--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is no substitute for the comfort…" description: "\"There is no substitute for the comfort supplied by the utterly taken-for-granted relationship.\" — Iris Murdoch" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d92/iris-murdoch-993_comfort_there-is-no-substitute-for-the-comfort-s_2426466.png" --- # There is no substitute for the comfort supplied by the… ![“There is no substitute for the comfort supplied by the utterly taken-for-granted relationship.” quote by Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d92/iris-murdoch-993_comfort_there-is-no-substitute-for-the-comfort-s_2426466.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d92/iris-murdoch-993_comfort_there-is-no-substitute-for-the-comfort-s_2426466.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d92/iris-murdoch-993_comfort_there-is-no-substitute-for-the-comfort-s_2426466.png) > “There is no substitute for the comfort supplied by the utterly taken-for-granted relationship.” [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. Deep, taken‑for‑granted relationships provide unique comfort that cannot be replaced by anything else. **In simple terms:** Close relationships give irreplaceable comfort. Key Takeaway Value and nurture your close bonds. Themes relationships comfort gratitude Mood warm contemplative Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - marriage - long‑term friendship - family ties - support networks Key Concepts attachment theory human connection dependence Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance appreciation with growth? - What would you miss if that relationship ended? A Different Perspective Comfort may breed complacency or hinder growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comfort/) [Comfort Supplied](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comfort-supplied-6155600/) [Granted Relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/granted-relationship-5114602/) [Relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationship/) [Substitute Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/substitute-comfort-6155601/) [Taken Granted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taken-granted/) [Utterly Taken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/utterly-taken-6155599/) ## Related quotes > [A person can only give someone so much until it's been taken for granted and then to find out the whole relationship was nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/a-person-can-only-give-someone-so-much-until-it-s-been-taken-for/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [When I give, it does not come with strings, I'm not keeping track of what you owe me. When I give I choose to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley/when-i-give-it-does-not-come-with-strings-i-m-not-keeping-track-of/) [Shirley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley/) > [Being taken for granted can be a compliment. It means that you've become a comfortable, trusted element in another person's life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-brothers/being-taken-for-granted-can-be-a-compliment-it-means-that-you-ve/) [Joyce Brothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-brothers/) > [“To be relaxed is to stand amid the wilds birds and be taken for granted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gray-calvert/to-be-relaxed-is-to-stand-amid-the-wilds-birds-and-be-taken-for/) [Michael Gray Calvert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gray-calvert/) > [“Harriet’s parents had taken it for granted that family life was the basis for a happy one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/harriet-s-parents-had-taken-it-for-granted-that-family-life-was-the/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [Nothing could be taken for granted. Women who loved you tried to cut your throat, while women who didn't even know your name scrubbed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/nothing-could-be-taken-for-granted-women-who-loved-you-tried-to-cut/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [You traitor,I will never be taken for granted again.!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-the-veil/you-traitor-i-will-never-be-taken-for-granted-again/) [Pierce The Veil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-the-veil/) > [“It wasn't that you could take them for granted, as such - heaven knows, nothing can be taken for granted in this life -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/it-wasn-t-that-you-could-take-them-for-granted-as-such-heaven-knows/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [I wonder if being dependable is actually a bit of a downfall...I feel like I've been taken for granted by some people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-wonder-if-being-dependable-is-actually-a-bit-of-a-downfall-i-feel/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Good-byes make you think, they make you realize what you've had, what you've lost, and what you've taken for granted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/good-byes-make-you-think-they-make-you-realize-what-you-ve-had-what/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Love doesnt demand to be loved back but it doesnt mean it exists to be taken for granted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-escalera/love-doesnt-demand-to-be-loved-back-but-it-doesnt-mean-it-exists-to/) [Fernando Escalera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-escalera/) > [You know that you are being taken for granted when you are no longer being asked to do something. But you are still expected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-higgins/you-know-that-you-are-being-taken-for-granted-when-you-are-no-longer/) [Rebecca Higgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-higgins/) > [Even the strongest feelings expire when ignored and taken for granted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/even-the-strongest-feelings-expire-when-ignored-and-taken-for-granted/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being taken for granted is an unpleasant but sincere form of