Irvin D. Yalom Quotes

Please remember, no matter what you go through in life, somebody else might have it harder.

I once tried standing up on my toes to see far out in the distance, but I found that I could see much farther by climbing to a high place.

If you think you have it tough, read history books.

Problems look mighty small from 150 miles up.

It's hard to see things when you're too close. Take a step back and look.

Nobody's life is a bed of roses. We all have crosses to bear, and we all just do our best. I would never claim to have the worst situation. There are many widows, and many people dying of AIDS, many people killed in Lebanon, people starving all over the planet. So we have to count our lucky stars.

When you're not involved, other people's unhappiness seems to be about the funniest damn thing on earth because you think you can solve it, that you are God, that you are above this, and that their unhappiness is just such useless toil and agony. If it's you, it ceases to be a comedy.

The higher one climbs the lonelier one is.

The difference between tragedy and comedy: Tragedy is something awful happening to somebody else, while comedy is something awful happening to somebody else.

When I listen to these women, it makes what I thought were my hard knocks feel like little nudges.

With ideas it is like with dizzy heights you climb: At first they cause you discomfort and you are anxious to get down, distrustful of your own powers; but soon the remoteness of the turmoil of life and the inspiring influence of the altitude calm your blood; your step gets firm and sure and you begin to look - for dizzier heights.

Life is a comedy when watching and a tragedy when experiencing. I try and share anything I have.

Comedy is tragedy that happens to other people.

Everything is funny, as long as it's happening to somebody else.

What may appear as a towering peak to one may seem but an ordinary eminence to another.

Do not forget that others won’t see the problems the way you look at or vice versa.

It's everyone's dread to lose a child. You lose someone you love so much, so young. It does hit you like nothing else, and there is a bit of you that thinks, well, if you can face that sort of challenge in your life, then it puts everything else into perspective.

The Nose is a beautiful route. The best thing is that, in one day, you get to climb so much. You climb and climb and climb the whole day.

Life's greatest comfort is being able to look over your shoulder and see people worse off, waiting in line behind you.

Tragedy is in the eye of the observer, and not in the heart of the sufferer.

The way you see things depends a great deal on where you look at them from.

It all depends on the way you look at it. The point of view is everything in this world.

I cried when I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet. And then I laughed REALLY hard.

Don't grumble! Don't stew! Some critters are much-much, Oh, ever so much-much So muchly much-much more unlucky than you!