--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People who boast of happy marriages are…" description: "\"People who boast of happy marriages are, I submit, usually self-deceivers, if not actually liars.\" — Iris Murdoch" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0dc/iris-murdoch-993_boast_people-who-boast-of-happy-marriages-are_1274330.png" --- # People who boast of happy marriages are, I submit, usually… ![“People who boast of happy marriages are, I submit, usually self-deceivers, if not actually liars.” quote by Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0dc/iris-murdoch-993_boast_people-who-boast-of-happy-marriages-are_1274330.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0dc/iris-murdoch-993_boast_people-who-boast-of-happy-marriages-are_1274330.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0dc/iris-murdoch-993_boast_people-who-boast-of-happy-marriages-are_1274330.png) > “People who boast of happy marriages are, I submit, usually self-deceivers, if not actually liars.” [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 who claim perfect happiness often hide dissatisfaction or deceit. **In simple terms:** Claims of perfect marriage may mask truth. Key Takeaway Question authenticity in relationships. Themes marriage honesty self-deception Mood skeptical reflective Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - therapy sessions - relationship counseling - personal reflection Key Concepts psychology social perception Questions to Reflect On - Do you trust your own happiness claims? - How to spot self-deception? A Different Perspective People may genuinely be happy; not all claims are false. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actually Liars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actually-liars-4096785/) [Boast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boast/) [Deceiver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deceiver/) [Deceivers Actually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deceivers-actually-4096784/) [Happy marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happy-marriage/) [Happy Marriages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happy-marriages-344462/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Liars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liars/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self Deceivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-deceivers-3940898/) [Submit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/submit/) ## Related quotes > [None of our hearts are pure, we always have mixed motives. Are self deceivers, but the worst of all Deceits is to murmur 'Lord,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-macneice/none-of-our-hearts-are-pure-we-always-have-mixed-motives-are-self/) [Louis MacNeice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-macneice/) > [There are no such self-deceivers as those who think they reason when they only feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-brownell-jameson/there-are-no-such-self-deceivers-as-those-who-think-they-reason-when/) [Anna Brownell Jameson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-brownell-jameson/) > [Women have become so highly educated... that nothing should surprise us nowadays, except happy marriages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/women-have-become-so-highly-educated-that-nothing-should-surprise-us/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [I have known many happy marriages, but never a compatible one. The whole aim of marriage is to fight through and survive the instant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-have-known-many-happy-marriages-but-never-a-compatible-one-the-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am changing the notion that actresses can’t have happy marriages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mercy-johnson/i-am-changing-the-notion-that-actresses-can-t-have-happy-marriages/) [Mercy Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mercy-johnson/) > [If married couples did not live together, happy marriages would be more frequent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/if-married-couples-did-not-live-together-happy-marriages-would-be/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [The happy marriages never get any publicity. It's just the bad ones that you read about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyd-charisse/the-happy-marriages-never-get-any-publicity-it-s-just-the-bad-ones/) [Cyd Charisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyd-charisse/) > [“What nonsense people talk about happy marriages!" exclaimed Lord Henry. " A man can be happy with any woman, as long as he does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/what-nonsense-people-talk-about-happy-marriages-exclaimed-lord-henry/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“an avalanche of research shows that happy marriages can boost your health and wellbeing. People in positive long-term relationships have lower rates of heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jancee-dunn/an-avalanche-of-research-shows-that-happy-marriages-can-boost-your/) [Jancee Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jancee-dunn/) > [“I believe in marriage. I believe that two good people can be happy together for a lifetime. It’s the only thing even close to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-hilton/i-believe-in-marriage-i-believe-that-two-good-people-can-be-happy/) [Kate Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-hilton/) > [It may be said of happy marriages as of the phoenix - there is but one a century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-charlotte-d-orleans/it-may-be-said-of-happy-marriages-as-of-the-phoenix-there-is-but-one/) [Elisabeth Charlotte d'Orleans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-charlotte-d-orleans/) > [Many of the young aspire to happy marriages and dot-com fortunes but end up in guarded love and okay-for-now jobs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlie-russell-hochschild/many-of-the-young-aspire-to-happy-marriages-and-dot-com-fortunes-but/) [Arlie Russell Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlie-russell-hochschild/) > [I've always been comfortable working with women and I've had two happy marriages. Draw what conclusions you like from that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-cable/i-ve-always-been-comfortable-working-with-women-and-i-ve-had-two/) [Vince