---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Better to exist in agony than to vanish…"
description: "\"“Better to exist in agony than to vanish entirely.”\" — Brandon Sanderson"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01e/brandon-sanderson-112_suffering_better-to-exist-in-agony-than-to-vanish_1418499.jpg"
---

#  Better to exist in agony than to vanish entirely.

![“Better to exist in agony than to vanish entirely.” quote by Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01e/brandon-sanderson-112_suffering_better-to-exist-in-agony-than-to-vanish_1418499.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01e/brandon-sanderson-112_suffering_better-to-exist-in-agony-than-to-vanish_1418499.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01e/brandon-sanderson-112_suffering_better-to-exist-in-agony-than-to-vanish_1418499.jpg)

> ““Better to exist in agony than to vanish entirely.””

[Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/)

## About This Quote

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

Choosing to endure suffering can be more authentic than erasing one's existence; pain affirms existence.

**In simple terms:** Enduring pain is preferable to disappearing.

Key Takeaway

Embrace challenges as proof of being alive.

Themes

suffering existence authenticity

Mood

reflective somber

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- grief
- mental health crises
- personal loss

Key Concepts

meaning resilience identity

Questions to Reflect On

- What does enduring pain teach you?
- When is it okay to seek help?

A Different Perspective

Pain may become overwhelming without support.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Agony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agony/) [Agony Vanish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agony-vanish-5017233/) [Better Exist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-exist-902769/) [Exist Agony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exist-agony-5017234/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Vanish Entirely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vanish-entirely-2808010/)

## Related quotes

> [“But what if I did tell people exactly what was going on? What if I valued my own peace of mind more than what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-broder/but-what-if-i-did-tell-people-exactly-what-was-going-on-what-if-i/)

[Melissa Broder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-broder/)

> [“The notion that it would have been better never to exist is among those which meet with the most opposition. Every man, incapable of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/the-notion-that-it-would-have-been-better-never-to-exist-is-among/)

[Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/)

> [“It is better to exist unknow to the law.--Irish Proverb”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorien-kelly/it-is-better-to-exist-unknow-to-the-law-irish-proverb/)

[Dorien Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorien-kelly/)

> [War is a beastly business, it is true, but one proof we are human is our ability to learn, even from it, how better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-k-fisher/war-is-a-beastly-business-it-is-true-but-one-proof-we-are-human-is/)

[M. F. K. Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-k-fisher/)

> [Better not to exist than live basely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/better-not-to-exist-than-live-basely/)

[Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/)

> [And if your parents have you for a reason, then that reason better exist. Because once it's gone, so are you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/and-if-your-parents-have-you-for-a-reason-then-that-reason-better/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [“There is a lot of weakness in people and a lot of reasons for them to be wiped away. If you are like those,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-timmins/there-is-a-lot-of-weakness-in-people-and-a-lot-of-reasons-for-them-to/)

[Kara Timmins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-timmins/)

> [“It is better to exist unknown to the law.’ ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scott/it-is-better-to-exist-unknown-to-the-law/)

[Michael Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scott/)

> [“Better to exist without destiny, only to exist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ninotchka-rosca/better-to-exist-without-destiny-only-to-exist/)

[Ninotchka Rosca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ninotchka-rosca/)

> [There’s been a problem, a problem eating away at me from the inside out. I’ve become weak, I’ve shown human compassion, and it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kane/there-s-been-a-problem-a-problem-eating-away-at-me-from-the-inside/)

[Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kane/)

> [One often learns more from ten days of agony than ten years of contentment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merle-shain/one-often-learns-more-from-ten-days-of-agony-than-ten-years-of/)

[Merle Shain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merle-shain/)

> [Being ill like this combines shock - this time I will die - with a pain and agony that are unfamiliar, that wrench me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-brodkey/being-ill-like-this-combines-shock-this-time-i-will-die-with-a-pain/)

[Harold Brodkey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-brodkey/)

