3,815 Quotes About Suffering

Spiritual fatherhood has nothing to do with power or control. It is a fatherhood of compassion. But the father of the prodigal son is not concerned about himself. His long-suffering life has emptied him of his desires to keep in control of things. Can I give without wanting anything in return, love without putting any conditions on my love?

   'And you are the first woman I've ever loved,' he continued calmly. 'I love you so much that it makes me suffer, but I'm not suffering because I can't possess you. I'm suffering because it's impossible for me to love you. It tears my heart apart that such a magnificent nature has resulted in such an ugly character.'   

By wanting the things that you don’t have, in order to be happy, you are not trying to end the suffering you have, you are simply trying to rationalize it. When you have those things, you will realize your suffering did not end. Only the reasons for it have changed.

If you want peace, accept. If you want suffering, expect.

My brother was philosophically impaired, emotionally paralysed and stubborn, but he was not mentally ill. Mental illness suggests some kind of biological maladjustment such as that caused by injury or drug-induced chemical imbalances, whereas my brother, like many male suicides I have known, reacted normally to an abnormal situation. My brother felt he could not show the suffering that revealed him as sensitive; to do so would have threatened his gender status. It was easier for him to die.

The people of Ike-no-o used to say that Zenchi Naigu was lucky to be a priest: no woman would ever want to marry a man with a nose like that. Some even claimed it was because of his nose that he had entered the priesthood to begin with. The Naigu himself, however, never felt that he suffered any less over his nose for being a priest. Indeed, his self-esteem was already far too fragile to be affected by such a secondary fact as whether or not he had a wife.

It is a tragedy to see the medical profession move from suicide prevention to suicide facilitation. The right-to-die movement presents euthanasia as compassionate. But disparaging human life as expendable is not compassionate. The term 'compassion' literally means 'to suffer with' (com=with, passion=suffer). True compassion means being willing to suffer on behalf of others, loving them enough to bear the burden of caring for them.

The first principle of monotheist religions is 'God exists. What does He want from me?' The first principle of buddhism is 'Suffering exists. How do I escape it?

We must learn to regard people less in the light of what they do or omit to do, and more in the light of what they suffer.