Nobody abuses us more than we abuse ourselves.
—Miguel Angel Ruiz (b.1952) Mexican Spiritualist Author
That’s what every uncomfortable feeling is for—that’s what pain is for, what money is for, what everything in the world is for: your self-realization.
—Byron Katie (b.1942) American Speaker, Author
Who, except the gods, can live time through forever without any pain?
—Aeschylus (525–456 BCE) Greek Playwright
Pain adds rest unto pleasure, and teaches the luxury of health.
—Martin Farquhar Tupper (1810–89) English Poet, Writer
Pain reaches the heart with electrical speed, but truth moves to the heart as slowly as a glacier.
—Barbara Kingsolver (b.1955) American Novelist, Essayist, Poet
Pain and death are a part of life. To reject them is to reject life itself.
—Havelock Ellis (1859–1939) British Sexologist, Physician, Social Reformer
Nothing begins, and nothing ends, That is not paid with moan; For we are born in others pain And perish in our own.
—Francis Thompson (1859–1907) English Poet, Ascetic
Failure’s pain subsides faster than the ache of regret.
—Unknown
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be nor more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain.
—The Holy Bible Scripture in the Christian Faith
We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons.
—Jim Rohn (1930–2009) American Entrepreneur, Author, Motivational Speaker
The two foes of human happiness are pain and boredom
—Arthur Schopenhauer (1788–1860) German Philosopher
Pain and pleasure, like light and darkness, succeed each other; and he only who knows how to accommodate himself to their returns, and can wisely extract the good from the evil, knows how to live.
—Laurence Sterne (1713–68) Irish Anglican Novelist, Clergyman
When there is pain, there are no words. All pain is the same.
—Toni Morrison (1931–2019) American Novelist, Editor, Academic
The greater your capacity to love, the greater your capacity to feel the pain.
—Jennifer Aniston (b.1969) American Actress
The worst pain a man can suffer: to have insight into much and power over nothing.
—Herodotus (c.485–425 BCE) Ancient Greek Historian
It’s good that it hurts. Pain is the signal that you’re confused, that you’re in a lie.
—Byron Katie (b.1942) American Speaker, Author
It takes courage to push yourself to places that you have never been before… to test your limits… to break through barriers. And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.
—Anais Nin (1903–77) French-American Essayist
Forget the pain. Learn to endure. Focus your attention elsewhere.
—Marlo Morgan (1937–98) American Novelist, Author
After great pain, a formal feeling comes. The Nerves sit ceremonious, like tombs.
—Emily Dickinson (1830–86) American Poet
Obviously, the real issue has nothing to do with fear itself, but, rather, how we hold the fear. For some, the fear is totally irrelevant. For others, it creates a state of paralysis. The former hold their fear from a position of power (choice, energy, and action), and the latter hold it from a position of pain (helplessness, depression, and paralysis).
—Susan Jeffers (1938–2012) American Psychologist, Self-Help Author
Pain is deeper than all thought; laughter is higher than all pain.
—Elbert Hubbard (1856–1915) American Writer, Publisher, Artist, Philosopher
Sweet is true love that is given in vain, and sweet is death that takes away pain.
—Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809–92) British Poet
The point to remember is that when you blame any outside force for any of your experience of life, you are literally giving away all your power and thus creating pain, paralysis and depression.
—Susan Jeffers (1938–2012) American Psychologist, Self-Help Author
Pain may be said to follow pleasure, as its shadow; but the misfortune is, that the substance belongs to the shadow, and the emptiness to its cause.
—Charles Caleb Colton (c.1780–1832) English Clergyman, Aphorist
The real problem is not why some pious, humble, believing people suffer, but why some do not.
—C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) Irish-born British Academic, Author, Literary Scholar
Throw moderation to the winds, and the greatest pleasures bring the greatest pains
—Democritus (c.460–c.370 BCE) Ancient Greek Philosopher
You will not grow if you sit in a beautiful flower garden, but you will grow if you are sick, if you are in pain, if you experience losses, and if you do not put your head in the sand, but take the pain and learn to accept it, not as a curse or punishment but as a gift to you with a very, very specific purpose.
—Elisabeth Kubler-Ross (1926-2004) American Psychiatrist
The injuries that befall us unexpectedly are less severe than those which are deliberately anticipated.
—Cicero (106BCE–43BCE) Roman Philosopher, Orator, Politician, Lawyer
Pain is life—the sharper, the more evidence of life.
