--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are clay and nothing is real for us…" description: "\"“We are clay and nothing is real for us except the uncanny womb of Being into which we shall return.”\" — Iris Murdoch" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/720/iris-murdoch-993_being_we-are-clay-and-nothing-is-real-for-us-e_1821415.png" --- # We are clay and nothing is real for us except the uncanny… ![“We are clay and nothing is real for us except the uncanny womb of Being into which we shall return.” quote by Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/720/iris-murdoch-993_being_we-are-clay-and-nothing-is-real-for-us-e_1821415.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/720/iris-murdoch-993_being_we-are-clay-and-nothing-is-real-for-us-e_1821415.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/720/iris-murdoch-993_being_we-are-clay-and-nothing-is-real-for-us-e_1821415.png) > ““We are clay and nothing is real for us except the uncanny womb of Being into which we shall return.”” [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. Human existence is fleeting, returning to the fundamental mystery of being after life ends. **In simple terms:** Life is temporary, returning to the source of existence. Key Takeaway Embrace humility about life's impermanence. Themes existence mortality philosophy spirituality Mood reflective somber Type philosophical existential When to use this quote - grief counseling - end‑of‑life care - philosophical reflection - creative writing Key Concepts ontology existentialism metaphysics Questions to Reflect On - How does awareness of impermanence affect daily choices? - What comforts you when confronting mortality? 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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. 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And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-we-accept-being-talked-to-any-kind-of-a-way-then-we-are-telling/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Having small children and being an investigative reporter would seem like a difficult mix, but it worked well for me. I was often working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-abramson/having-small-children-and-being-an-investigative-reporter-would-seem/) [Jill Abramson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-abramson/) > [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. 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