Cable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-cable/) > [I have known many happy marriages, but never a compatible one. The whole aim of marriage is to fight through and survive the instant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gk-chesterton/i-have-known-many-happy-marriages-but-never-a-compatible-one-the/) [GK Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gk-chesterton/) > [The only happy marriages I know are arranged ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/the-only-happy-marriages-i-know-are-arranged-ones/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) ## 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 Boast quotes > [It would be a piece of ingenuousness to accuse the man of today of his lack of moral code. The accusation would leave him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/it-would-be-a-piece-of-ingenuousness-to-accuse-the-man-of-today-of/) [Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/) > [Win without boasting. Lose without excuse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-payson-terhune/win-without-boasting-lose-without-excuse/) [Albert Payson Terhune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-payson-terhune/) > [Further conceive, I beg, that a stone, while continuing in motion, should be capable of thinking and knowing, that it is endeavoring, as far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/further-conceive-i-beg-that-a-stone-while-continuing-in-motion-should/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Boasting and bravado may exist in the breast even of the coward, if he is successful through a mere lucky hit; but a just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/boasting-and-bravado-may-exist-in-the-breast-even-of-the-coward-if-he/) [Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/) > [“In general, poor is polite and rich is rude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/in-general-poor-is-polite-and-rich-is-rude/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [“in other words, his story was part boast, part confession.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-mezrich/in-other-words-his-story-was-part-boast-part-confession/) [Ben Mezrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-mezrich/) > [We are not saints, but we have kept our appointment. How many people can boast as much?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/we-are-not-saints-but-we-have-kept-our-appointment-how-many-people/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [Boast is always a cry of despair, except in the young it is a cry of hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-berenson/boast-is-always-a-cry-of-despair-except-in-the-young-it-is-a-cry-of/) [Bernard Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-berenson/) > [“A classic is read not to enjoy but only to be boast about it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aman-jassal/a-classic-is-read-not-to-enjoy-but-only-to-be-boast-about-it/) [Aman Jassal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aman-jassal/) > [Buonaparte has often made his boast that our fleet would be worn out by keeping the sea and that his was kept in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horatio-nelson/buonaparte-has-often-made-his-boast-that-our-fleet-would-be-worn-out/) [Horatio Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horatio-nelson/) > [Wisdom can boast no higher attainment than happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-radcliffe/wisdom-can-boast-no-higher-attainment-than-happiness/) [Ann Radcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-radcliffe/) > [But thou art fair, and at thy birth, dear boy, Nature and Fortune join'd to make thee great: Of Nature's gifts thou mayst with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/but-thou-art-fair-and-at-thy-birth-dear-boy-nature-and-fortune-join-d/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Science appears but what in truth she is, Not as our glory and our absolute boast, But as a succedaneum, and a prop To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/science-appears-but-what-in-truth-she-is-not-as-our-glory-and-our/) [William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/) > [It has, therefore, been a favorite boast of the people of Wales and Cornwall, that the original British stock flourishes in its unmixed purity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bulfinch/it-has-therefore-been-a-favorite-boast-of-the-people-of-wales-and/) [Thomas Bulfinch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bulfinch/) > [Boasting is only a masked shame; it does not truly believe in itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/boasting-is-only-a-masked-shame-it-does-not-truly-believe-in-itself/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) [Browse all 567 Boast quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boast/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People who boast of happy marriages are, I submit, usually self-deceivers, if not actually liars.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Iris Murdoch" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/people-who-boast-of-happy-marriages-are-i-submit-usually-self/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Boast" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/people-who-boast-of-happy-marriages-are-i-submit-usually-self/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0dc/iris-murdoch-993_boast_people-who-boast-of-happy-marriages-are_1274330.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0dc/iris-murdoch-993_boast_people-who-boast-of-happy-marriages-are_1274330.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0dc/iris-murdoch-993_boast_people-who-boast-of-happy-marriages-are_1274330.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“People who boast of happy marriages are, I submit, usually self-deceivers, if not actually liars.” — Iris Murdoch", "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": "Iris Murdoch", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "People who boast of happy marriages...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/people-who-boast-of-happy-marriages-are-i-submit-usually-self/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/people-who-boast-of-happy-marriages-are-i-submit-usually-self/#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 } } ] } ```