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best quotations about

Suffering


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Suffering

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Quotations

Fyodor DostoyevskyPain and suffering are always inevitable for a large intelligence and a deep heart. The really great men must, I think, have great sadness on Earth.

—  Fyodor Dostoyevsky, 1821-1881, Russian writer

14 likes
Victor FranklTo live is to suffer; to survive is to find meaning in suffering.

—  Victor Frankl, 1905-1997, Austrian neurologist

12 likes
NapoleonIt requires more courage to suffer than to die.

—  Napoleon, 1769-1821, French Emperor

10 likes
Charles DickensSuffering has been stronger than all other teaching, and has taught me to understand what your heart used to be. I have been bent and broken, but –I hope– into a better shape.

—  Charles Dickens, 1812-1870, British writer

9 likes
Benjamin DisraeliSeeing much, suffering much, and studying much, are the three pillars of learning.

—  Benjamin Disraeli, 1804-1881, British Prime Minister

8 likes
Emile M. CioranThe more one has suffered, the less one demands. To protest is a sign one has traversed no hell.

—  Emile M. Cioran, 1911-1995, French-Romanian philosopher

8 likes
Michel de MontaigneHe who fears he will suffer, already suffers because of his fear.

—  Michel de Montaigne, 1533-1592, French thinker

8 likes
Eric HofferIt is not actual suffering but a taste of better things which excites people to revolt.

—  Eric Hoffer, 1902-1983, American writer & philosopher

8 likes
RumiThe wound is the place where the Light enters you.

—  Rumi, 1207-1273, Persian mystic & poet

8 likes
Ashleigh BrilliantOnce I wanted total happiness – now I will settle for a little less pain.

—  Ashleigh Brilliant, 1933-, British cartoonist & epigrammatist

8 likes
Pierre Claude BoisteThe strong usually suffer without complaining, while the weak complain without suffering.

—  Pierre Claude Boiste, 1765-1824, French lexicographer

7 likes
Will DurantThose who have suffered much become very bitter or very gentle.

—  Will Durant, 1885-1981, American historian & philosopher

6 likes
Jules VerneIt is only when you suffer that you really understand.

—  Jules Verne, 1826-1905, French writer

6 likes
Lou Andreas-SaloméSo you have no more happiness to give...
Well then – there still remains your pain.

—  Lou Andreas-Salomé, 1861-1937, Russian-German writer & psychoanalyst

5 likes
Vladimir NabokovYears of secret suffering had taught me superhuman self-control.

—  Vladimir Nabokov, 1899-1977, Russian-American writer

5 likes
Arthur SchopenhauerThe two foes of human happiness are pain and boredom.

—  Arthur Schopenhauer, 1788-1860, German philosopher

5 likes
Marquis de SadeIt is only by way of pain one arrives at pleasure.

—  Marquis de Sade, 1740-1814, French writer

5 likes
Charles BaudelaireRemembering is only a new form of suffering.

—  Charles Baudelaire, 1821-1867, French poet

5 likes
Karl KrausAnaesthesia: wounds without pain. Neurasthenia: pain without wounds.

—  Karl Kraus, 1874-1936, Austrian writer

5 likes
Friedrich NietzscheTo see others suffer does one good, to make others suffer even more: this is a hard saying but an ancient, mighty, human, all-too-human principle which even the apes might subscribe.

—  Friedrich Nietzsche, 1844-1900, German philosopher

5 likes
Lord ByronThe great object of life is sensation- to feel that we exist, even though in pain.

—  Lord Byron, 1788-1824, British poet

4 likes
Mark TwainI have been through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened.

—  Mark Twain, 1835-1910, American writer

4 likes
Somerset MaughamIt is not true that suffering ennobles the character; happiness does that sometimes, but suffering, for the most part, makes men petty and vindictive.

—  Somerset Maugham, 1874-1965, British writer

4 likes
Fyodor DostoyevskyAccept suffering and achieve atonement through it — that is what you must do.

—  Fyodor Dostoyevsky, 1821-1881, Russian writer

4 likes
Louise GlückAt the end of my suffering
there was a door.

—  Louise Glück, 1943-, American poet, Nobel 2020

4 likes
Helen KellerAlthough the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.

—  Helen Keller, 1880-1968, American writer

3 likes
Duc de LevisFear and hope share life; pleasure and pain occupy only moments.

—  Duc de Levis, 1764-1830, French politician & author of maxims

3 likes
Fernando PessoaI sometimes think that I enjoy suffering. But the truth is I would prefer something else.

—  Fernando Pessoa, 1888-1935, Portuguese poet & writer

3 likes
Jean Jacques RousseauThe happiest is he who suffers least; the most miserable is he who enjoys least.

—  Jean Jacques Rousseau, 1712-1778, Swiss-French philosopher

3 likes
Marcel ProustIllness is the doctor to whom we pay most heed; to kindness, to knowledge, we make promise only; pain we obey.