—Charles Lamb (1775–1834) British Essayist, Poet
One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life; that word is love.
—Sophocles (495–405 BCE) Ancient Greek Dramatist
All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence. , Jr 1929
—Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929–68) American Civil Rights Leader, Clergyman
Those who do not feel pain seldom think that it is felt
—Samuel Johnson (1709–84) British Essayist
The pain is sometimes preferable to the treatment.
—Indian Proverb
A Decalogue of Canons for observation in practical life. 1. Never put off till to-morrow what you can do to-day. 2. Never trouble another for what you can do yourself. 3. Never spend your money before you have it. 4. Never buy what you do not want, because it is cheap; it will be dear to you. 5. Pride costs us more than hunger, thirst and cold. 6. We never repent of having eaten too little. 7. Nothing is troublesome that we do willingly. 8. How much pain have cost us the evils which have never happened. 9. Take things always by their smooth handle. 10. When angry, count ten, before you speak; if very angry, an hundred.
—Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) American Head of State, Lawyer
Pain is such an uncomfortable feeling that even a tiny amount of it is enough to ruin every enjoyment.
—Will Rogers (1879–1935) American Actor, Rancher, Humorist
Pain pays the income of each precious thing.
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616) British Playwright
The least pain in our little finger gives us more concern and uneasiness than the destruction of millions of our fellow-beings.
—William Hazlitt (1778–1830) English Essayist
The pain that’s created by avoiding hard work is actually much worse than any pain created from the actual work itself. Because if you don’t begin to work on those ideas that God has blessed you with, they will become stagnant inside of you and eventually begin to eat away at you. You might seem OK on the outside, but inside you will be ill from not getting those ideas out of your heart and into the world. Stalling leads to sickness. But taking steps, even baby steps, always leads to success.
—Russell Simmons (b.1957) American Music Promoter
Today we come across an individual who behaves like an automaton, who does not know or understand himself, and the only person that he knows is the person that he is supposed to be, whose meaningless chatter has replaced communicative speech, whose synthetic smile has replaced genuine laughter, and whose sense of dull despair has taken the place of genuine pain. Two statements may be said concerning this individual. One is that he suffers from defects of spontaneity and individuality which may seem to be incurable. At the same time it may be said of him he does not differ essentially from the millions of the rest of us who walk upon this earth.
—Erich Fromm (1900–80) German-American Psychoanalyst, Social Philosopher
Pleasure that is obtained by unreasonable and unsuitable cost, must always end in pain.
—Samuel Johnson (1709–84) British Essayist
The same refinement which brings us new pleasures, exposes us to new pains.
—Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton (1803–73) British Novelist, Poet, Politician
Without an uninvestigated story, there’s only the perfection of life appearing as itself. You can always go inside and find the beauty that’s revealed after the pain and fear are understood.
—Byron Katie (b.1942) American Speaker, Author
Wisdom is nothing more than healed pain.
—Robert E. Lee (1807–70) Confederate General during American Civil War
We can rest contentedly in our sins and in our stupidities, and anyone who has watched gluttons shoveling down the most exquisite foods as if they did not know what they were eating will admit that we can ignore even pleasure. But pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.
—C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) Irish-born British Academic, Author, Literary Scholar
Doubt is a pain too lonely to know that faith is his twin brother.
—Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931) Lebanese-born American Philosopher, Poet, Painter, Theologian, Sculptor
The most painful part of our bodily pain is that which is bodiless or immaterial, namely our impatience, and the delusion that it will last forever.
—Jean Paul (1763–1825) German Novelist, Humorist
The only antidote to mental suffering is physical pain.
—Karl Marx (1818–1883) German Philosopher, Economist
They can’t hurt you unless you let them.
—Indian Proverb
Happiness is yours in the here and now. The painful states of anxiety and loneliness are abolished permanently. Financial affairs are not financial problems. You are at ease with yourself. You are not at the mercy of unfulfilled cravings. Confusion is replaced with clarity. There is a relieving answer to every tormenting question. You possess a True Self. Something can be done about every unhappy condition. While living in the world you can be inwardly detached from its sorrows to live with personal peace and sanity.
—Vernon Howard (1918–92) American Spiritual Teacher, Philosopher
All pain is either severe or slight, if slight, it is easily endured; if severe, it will without doubt be brief.
—Cicero (106BCE–43BCE) Roman Philosopher, Orator, Politician, Lawyer