--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The main thing is to explain to yourself…" description: "\"The main thing is to explain to yourself that everybody suffers.\" — Alice Mattison" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd4/alice-mattison-11066_explain_the-main-thing-is-to-explain-to-yourself_2418008.jpg" --- # The main thing is to explain to yourself that everybody… ![“The main thing is to explain to yourself that everybody suffers.” quote by Alice Mattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd4/alice-mattison-11066_explain_the-main-thing-is-to-explain-to-yourself_2418008.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd4/alice-mattison-11066_explain_the-main-thing-is-to-explain-to-yourself_2418008.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd4/alice-mattison-11066_explain_the-main-thing-is-to-explain-to-yourself_2418008.jpg) > “The main thing is to explain to yourself that everybody suffers.” [Alice Mattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mattison/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Understanding that everyone experiences suffering helps foster empathy and personal resilience **In simple terms:** Everyone suffers, and recognizing this builds empathy Key Takeaway Accept universal suffering to cultivate compassion and resilience Themes empathy resilience human condition Mood reflective empathetic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - Counseling - support groups - personal reflection Key Concepts Stoicism Compassion Psychology Questions to Reflect On - How can you transform awareness of suffering into positive action? - What practices sustain hope amidst universal suffering? A Different Perspective Focusing on suffering may lead to pessimism if not balanced with hope ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Everybody Suffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everybody-suffers-257706/) [Explain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/explain/) [Explain Everybody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/explain-everybody-3510665/) [Main thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/main-thing/) [Problems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problems/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Suffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffers/) ## Related quotes > [Everybody contributes something to the system, and everybody suffers from the system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/everybody-contributes-something-to-the-system-and-everybody-suffers/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [“How will I explain it all … to everybody?” “You know, people don’t have to explain things nearly as much as you think they do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maeve-binchy/how-will-i-explain-it-all-to-everybody-you-know-people-don-t-have-to/) [Maeve Binchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maeve-binchy/) > [You can't always explain everything you do to everybody, you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fulghum/you-can-t-always-explain-everything-you-do-to-everybody-you-know/) [Robert Fulghum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fulghum/) > [If you tell, very few will listen if they have to. But if you explain everybody will listen or want to know what is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanji-paul-arvind/if-you-tell-very-few-will-listen-if-they-have-to-but-if-you-explain/) [Sanji-Paul Arvind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanji-paul-arvind/) > [We have to see that we're a part of each other, and we have to take care of each other. The reason why they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moore/we-have-to-see-that-we-re-a-part-of-each-other-and-we-have-to-take/) [Michael Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moore/) > [“Everybody suffers in life, get diseases, lose their loved ones and finally die, maybe this will satisfy hateful people...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-tafli/everybody-suffers-in-life-get-diseases-lose-their-loved-ones-and/) [Mehmet Tafli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-tafli/) > [I can't stand when people use drugs as an escape. It's like, everybody suffers. Deal with your issues, you'll feel so much better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyson-hannigan/i-can-t-stand-when-people-use-drugs-as-an-escape-it-s-like-everybody/) [Alyson Hannigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyson-hannigan/) > [“Where there is an unreconciled quarrel, everybody suffers”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/where-there-is-an-unreconciled-quarrel-everybody-suffers/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [I remind myself that my pain is not unique. Everybody suffers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/i-remind-myself-that-my-pain-is-not-unique-everybody-suffers/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [Everybody suffers through some type of adversity. Does it make you stronger or does it pull you down? And I never will let any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donovan-mcnabb/everybody-suffers-through-some-type-of-adversity-does-it-make-you/) [Donovan McNabb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donovan-mcnabb/) > [Don't be bitter. Everybody suffers. If you can accept your suffering then you will understand other people better. Be grateful for pain. Love life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/don-t-be-bitter-everybody-suffers-if-you-can-accept-your-suffering/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [With all the problems we are having, I won't be afraid to tell leadership, 'You need to explain to me why I should follow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-yoho/with-all-the-problems-we-are-having-i-won-t-be-afraid-to-tell/) [Ted Yoho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-yoho/) > [“A poet is a pet to the master that suffers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harpreet-singh-nanda/a-poet-is-a-pet-to-the-master-that-suffers/) [Harpreet Singh Nanda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harpreet-singh-nanda/) > [Truth suffers, but never dies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-of-vila/truth-suffers-but-never-dies/) [Teresa of Avila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-of-vila/) > [The hater always suffers more than the object of his hatred.