> [“Anger was a reliable defense, but one that allowed no chance of final victory. Anger was a medicine but never a cure, briefly numbing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/anger-was-a-reliable-defense-but-one-that-allowed-no-chance-of-final/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [Love masters agony; the soul that seemed Forsaken feels her present God again And in her Father's arms Contented dies away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keble/love-masters-agony-the-soul-that-seemed-forsaken-feels-her-present/)

[John Keble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keble/)

> [As we look upon that agony and those tearful prayers, let us not only look with thankfulness; but let that kneeling Saviour teach us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-maclaren/as-we-look-upon-that-agony-and-those-tearful-prayers-let-us-not-only/)

[Alexander MacLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-maclaren/)

## More by Brandon Sanderson

> [“I’ll admit, Jasnah, that I empathize with your skepticism, but I don’t agree with it. I just think you've been looking for God in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/i-ll-admit-jasnah-that-i-empathize-with-your-skepticism-but-i-don-t/)

[Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/)

> [They say a man doesn't know himself until he faces death for the first time. . . I don't know about that. It seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/they-say-a-man-doesn-t-know-himself-until-he-faces-death-for-the/)

[Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/)

> [“I wasn’t a nerd, mind you, but I’d spent a lot of my youth studying Epics, so I’d had limited experience with social interaction.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/i-wasn-t-a-nerd-mind-you-but-i-d-spent-a-lot-of-my-youth-studying/)

[Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/)

> [“Why, Elend! That’s almost romantic—in a twisted ‘I’m going to make my wife want to kill me’ sort of way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/why-elend-that-s-almost-romantic-in-a-twisted-i-m-going-to-make-my/)

[Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/)

> [“And...how much are we getting paid for achieving the impossible?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/and-how-much-are-we-getting-paid-for-achieving-the-impossible/)

[Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/)

> [“Elantris was the one place where she could remember feeling unconditional acceptance. She had not been a princess, she had been something far better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/elantris-was-the-one-place-where-she-could-remember-feeling/)

[Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/)

> [“Elend smiled. "Oh, come on. You have to admit that you're unusual, Vin. You're like some strange mixture of a noblewoman, a street urchin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/elend-smiled-oh-come-on-you-have-to-admit-that-you-re-unusual-vin-you/)

[Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/)

> [“That is always how it is, though, isn't it?” Shuden asked. “Those who can least afford extravagance seem to be the ones most determined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/that-is-always-how-it-is-though-isn-t-it-shuden-asked-those-who-can/)

[Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/)

> [“He says he’s letting the Stormfather judge you,” Moash added. “Jezerezeh, king of Heralds. He says that if you deserve to live, you will….”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/he-says-he-s-letting-the-stormfather-judge-you-moash-added-jezerezeh/)

[Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/)

> [“The stories say the Nightwatcher might be capable of that. . . . Powerful spren. Vast spren.’ ‘Is he calling me vast?’ Syl said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/the-stories-say-the-nightwatcher-might-be-capable-of-that-powerful/)

[Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/)

> [“But the mark of a great man is one who knows when to set aside the important things in order to accomplish the vital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/but-the-mark-of-a-great-man-is-one-who-knows-when-to-set-aside-the/)

[Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/)

> [“My life to yours. My breath beecome yours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/my-life-to-yours-my-breath-beecome-yours/)

[Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/)

> [“If you're always on time, it implies that you never have anything better you should be doing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/if-you-re-always-on-time-it-implies-that-you-never-have-anything/)

[Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/)

> [You are inexperienced. So was I, once. So is every man. The measure of a person is not how much they have lived. .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/you-are-inexperienced-so-was-i-once-so-is-every-man-the-measure-of-a/)

[Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/)

> [“So I should not hate Adolin Kholin for wielding a corpse!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/so-i-should-not-hate-adolin-kholin-for-wielding-a-corpse/)

[Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/)

[Explore all 1,238 Brandon Sanderson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/)

## More Agony quotes

> [Many Republicans have always reminded me of professional WWF wrestlers. They come into the ring all pumped up and acting like they're invincible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/many-republicans-have-always-reminded-me-of-professional-wwf/)

[Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/)

> [“aaron would not come out aaron entered into agony.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/aaron-would-not-come-out-aaron-entered-into-agony/)

[William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/)

> [ “\[W\]e must learn to accommodate ourselves to the discovery that some of those cunningly-fashioned instruments called human souls have only a very limited range… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/w-e-must-learn-to-accommodate-ourselves-to-the-discovery-that-some-of/)

[George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/)

> [As we look upon that agony and those tearful prayers, let us not only look with thankfulness; but let that kneeling Saviour teach us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-maclaren/as-we-look-upon-that-agony-and-those-tearful-prayers-let-us-not-only/)

[Alexander MacLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-maclaren/)

> [Love masters agony; the soul that seemed Forsaken feels her present God again And in her Father's arms Contented dies away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keble/love-masters-agony-the-soul-that-seemed-forsaken-feels-her-present/)

[John Keble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keble/)

> [I have seen war. I have seen war on land and sea. I have seen blood running from the wounded. I have seen men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/i-have-seen-war-i-have-seen-war-on-land-and-sea-i-have-seen-blood/)

[Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/)

> [“Anger was a reliable defense, but one that allowed no chance of final victory. Anger was a medicine but never a cure, briefly numbing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/anger-was-a-reliable-defense-but-one-that-allowed-no-chance-of-final/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [The cure is in the house, not brought by other hands from distant places, but by its own, in agony and blood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/the-cure-is-in-the-house-not-brought-by-other-hands-from-distant/)

[Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/)

> [Sometimes, a lie is told in kindness. I don't believe it ever works kindly. The quick pain of truth can pass away, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/sometimes-a-lie-is-told-in-kindness-i-don-t-believe-it-ever-works/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [The young man shivered. He rolled the stock themes of fantasy over in his mind: cars and stockbrokers and commuters, housewives and police, agony…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-young-man-shivered-he-rolled-the-stock-themes-of-fantasy-over-in/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [Being ill like this combines shock - this time I will die - with a pain and agony that are unfamiliar, that wrench me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-brodkey/being-ill-like-this-combines-shock-this-time-i-will-die-with-a-pain/)

[Harold Brodkey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-brodkey/)

> [One often learns more from ten days of agony than ten years of contentment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merle-shain/one-often-learns-more-from-ten-days-of-agony-than-ten-years-of/)

[Merle Shain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merle-shain/)

> [There’s been a problem, a problem eating away at me from the inside out. I’ve become weak, I’ve shown human compassion, and it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kane/there-s-been-a-problem-a-problem-eating-away-at-me-from-the-inside/)

[Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kane/)

> [Pay special attention to their agony so I might take some pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euripides/pay-special-attention-to-their-agony-so-i-might-take-some-pleasure/)

[Euripides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euripides/)

> [Die, enemies of Ra!" Sekhemet yelled. "Perish in agony!" "She's almost as annoying as you," I told Horus. "Impossible," Horus said. "No one bests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/die-enemies-of-ra-sekhemet-yelled-perish-in-agony-she-s-almost-as/)

[Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/)

[Browse all 813 Agony quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agony/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Better to exist in agony than to vanish entirely.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Brandon Sanderson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/better-to-exist-in-agony-than-to-vanish-entirely/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Agony"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/better-to-exist-in-agony-than-to-vanish-entirely/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01e/brandon-sanderson-112_suffering_better-to-exist-in-agony-than-to-vanish_1418499.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01e/brandon-sanderson-112_suffering_better-to-exist-in-agony-than-to-vanish_1418499.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01e/brandon-sanderson-112_suffering_better-to-exist-in-agony-than-to-vanish_1418499.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Better to exist in agony than to vanish entirely.” — Brandon Sanderson",
                "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": "Brandon Sanderson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Better to exist in agony than...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/better-to-exist-in-agony-than-to-vanish-entirely/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/better-to-exist-in-agony-than-to-vanish-entirely/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
