--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Tragedy is not what men suffer but what…" description: "\"Tragedy is not what men suffer but what they miss.\" — Abba Eban" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d8/abba-eban-20139_impulsive_tragedy-is-not-what-men-suffer-but-what_1378608.jpg" --- # Tragedy is not what men suffer but what they miss. ![“Tragedy is not what men suffer but what they miss.” quote by Abba Eban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d8/abba-eban-20139_impulsive_tragedy-is-not-what-men-suffer-but-what_1378608.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d8/abba-eban-20139_impulsive_tragedy-is-not-what-men-suffer-but-what_1378608.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d8/abba-eban-20139_impulsive_tragedy-is-not-what-men-suffer-but-what_1378608.jpg) > “Tragedy is not what men suffer but what they miss.” [Abba Eban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abba-eban/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Tragedy lies not in suffering but in what we lose. **In simple terms:** Tragedy is loss, not pain. Key Takeaway Value what you have. Themes loss tragedy value Mood reflective hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - political discourse - historical analysis - personal reflection Key Concepts war personal loss missed opportunities Questions to Reflect On - What do you cherish most? - How can you prevent missing important moments? A Different Perspective Focusing on loss may cause despair. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Impulsive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impulsive/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Men Suffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-suffer-1734843/) [Missing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/missing/) [Routine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/routine/) [Sheer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sheer/) [Suffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffer/) [Suffer Miss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffer-miss-4769281/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Tragedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tragedy/) [Tragedy Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tragedy-men-1805668/) ## Related quotes > [Lest Arab governments be tempted out of sheer routine to rush into impulsive rejection, let me suggest that tragedy is not what men suffer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abba-eban/lest-arab-governments-be-tempted-out-of-sheer-routine-to-rush-into/) [Abba Eban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abba-eban/) > [The world I live in is loathsome to me, but I feel one with the men who suffer in it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-world-i-live-in-is-loathsome-to-me-but-i-feel-one-with-the-men/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [One of the great tragedies we witness almost daily is the tragedy of men of high aim and low achievement. Their motives are noble.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/one-of-the-great-tragedies-we-witness-almost-daily-is-the-tragedy-of/) [Gordon B. Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-b-hinckley/) > [Roman Polanski is a man who cares deeply about his art and its place in this world. What happened to him on his incredible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-weinstein/roman-polanski-is-a-man-who-cares-deeply-about-his-art-and-its-place/) [Harvey Weinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-weinstein/) > [So deeply inherent is it in this life of ours that men have to suffer for each other's sins, so inevitably diffusive is human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/so-deeply-inherent-is-it-in-this-life-of-ours-that-men-have-to-suffer/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [“Though good and bad men suffer alike, we must not suppose that there is no difference between the men themselves, because there is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustine-of-hippo/though-good-and-bad-men-suffer-alike-we-must-not-suppose-that-there/) [Augustine of Hippo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustine-of-hippo/) > [I have watched men suffer the anguish of imprisonment, defy appalling human cruelty... break for a moment, then recover inhuman strength to defy their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/i-have-watched-men-suffer-the-anguish-of-imprisonment-defy-appalling/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [All the miseries and evils which men suffer from vice, crime, ambition, injustice, oppression, slavery and war, proceed from their despising or neglecting the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-webster/all-the-miseries-and-evils-which-men-suffer-from-vice-crime-ambition/) [Noah Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-webster/) > [Vice has more martyrs than virtue; and it often happens that men suffer more to be lost than to be saved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/vice-has-more-martyrs-than-virtue-and-it-often-happens-that-men/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [The pride of men will not often suffer reason to have scope until it can be no longer of service.