praise. Ironically, the more reliable you are and the less you complain, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/being-taken-for-granted-is-an-unpleasant-but-sincere-form-of-praise/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [I'm fortunate in one way and I can take pride from the fact that I've consistently performed for 10 years, which is something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-cavendish/i-m-fortunate-in-one-way-and-i-can-take-pride-from-the-fact-that-i-ve/) [Mark Cavendish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-cavendish/) ## 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 Comfort quotes > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [Don't take too much comfort in the fact that you're successful today because tomorrow could bring failure. There's no surety in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-savage/don-t-take-too-much-comfort-in-the-fact-that-you-re-successful-today/) [Michael Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-savage/) > [For many, the call to be a Christian can seem demanding, even overwhelming. But we need not be afraid or feel inadequate. The Savior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-hales/for-many-the-call-to-be-a-christian-can-seem-demanding-even/) [Robert D. Hales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-hales/) > [This is no time for ease and comfort. It is time to dare and endure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/this-is-no-time-for-ease-and-comfort-it-is-time-to-dare-and-endure/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [There is a comfort in rituals, and rituals provide a framework for stability when you are trying to find answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-norville/there-is-a-comfort-in-rituals-and-rituals-provide-a-framework-for/) [Deborah Norville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-norville/) > [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [“When you get lost in a really strange place, nothing is more comforting than found your friend whom you trust and can show the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/when-you-get-lost-in-a-really-strange-place-nothing-is-more/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [Comfort food is really anything you want at that time. That said, I really love Naple-style pizza.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-zakarian/comfort-food-is-really-anything-you-want-at-that-time-that-said-i/) [Geoffrey Zakarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-zakarian/) > [I actually like getting out of my comfort zone. It shakes me up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/i-actually-like-getting-out-of-my-comfort-zone-it-shakes-me-up/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [A time will come when the science of destruction shall bend before the arts of peace; when the genius which multiplies our powers, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-arago/a-time-will-come-when-the-science-of-destruction-shall-bend-before/) [Francois Arago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-arago/) > [Throughout human history, as our species has faced the frightening, terrorizing fact that we do not know who we are, or where we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-leary/throughout-human-history-as-our-species-has-faced-the-frightening/) [Timothy Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-leary/) > [Worship is not about personality, temperament, personal limitations, church background, or comfort. It is about God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wimber/worship-is-not-about-personality-temperament-personal-limitations/) [John Wimber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wimber/) > [May God bless each of us in our calls to serve. May our faith strengthen as we serve in righteousness, faithfully keeping the commandments.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-tom-perry/may-god-bless-each-of-us-in-our-calls-to-serve-may-our-faith/) [L. Tom Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-tom-perry/) > [Maybe that was why she couldn't cry, she realized, staring dry-eyed at the ceiling. Because what was the point in crying when there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/maybe-that-was-why-she-couldn-t-cry-she-realized-staring-dry-eyed-at/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I think that comfort is underrated in a lot of ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-robinson/i-think-that-comfort-is-underrated-in-a-lot-of-ways/) [Phoebe Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-robinson/) [Browse all 4,542 Comfort quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comfort/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is no substitute for the comfort supplied by the utterly taken-for-granted relationship.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Iris Murdoch" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/there-is-no-substitute-for-the-comfort-supplied-by-the-utterly-taken/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Comfort" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/there-is-no-substitute-for-the-comfort-supplied-by-the-utterly-taken/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d92/iris-murdoch-993_comfort_there-is-no-substitute-for-the-comfort-s_2426466.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d92/iris-murdoch-993_comfort_there-is-no-substitute-for-the-comfort-s_2426466.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d92/iris-murdoch-993_comfort_there-is-no-substitute-for-the-comfort-s_2426466.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There is no substitute for the comfort supplied by the utterly taken-for-granted relationship.” — 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": "There is no substitute for the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/there-is-no-substitute-for-the-comfort-supplied-by-the-utterly-taken/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/there-is-no-substitute-for-the-comfort-supplied-by-the-utterly-taken/#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 } } ] } ```