Sometimes… there’s no point in the truth if the only thing it will do is cause pain.
Calista Flockhart, Ally McBeal
But monotony doesn’t make for painlessness. In the first century CE, Roman authorities punished St. Appollonia by crushing her teeth one by one with pliers. Colin often thought about this in relationship to the monotony of dumping: we have thirty two teeth. After a while, having each tooth individually destroyed probably gets repetitive, even dull. But it never stops hurting.
John Green, An Abundance of Katherines
If he thinks he would harm Mirabelle, he would back away. But he does not yet understand when and how people are hurt. He doesn’t understand the subtleties of slights and pains, that it is not the big events that hurt the most but rather the smallest questionable shift in tone at the end of a spoken word that can plow most deeply into the heart.
Steve Martin, Shopgirl
It’s the same with people who say, ‘Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.’ Even people who say this must realize that the exact opposite is true. What doesn’t kill you maims you, cripples you, leaves you weak, makes you whiny and full of yourself at the same time. The more pain, the more pompous you get. Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you incredibly annoying.
Rob Sheffield, Love Is a Mix Tape
Knowing there is a light at the end of the tunnel keeps us going through it, but understanding the darkness in the tunnel helps us negotiate it. The full truth is that power comes with pain. Hardship is the neglected and misunderstood second half of the truth, and it completes the view. True spirituality is not about making you feel good. It is about making you feel real.
Andrew Holecek, The Power and the Pain (via walkwhilereading)

Source: walkwhilereading

When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.
Kahlil Gibran
It’s so hard to forget pain, but it’s even harder to remember sweetness. We have no scar to show for happiness. We learn so little from peace.
Chuck Palahniuk
It’s a shallow life that doesn’t give a person a few scars.
Garrison Keillor
Sometimes awful things have their own kind of beauty.
Jon Kortajarena, A Single Man
People are afraid of themselves, of their own reality; their feelings most of all. People talk about how great love is, but that’s bullshit. Love hurts. Feelings are disturbing. People are taught that pain is evil and dangerous. How can they deal with love if they’re afraid to feel? Pain is meant to wake us up. People try to hide their pain. But they’re wrong. Pain is something to carry, like a radio. You feel your strength in the experience of pain. It’s all in how you carry it. That’s what matters. Pain is a feeling. Your feelings are a part of you. Your own reality. If you feel ashamed of them, and hide them, you’re letting society destroy your reality. You should stand up for your right to feel your pain.
Jim Morrison
Pain is part of being alive, and we need to learn that. Pain does not last forever, nor is it necessarily unbearable, and we need to be taught that.
Harold S. Kushner
So that was all bullshit right? All that stuff about embracing your pain, making it a part of you? You can’t do this, you can’t just give up. Life is hard and it’s full of pain and whatnot, but we take it cause there’s great stuff too. And we can do it cause we have friends because we have each other.
Josh Peck, The Wackness
It’s something everybody wants-for someone to see the hurt done to them and set it down like it matters.
Sue Monk Kidd, The Secret Life of Bees
One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.
Bob Marley
You can do anything, you lucky bastard, you’re alive! What’s a little pain compared to that?
Richard Jenkins, Six Feet Under