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-stephens/the-hater-always-suffers-more-than-the-object-of-his-hatred/) [Bret Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-stephens/) ## More by Alice Mattison > [Sometimes indirect style and varying chronology is great, but quite often I've seen it be just something that gets in the way. It turns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mattison/sometimes-indirect-style-and-varying-chronology-is-great-but-quite/) [Alice Mattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mattison/) > [Every once in a while someone says, 'You can't really learn anything, if you're really a writer then you wouldn't need to do it.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mattison/every-once-in-a-while-someone-says-you-can-t-really-learn-anything-if/) [Alice Mattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mattison/) > [Whoever would write books? It's suffering as well as greatly satisfying. And certainly there's suffering in the sense that you don't know for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mattison/whoever-would-write-books-it-s-suffering-as-well-as-greatly/) [Alice Mattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mattison/) > [I get to a certain point, and I think in a novel it's about the third draft, when I want other eyes on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mattison/i-get-to-a-certain-point-and-i-think-in-a-novel-it-s-about-the-third/) [Alice Mattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mattison/) > [It's hard to say which of us is luckier, the ones who go through long periods when they can't write or the ones who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mattison/it-s-hard-to-say-which-of-us-is-luckier-the-ones-who-go-through-long/) [Alice Mattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mattison/) > [“When a man I like touches my arm or my hair, I want to know if he'll touch the center of me, and whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mattison/when-a-man-i-like-touches-my-arm-or-my-hair-i-want-to-know-if-he-ll/) [Alice Mattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mattison/) > [I heard a white writer say, 'Oh, I'd never put black people in my writing, I'm afraid I would offend someone by doing it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mattison/i-heard-a-white-writer-say-oh-i-d-never-put-black-people-in-my/) [Alice Mattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mattison/) > [When I've taught writing to five, six, and seven year olds, it's not very different than talking to an adult writer. They're writers then,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mattison/when-i-ve-taught-writing-to-five-six-and-seven-year-olds-it-s-not/) [Alice Mattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mattison/) > [I find that I get very excited about what my students are up to and that I get to be the hurdle they need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mattison/i-find-that-i-get-very-excited-about-what-my-students-are-up-to-and/) [Alice Mattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mattison/) > [I love to read nonfiction and memoir, but I'm mostly interested in the piece of writing more than the person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mattison/i-love-to-read-nonfiction-and-memoir-but-i-m-mostly-interested-in-the/) [Alice Mattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mattison/) > [I think that inevitably, the trouble our characters go through is a kind of metaphor for what's happening in ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mattison/i-think-that-inevitably-the-trouble-our-characters-go-through-is-a/) [Alice Mattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mattison/) > [When an editor first explained to me the difference between direct and indirect writing, I just thought it was a stylistic choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mattison/when-an-editor-first-explained-to-me-the-difference-between-direct/) [Alice Mattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mattison/) > [Writers sometimes are paid a great deal of money, but much more frequently they're not paid or are paid only a little bit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mattison/writers-sometimes-are-paid-a-great-deal-of-money-but-much-more/) [Alice Mattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mattison/) > [We're always inventing, even if we're making someone who's fairly close to ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mattison/we-re-always-inventing-even-if-we-re-making-someone-who-s-fairly/) [Alice Mattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mattison/) > [I just like doing it, I like writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mattison/i-just-like-doing-it-i-like-writing/) [Alice Mattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mattison/) [Explore all 62 Alice Mattison quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mattison/) ## More Explain quotes > [You have to talk about why things happened the way they did. You can't actually explain my political life except by a series of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lange/you-have-to-talk-about-why-things-happened-the-way-they-did-you-can-t/) [David Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lange/) > [Back home I get to see my old friends!