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/the-pride-of-men-will-not-often-suffer-reason-to-have-scope-until-it/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [There is scarce anything that nature has made, or that men do suffer, whence the devout reflector cannot take an occasion of an aspiring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-boyle/there-is-scarce-anything-that-nature-has-made-or-that-men-do-suffer/) [Robert Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-boyle/) > [So many, though reluctant to admit it. Shun clever men, and rather suffer fools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-krylov/so-many-though-reluctant-to-admit-it-shun-clever-men-and-rather/) [Ivan Krylov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-krylov/) > [The greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/the-greatest-deception-men-suffer-is-from-their-own-opinions/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Economic privation proceeds by easy stages, and so long as men suffer it patiently the outside world cares little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/economic-privation-proceeds-by-easy-stages-and-so-long-as-men-suffer/) [John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/) > [“I’ve read Hamlet, I know men suffer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/i-ve-read-hamlet-i-know-men-suffer/) [Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/) ## More by Abba Eban > [His ignorance is encyclopedic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abba-eban/his-ignorance-is-encyclopedic/) [Abba Eban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abba-eban/) > [A nation writes its history in the image of its ideal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abba-eban/a-nation-writes-its-history-in-the-image-of-its-ideal/) [Abba Eban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abba-eban/) > [Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abba-eban/palestinians-never-miss-an-opportunity-to-miss-an-opportunity/) [Abba Eban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abba-eban/) > [“History teaches us that men and nations only behave wisely once they have exhausted all other alternatives." --”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abba-eban/history-teaches-us-that-men-and-nations-only-behave-wisely-once-they/) [Abba Eban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abba-eban/) > [Time and again these governments have rejected proposals today - and longed for them tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abba-eban/time-and-again-these-governments-have-rejected-proposals-today-and/) [Abba Eban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abba-eban/) > [Playing the game I have learned the meaning of humility. It has given me an understanding of futility of the human effort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abba-eban/playing-the-game-i-have-learned-the-meaning-of-humility-it-has-given/) [Abba Eban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abba-eban/) > [“If Algeria introduced a resolution that the earth was flat and that Israel had flattened it, it would pass by a vote of 164…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abba-eban/if-algeria-introduced-a-resolution-that-the-earth-was-flat-and-that/) [Abba Eban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abba-eban/) > [Science is not a sacred cow. Science is a horse. Don’t worship it. Feed it. \[Addressing a group of prospective contributors to an Israeli…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abba-eban/science-is-not-a-sacred-cow-science-is-a-horse-don-t-worship-it-feed/) [Abba Eban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abba-eban/) > [Tragedy is the difference between what is and what could have been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abba-eban/tragedy-is-the-difference-between-what-is-and-what-could-have-been/) [Abba Eban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abba-eban/) > [Human beings act intelligently only after they have exhausted the alternatives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abba-eban/human-beings-act-intelligently-only-after-they-have-exhausted-the/) [Abba Eban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abba-eban/) > [Consensus is what many people say in chorus but do not believe as individuals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abba-eban/consensus-is-what-many-people-say-in-chorus-but-do-not-believe-as/) [Abba Eban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abba-eban/) > [You can't achieve anything without getting in someone's way. You can't be detached and effective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abba-eban/you-can-t-achieve-anything-without-getting-in-someone-s-way-you-can-t/) [Abba Eban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abba-eban/) > [Lest Arab governments be tempted out of sheer routine to rush into impulsive rejection, let me suggest that tragedy is not what men suffer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abba-eban/lest-arab-governments-be-tempted-out-of-sheer-routine-to-rush-into/) [Abba Eban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abba-eban/) > [A consensus means that everyone agrees to say collectively what no one believes individually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abba-eban/a-consensus-means-that-everyone-agrees-to-say-collectively-what-no/) [Abba Eban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abba-eban/) > [I think that this is the first war in history that on the morrow the victors sued for peace and the vanquished called for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abba-eban/i-think-that-this-is-the-first-war-in-history-that-on-the-morrow-the/) [Abba Eban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abba-eban/) [Explore all 31 Abba Eban quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abba-eban/) ## More Impulsive quotes > [Music comes from the heart and returns to the heart... music is spontaneous, impulsive expression... its range is without limit... music is forever growing...