—  Marcel Proust, 1871-1922, French writer

3 likes
RumiDon’t get lost in your pain, know that one day your pain will become your cure.

—  Rumi, 1207-1273, Persian mystic & poet

3 likes
Vincent Van GoghTo suffer without complaint is the only lesson we have to learn in this life.

—  Vincent Van Gogh, 1853-1890, Dutch painter

3 likes
Antonio PorchiaYes, it is necessary to suffer, even in vain, so as not to live in vain.

—  Antonio Porchia, 1885-1968, Italian-Argentinian poet

2 likes
Frida KahloDon’t build a wall around your suffering. It may devour you from the inside.

—  Frida Kahlo, 1907-1954, Mexican painter

2 likes
Cesare PaveseLife is pain and the enjoyment of love is an anesthetic.

—  Cesare Pavese, 1908-1950, Italian writer

Cesare PaveseBut the real, tremendous truth is this: suffering serves no purpose whatever.

—  Cesare Pavese, 1908-1950, Italian writer

John SteinbeckTo be alive at all is to have scars.

—  John Steinbeck, 1902-1968, American writer, Nobel 1962

Honoré de BalzacAh! What pleasure it must be to a woman to suffer for the one she loves!

—  Honoré de Balzac, 1799-1850, French writer

Marcel AchardHope is one of those remedies which does not heal but which allows one to suffer longer.

—  Marcel Achard, 1899-1974, French playwright

Franz KafkaI have the true feeling of myself only when I am unbearably unhappy.

—  Franz Kafka, 1883-1924, Bohemian writer

Giorgos SeferisThe memory hurts wherever you touch it.

—  Giorgos Seferis, 1900-1971, Greek poet, Nobel 1963

Antoine RivarolIt is easier for the imagination to compose a hell with pain than a paradise with pleasure.

—  Antoine Rivarol, 1753-1801, French author of maxims

Victor FranklIn some ways suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds a meaning, such as the meaning of a sacrifice.

—  Victor Frankl, 1905-1997, Austrian neurologist

Victor FranklIf there is meaning in life at all, then there must be meaning in suffering.

—  Victor Frankl, 1905-1997, Austrian neurologist

Victor FranklLife is never made unbearable by circumstances, but only by lack of meaning and purpose.

—  Victor Frankl, 1905-1997, Austrian neurologist

Victor FranklTo suffer unnecessarily is masochistic rather than heroic.

—  Victor Frankl, 1905-1997, Austrian neurologist

John SteinbeckNearly everybody has his box of secret pain, shared with no one.

—  John Steinbeck, 1902-1968, American writer, Nobel 1962

Gustave FlaubertThe deepest way to feel something is to suffer from it.

—  Gustave Flaubert, 1821-1880, French writer

Honoré de BalzacIn love, there is always one who suffers and another who is bored.

—  Honoré de Balzac, 1799-1850, French writer

Graham GreeneAs long as one suffers one lives.

—  Graham Greene, 1904-1991, British writer

André MalrauxThe worst suffering is in the loneliness that accompanies it.

—  André Malraux, 1901-1976, French writer & statesman

André MalrauxDeath is not such a serious thing; pain, yes.

—  André Malraux, 1901-1976, French writer & statesman

William Hazlitt People are not soured by misfortune, but by the reception they meet with in it.

—  William Hazlitt , 1778-1830, English essayist & critic

William FaulknerA man is the sum of his misfortunes. One day you’d think misfortune would get tired but then time is your misfortune.

—  William Faulkner, 1897-1962, American writer, Nobel 1949

Theodore AdornoThe need to let suffering speak is a condition of all truth. For suffering is objectivity that weighs upon the subject.

—  Theodore Adorno, 1903-1969, German philosopher

Robert Louis StevensonIf I am the chief of sinners, I am the chief of sufferers also.

—  Robert Louis Stevenson, 1850-1894, Scottish writer

Sri AurobindoPain is the hammer of the Gods to break a dead resistance in the mortal’s heart.

—  Sri Aurobindo, 1872-1950, Indian nationalist, yogi & philosopher

Erica JongWe're programmed for suffering, not joy. The masochism is built in at a very early age. You're supposed to work and suffer – and the trouble is: you believe it.

—  Erica Jong, 1942-, American writer

Hermann HesseLove your suffering. Do not resist it, do not flee from it. It is only your aversion to it that hurts, nothing else.

—  Hermann Hesse, 1877-1962, German writer, Nobel 1946

Joseph De MaistreThere is nothing so unfortunate as a man who has never suffered.

—  Joseph De Maistre, 1753-1821, Savoyard diplomat & philosopher

Henri JeansonIf we did not suffer from time to time, happiness would no longer be bearable.

—  Henri Jeanson, 1900-1970, French critic & columnist

Henry MillerThere's something perverse about women...they're all masochists at heart.