(: But they don't understand the change in me and I can't explain it to them...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade/back-home-i-get-to-see-my-old-friends-but-they-don-t-understand-the/) [Jade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade/) > [If you have a good idea you must explain it or you will fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/if-you-have-a-good-idea-you-must-explain-it-or-you-will-fail/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [How do you explain a person like Asha Bhosle? A star or a super star or just someone from the Gods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anu-malik/how-do-you-explain-a-person-like-asha-bhosle-a-star-or-a-super-star/) [Anu Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anu-malik/) > [If you win you need not explain……But if you lose you should not be there to explain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-win-you-need-not-explain-but-if-you-lose-you-should-not-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I'm afraid I can't explain myself, sir. Because I am not myself, you see?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-carroll/i-m-afraid-i-can-t-explain-myself-sir-because-i-am-not-myself-you-see/) [Lewis Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-carroll/) > [There is an indefinable quality possessed by some artists. You simply can't explain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-ellen/there-is-an-indefinable-quality-possessed-by-some-artists-you-simply/) [Vera-Ellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-ellen/) > [To be in a room and have to explain your point of view is a huge skill in Hollywood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-savage/to-be-in-a-room-and-have-to-explain-your-point-of-view-is-a-huge/) [Stephanie Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-savage/) > [“I am not sure how to explain it, except that - truth matters to us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/i-am-not-sure-how-to-explain-it-except-that-truth-matters-to-us/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) > [When I'm creating art or music, when something is resonating or a scene is going well, that almost feels religious to me... there's this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-thatcher/when-i-m-creating-art-or-music-when-something-is-resonating-or-a/) [Sophie Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-thatcher/) > [In a Western, you don't over-explain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-dean-morgan/in-a-western-you-don-t-over-explain/) [Jeffrey Dean Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-dean-morgan/) > [I'm not the guy who will sit in a room with somebody who's using a bunch of big words and just act like I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-wahlberg/i-m-not-the-guy-who-will-sit-in-a-room-with-somebody-who-s-using-a/) [Mark Wahlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-wahlberg/) > [I explain at the parties that I believe knitting is a transformative and intriguing act that can change the life and brain of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/i-explain-at-the-parties-that-i-believe-knitting-is-a-transformative/) [Stephanie Pearl-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/) > [Old cookbooks connect you to your past and explain the history of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/old-cookbooks-connect-you-to-your-past-and-explain-the-history-of-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There is no way to explain enlightenment. It is just a word to indicate something beyond, something very, very far beyond the normal human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/there-is-no-way-to-explain-enlightenment-it-is-just-a-word-to/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) [Browse all 989 Explain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/explain/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The main thing is to explain to yourself that everybody suffers.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alice Mattison" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mattison/the-main-thing-is-to-explain-to-yourself-that-everybody-suffers/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Explain" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mattison/the-main-thing-is-to-explain-to-yourself-that-everybody-suffers/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd4/alice-mattison-11066_explain_the-main-thing-is-to-explain-to-yourself_2418008.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd4/alice-mattison-11066_explain_the-main-thing-is-to-explain-to-yourself_2418008.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd4/alice-mattison-11066_explain_the-main-thing-is-to-explain-to-yourself_2418008.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The main thing is to explain to yourself that everybody suffers.” — Alice Mattison", "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": "Alice Mattison", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mattison/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The main thing is to explain...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mattison/the-main-thing-is-to-explain-to-yourself-that-everybody-suffers/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mattison/the-main-thing-is-to-explain-to-yourself-that-everybody-suffers/#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 } } ] } ```