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leopold-stokowski/music-comes-from-the-heart-and-returns-to-the-heart-music-is/) [Leopold Stokowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leopold-stokowski/) > [I think you have to sort of accept that nobody really knows where it's going so there has to be a lot of impulsive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-ulrich/i-think-you-have-to-sort-of-accept-that-nobody-really-knows-where-it/) [Lars Ulrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-ulrich/) > [I've always been impulsive. My thinking is usually pretty good, but I always seem to do it after I do my talking — by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-zelazny/i-ve-always-been-impulsive-my-thinking-is-usually-pretty-good-but-i/) [Roger Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-zelazny/) > [“A lot of impulsive mistakes are made by people who simply aren’t willing to stay bored a little longer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-aurandt/a-lot-of-impulsive-mistakes-are-made-by-people-who-simply-aren-t/) [Paul Aurandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-aurandt/) > [Courage is impulsive; it is narcissism tempered with nihilism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayelet-waldman/courage-is-impulsive-it-is-narcissism-tempered-with-nihilism/) [Ayelet Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayelet-waldman/) > [More errors arise from inhibited indecision than from impulsive behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morris-l-ernst/more-errors-arise-from-inhibited-indecision-than-from-impulsive/) [Morris L. Ernst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morris-l-ernst/) > [“Impulsive isn’t something you choose. It’s something you are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-hubbard/impulsive-isn-t-something-you-choose-it-s-something-you-are/) [Kirsten Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-hubbard/) > [We cannot know the young child's personality by studying his systems of interest, for his attention is as yet too labile, his reactions impulsive,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-cannot-know-the-young-child-s-personality-by-studying-his-systems/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I was kind of a misfit, actually. When you're young, you want to be like everybody else, and I was like nobody else. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howie-mandel/i-was-kind-of-a-misfit-actually-when-you-re-young-you-want-to-be-like/) [Howie Mandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howie-mandel/) > [I think I'm slightly impulsive, sometimes organised and always in search of a bargain!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-think-i-m-slightly-impulsive-sometimes-organised-and-always-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Generations of thinkers have made typewriters their frenemies, and long before there were Gmail inboxes, print correspondence stacked up, some hastily written and impulsive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-pilon/generations-of-thinkers-have-made-typewriters-their-frenemies-and/) [Mary Pilon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-pilon/) > [A major cause of the Roman Empire's decline, after six centuries of world dominance was its replacement of stone aqueducts by lead pipes for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harris-l-coulter/a-major-cause-of-the-roman-empire-s-decline-after-six-centuries-of/) [Harris L Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harris-l-coulter/) > [Usually, when I get hit with inspiration hard - I don't know, maybe it's impulsive - but I'm the type of person where I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/da-vine-joy-randolph/usually-when-i-get-hit-with-inspiration-hard-i-don-t-know-maybe-it-s/) [Da'Vine Joy Randolph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/da-vine-joy-randolph/) > [As we continue toward the fifth secret technique of psychics, I have a gut feeling that you are the sort of person that lets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-wiseman/as-we-continue-toward-the-fifth-secret-technique-of-psychics-i-have-a/) [Richard Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-wiseman/) > [I was a very impulsive, emotional kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eran-zahavi/i-was-a-very-impulsive-emotional-kid/) [Eran Zahavi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eran-zahavi/) [Browse all 188 Impulsive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impulsive/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Tragedy is not what men suffer but what they miss.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Abba Eban" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abba-eban/tragedy-is-not-what-men-suffer-but-what-they-miss/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Impulsive" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abba-eban/tragedy-is-not-what-men-suffer-but-what-they-miss/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d8/abba-eban-20139_impulsive_tragedy-is-not-what-men-suffer-but-what_1378608.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d8/abba-eban-20139_impulsive_tragedy-is-not-what-men-suffer-but-what_1378608.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d8/abba-eban-20139_impulsive_tragedy-is-not-what-men-suffer-but-what_1378608.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Tragedy is not what men suffer but what they miss.” — Abba Eban", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Abba Eban", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abba-eban/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Tragedy is not what men suffer...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abba-eban/tragedy-is-not-what-men-suffer-but-what-they-miss/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abba-eban/tragedy-is-not-what-men-suffer-but-what-they-miss/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```