George Saunders Quotes

A toothache, or a violent passion, is not necessarily diminished by our knowledge of its causes, its character, its importance or insignificance.

If you start to dwell on your pain, the amount of pain will increase.

I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.

You can only exist as far as your mind will allow you to exist, and I think chronic pain will stop time dead in its tracks. You feel like you're the only one, and how unfair it is, and a million different feel-sorry-for-yourself type feelings.

We all know pain doesn't exist without some coexisting depression.

I am a recovering narcissist. I thought narcissism was about self-love till someone told me there is a flip side to it. It is actually drearier than self-love; it is unrequited self-love.

I have a high tolerance for pain - both physical and mental.

I don't feel pain like most people.

I have a high tolerance for pain.

Luckily, I never feel at one time more than half my pains.

We forget our health and comfort and notice a pinching shoe. Much of living well is detaching from our boring stories of pain and shifting focus

Pain in the present is experienced as hurt. Pain in the past is remembered as anger. Pain in the future is perceived as anxiety. Unexpressed anger, redirected against yourself and held within, is called guilt. The depletion of energy that occurs when anger is redirected inward creates depression.

You believe you could not live with the pain. Such pain is not lived with. It is only endured. I am sorry.

Shame works like the zoom lens on a camera. When we are feeling shame, the camera is zoomed in tight and all we see is our flawed selves, alone and struggling.(page 68)

All pain is the same.

Most people fear pain. I've learned that not feeling pain is a much more frightening proposition than feeling it. In fact, there are times when I'm playing when I actually enjoy it.

Pain is just a state of mind. You can think your way out of everything, even pain.

Pain has no effect but to steal some of my time.

Pain is always emotional. Fear and depression keep constant company with chronic hurting.

I've lived too long with pain. I won't know who I am without it

There's no way that I know of to avoid pain absolutely, but suffering is the interpretation we choose to place on the pain we encounter.

All pain is the same. Only the details are different.

Pain isn't always the enemy.

It's odd to look out there and see a bunch of Mini-Mes," says Williams. "You're wondering what possessed them to do such a thing . . . It sort of does a reverse psychology on you. You'd think you'd be like 'Hey, all these people want to look like me. I feel pretty cool.' But actually it makes you feel more self aware and I'm not really fond of that.