Relevant Quotes

I decided to compile a list of quotes that say something important about living and coping with chronic pain. I have included my own interpretations of the quotes, but if anyone has alternative views about these or other quotes, I welcome comments on my blog.

1. "If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome." –Anne Bradstreet, "Meditations Divine and Moral."

To me, this quote means that hard times can make us stronger people, and the overwhelmingly painful days can help us cherish the better ones. I hope you will remember this whenever you feel discouraged by your pain.

2. “Courage is not the absence of fear; true courage is manifest in bravely doing what has to be done in spite of fears or foes or the foolishness of the crowd or the taunts of the group. True courage is doing the right thing in spite of the odds or opposition or apprehension.” ― Emerson Roy West, Latter Day Prophets

I decided to include this quote, as I have met many other chronic pain patients who I feel have shown great courage by refusing to give up despite their pain. While getting out of bed in the morning may not feel especially valiant, it can take a considerable amount of courage to do some on some days.

3. "Find a place inside where there's joy, and the joy will burn out the pain." -Joseph Campbell, as quoted on GoodReads (This quote most likely comes from one of the author's lectures). 

I think this quote oversimplifies the reality of chronic pain, as joy does not completely override pain. Yet, I still feel it has something valuable to say. Joy does make pain more endurable, and people can often choose to find joy, as Joseph Campbell implies. Therefore, we have some control over how we deal with and react to our pain emotionally, even if we cannot eliminate the pain.

4. "Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win” –To Kill a Mockingbirdby Harper Lee

This quote resonates with me personally. Since scientists have not found cures for many chronic pain conditions, searching for healing may seem futile. Yet, despite this fact, as well as the fact that physical and mental health statistics rarely favor chronic pain patients, I feel we should keep pursuing cures. We may find out that we never “were licked,” after all.

5.”...there is a difference between getting cured and getting healed” –Lisa (last name unknown) quoted in Paula Kamen’s All in my Head.

This quote, contained in an interesting memoir about one woman’s quest to find a cure for Chronic Migraine Syndrome, stands out to me as an extremely important statement. To me, this quote means that, even if the chronically ill never recover to full health, we can still experience a type of emotional and spiritual healing that can help us better cope with our lives.

6. “I often say now I don’t have any choice whether or not I have Parkinson’s, but surrounding that non-choice is a million other choices that I can make.” ~ Michael J. Fox, quoted on brainyquote.com

This quote, spoken by the actor, Michael J. Fox, reminds us that we do have some control over our lives. We may not be able to prevent the pain, but it does not have to control our lives.

7.  “Do not confuse my bad days as a sign of weakness. Those are actually the days I’m fighting my hardest.” – Unknown, as quoted on alliancehealth.com

I am mostly trying to avoid quotes that seem simply to lecture people who do not have chronic pain, as I usually don't find these quotes very inspiring, However, I included this quote because I think it can also serve as an important reminder to the chronic pain patients themselves. Having to lie down or take a break from society because of intense physical pain is not weakness, even though it may feel like it. Sometimes, that's what you need to do to keep functioning.

8. “Behind every beautiful thing, there's some kind of pain.” Bob Dylan, as quoted on Good Reads.

I think this is a quote that could be interpreted many ways, like most quotes. For me, this quote means that everyone in the world must endure pain, but also that pain can make something beautiful. I’m not denying that pain is hard to bear and is often very ugly, I simply think that pain is what so often pushes people to be better persons than they think they can be. For instance, chronic pain may inspire someone to a life of advocacy or help someone find inner strength he or she may not know he or she has. I have certainly seen this in my life, and I find it strangely comforting to think about how the most beautiful things are often products of pain.

As I do not own a copy of all the books these quotes came from, I cannot always provide page numbers. However, I have provided a bibliography, if you are interested in reading any of these works.

Works Cited:

"9 Inspirational Quotes That Will Motivate You to Tackle Your Chronic Illness." Alliance Health. Alliance Health, n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2015.

Bradstreet, Anne, Simon Bradstreet, and Sarah Bradstreet. Meditations Divine and Moral. N.p.: n.p., 1664. Print.

"Joseph Campbell Quotes." GoodReads. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2015.

Kamen, Paula. All in My Head: An Epic Quest to Cure an Unrelenting, Totally Unreasonable, and Only         Slightly Enlightening Headache. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Lifelong, 2005. Print.

"Michael J. Fox Quotes." BrainyQuote. Xplore, n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2015.

"Quotes About Pain." Good Reads. Good Reads, n.d. Web. 08 June 2015.

Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1960. Print.

West, Emerson Roy. Latter-Day Prophets. American Fork, UT: Covenant Communications, 1997. Print.