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Everyone is in pain. Most people think pain in massage…

“Everyone is in pain. Most people think pain in massage means something is happening, and if they can endure it, they will be improved, but sometimes the only thing pain means is pain. It a very easy mistake to make, though.. She’d refused for the longest time to get therapy or take any…” quote by Meg Howrey
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““Everyone is in pain. Most people think pain in massage means something is happening, and if they can endure it, they will be improved, but sometimes the only thing pain means is pain. It a very easy mistake to make, though.. She’d refused for the longest time to get therapy or take any psychoactive drugs because she’d felt that the “darkness” was necessary, not just for her as an actor, but as a human being. You didn’t have to feel slightly terrible all the time, as it turns out. Her only worry now was that slightly terrible was not a flaw in her chemistry, but an appropriate response to being the kind of person that she was. “You’re very hard on yourself,” Luke said. “Can you imagine the kind of person that I’d be if I wasn’t hard on myself?” she said back. Luke should be sympathetic. He was hoping to improve the human race, and it would be hard to get there if the human race thought it was already fantastic, thanks very much. Well, she could still go dark, if she needed to, she could go dark right now. Yesterday she had done Terror. She’d done Fear and Dejection and Remorse. And because she had done Remorse as fully as a person could do it, she knew that she hadn’t ever experienced that kind of pure Remorse before. What she’d felt in the past was polluted Remorse, because half the time she was sorry she was also privately resentful and building a case about why the actions that had led to Remorse could be justified.””

Meg Howrey

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Pain is sometimes just pain, not a sign of growth; self‑criticism can mask deeper issues, and true remorse must be pure, not mixed with resentment.

In simple terms: Pain isn’t always meaningful; self‑criticism can hide truth.

Key Takeaway

Accept pain without over‑interpreting.

Themes

pain self‑criticism remorse

Mood

reflective introspective

Type

literary psychological

When to use this quote

  • therapy
  • self‑reflection
  • personal growth
  • mental health
  • creative work

Key Concepts

psychology self‑acceptance emotional honesty

Questions to Reflect On

  • What pain have you labeled as growth?
  • How can you differentiate pure remorse from resentful remorse?
A Different Perspective

Over‑analysis can prevent healing; confronting pain may be uncomfortable.

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