Mood introspective thoughtful Type analytical literary When to use this quote - writing workshops - therapy sessions - personal reflection Key Concepts human nature extremes character study Questions to Reflect On - What hidden drives shape your decisions? - How can acknowledging them change behavior? A Different Perspective Not all hidden motives are consciously known, limiting insight. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Extremes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extremes/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Novelists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novelists/) [Obsession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obsession/) [Obsessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obsessions/) [Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Privilege](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/privilege/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [And people with obsessions, reflected Bond, were blind to danger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/and-people-with-obsessions-reflected-bond-were-blind-to-danger/) [Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/) > [I'm not a computer guy. I'm like an anthropologist. I'm fascinated with people's obsessions. I've learned to wear them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/i-m-not-a-computer-guy-i-m-like-an-anthropologist-i-m-fascinated-with/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [I don't understand people's obsessions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fka-twigs/i-don-t-understand-people-s-obsessions/) [FKA twigs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fka-twigs/) > [It's a silly thing, but I like to understand people through their obsessions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-dermont/it-s-a-silly-thing-but-i-like-to-understand-people-through-their/) [Amber Dermont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-dermont/) > [“It's people with obsessions who do the real harm in the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-francis/it-s-people-with-obsessions-who-do-the-real-harm-in-the-world/) [Dick Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-francis/) > [Ultimately, if the character is interesting and you said that before: It doesn't matter if it's likable. That's really what it is. If they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-cooke/ultimately-if-the-character-is-interesting-and-you-said-that-before/) [Christian Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-cooke/) > [I would love to do a period piece. That would be really cool. And also like to do something transformative and have to transform…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-spiridakos/i-would-love-to-do-a-period-piece-that-would-be-really-cool-and-also/) [Tracy Spiridakos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-spiridakos/) > [It's nice to play a character that has a soulful, dependent, close relationship. It must mean my character is interesting in some way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goldblum/it-s-nice-to-play-a-character-that-has-a-soulful-dependent-close/) [Jeff Goldblum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goldblum/) > [When acting, I can wear another person's clothes and act out the attractiveness of a particular character, which is very interesting for me. Singing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-seung-gi/when-acting-i-can-wear-another-person-s-clothes-and-act-out-the/) [Lee Seung-gi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-seung-gi/) > [The darker the character, the more interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-carlyle/the-darker-the-character-the-more-interesting/) [Robert Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-carlyle/) > [The most I could hope for is to come and try and develop a character who is interesting, who is interesting to me, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-pino/the-most-i-could-hope-for-is-to-come-and-try-and-develop-a-character/) [Danny Pino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-pino/) > [As with anything, you need to keep your creative juices flowing and keep the character interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-michelle-gellar/as-with-anything-you-need-to-keep-your-creative-juices-flowing-and/) [Sarah Michelle Gellar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-michelle-gellar/) > [As a character, it's very interesting to play someone who wants to change their life and have him change it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winona-ryder/as-a-character-it-s-very-interesting-to-play-someone-who-wants-to/) [Winona Ryder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winona-ryder/) > [I tend to like strong female characters. It just interests me dramatically. A strong male character isn't interesting because it has been done and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cameron/i-tend-to-like-strong-female-characters-it-just-interests-me/) [James Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cameron/) > [I mean, I do believe that when you walk on the stage, or onto the screen, that's your character - not you. So it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cody-horn/i-mean-i-do-believe-that-when-you-walk-on-the-stage-or-onto-the/) [Cody Horn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cody-horn/) ## 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 Character quotes > [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I'm often moved by the circumstances around some of my characters, but I don't think I've actually cried watching myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-m-often-moved-by-the-circumstances-around-some-of-my-characters-but/) [Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/) > [When you're on a daytime drama you get one page, you better damn well know your character. You better know what she would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hudgins/when-you-re-on-a-daytime-drama-you-get-one-page-you-better-damn-well/) David Hudgins > [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) > [Your looks don't make you pretty, it's the person inside who makes you pretty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-chan/your-looks-don-t-make-you-pretty-it-s-the-person-inside-who-makes-you/) [Aaron Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-chan/) > [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/) [Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) [Browse all 32,707 Character quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People have obsessions and fears and passions which they don't admit to. 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