—  Henry Miller, 1891-1980, American writer

Ashleigh BrilliantWhy is there still so much pain and suffering being produced when there's so little demand for it?

—  Ashleigh Brilliant, 1933-, British cartoonist & epigrammatist

Frank SinatraDon’t hide your scars. They make you who you are.

—  Frank Sinatra, 1915-1998, American singer

Lou Andreas-SaloméFor most, love is probably a form of greed; for the rest of mankind, it is the cult of a suffering and masked divinity.

—  Lou Andreas-Salomé, 1861-1937, Russian-German writer & psychoanalyst

Marty RubinThe pain you hide leaves the deepest scars.

—  Marty Rubin, 1930-1994, Canadian gay activist, author & journalist

Saul BellowI want to tell you, don't marry suffering. Some people do. They get married to it, and sleep and eat together, just as husband and wife. If they go with joy they think it's adultery.

—  Saul Bellow, 1914-2005, Canadian-American writer, Nobel 1976

Edgar Allan PoeNever to suffer would have been never to have been blessed.

—  Edgar Allan Poe, 1809-1849, American writer

TertullianThe pleasure of those who injure you lies in your pain. Therefore they will suffer if you take away their pleasure by not feeling pain.

—  Tertullian, 155-240 AD, Berber-Roman Christian author

Frida Kahlo I’m not sick. I am broke. But I'm happy to live as long as I can paint.

—  Frida Kahlo, 1907-1954, Mexican painter

Milan KunderaThe Greek word for “return” is nostos. Algos means “suffering.” So nostalgia is the suffering caused by an unappeased yearning to return.

—  Milan Kundera, 1929-2023, Czech writer

Milan KunderaPain doesn't listen to reason, it has it's own reason, which is not reasonable

—  Milan Kundera, 1929-2023, Czech writer

Susan SontagEtymologically, 'patient' means sufferer.

—  Susan Sontag, 1933-2004, American writer, critic, activist

Susan SontagIt is not suffering as such that is most deeply feared but suffering that degrades.

—  Susan Sontag, 1933-2004, American writer, critic, activist

Leonardo da VinciThe deeper the feeling, the greater the pain.

—  Leonardo da Vinci, 1452-1519, Italian polymath & painter

Joseph JoubertPleasures are always children, pains always have wrinkles.

—  Joseph Joubert, 1754-1824, French author of maxims

Nicolas Gomez DavilaUniversal suffering in the end does not recognize any of the individual’s rights except the “right” to be alternately oppressor or oppressed.

—  Nicolas Gomez Davila, 1913-1994, Colombian writer

Latin Quotes

OvidBe patient and tough; someday this pain will be useful to you.

Perfer et obdura, dolor hic tibi proderit olim.

—  Ovid, 43 BC-17 AD, Roman poet

159 likes

Quotes in Verse

DanteMidway upon the journey of our life
I found myself within a forest dark,
For the straight-forward pathway had been lost.

—  Dante, 1265-1321, Italian poet

3 likes
Giorgos SeferisSo much pain so much life
they went to the abyss
for an empty shirt, for a Helen.

—  Giorgos Seferis, 1900-1971, Greek poet, Nobel 1963

Giorgos SeferisTo feel nostalgia for you place
being in your place
nothing is more bitter.

—  Giorgos Seferis, 1900-1971, Greek poet, Nobel 1963

Louise GlückFrom the beginning of time, in childhood, I thought that pain meant I was not loved. It meant I loved.

—  Louise Glück, 1943-, American poet, Nobel 2020

Louise GlückThat's why I'm not to be trusted.
Because a wound to the heart is also a wound to the mind.

—  Louise Glück, 1943-, American poet, Nobel 2020

Emily DickinsonI measure every Grief I meet
With narrow, probing, Eyes;
I wonder if It weighs like Mine,
Or has an Easier size.

—  Emily Dickinson, 1830-1886, American poet

Ancient Greek

AeschylusBetter to die once and for all than to suffer pain for all my life.

Κρείσσον γαρ εισάπαξ θανείν
ή τας απάσας ημέρας πάσχειν κακώς.

—  Aeschylus, 525-456 BC, Ancient Greek tragedian ‐ Prometheus Bound

22 likes
Marcus AureliusNothing happens to anybody which he is not fitted by nature to bear.

Ουδέν ουδενί συμβαίνει, ό ού πέφυκε φέρειν.

—  Marcus Aurelius, 121-180 AD, Roman Emperor ‐ Meditations V, 18

4 likes
EuripidesEndure suffering. Because you were pleased when you made others suffering.

Ανάσχου πάσχων. Δρων γαρ έχαιρες.

—  Euripides, 480-406 BC, Ancient Greek tragedian

3 likes
EuripidesIt is easier to give advice to others who suffer than bear yourself.

Ράον παραινείν ή παθόντα καρτερείν.

—  Euripides, 480-406 BC, Ancient Greek tragedian ‐ Alcestis

3 likes



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