--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To heal, you have to give yourself to the…" description: "\"“To heal, you have to give yourself to the pain. You cannot avoid facing yourself your whole life.”\" — Bryant McGill" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81b/bryant-mcgill-108_growth_to-heal-you-have-to-give-yourself-to-the_1654223.jpg" --- # To heal, you have to give yourself to the pain. You cannot… ![“To heal, you have to give yourself to the pain. You cannot avoid facing yourself your whole life.” quote by Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81b/bryant-mcgill-108_growth_to-heal-you-have-to-give-yourself-to-the_1654223.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81b/bryant-mcgill-108_growth_to-heal-you-have-to-give-yourself-to-the_1654223.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81b/bryant-mcgill-108_growth_to-heal-you-have-to-give-yourself-to-the_1654223.jpg) > ““To heal, you have to give yourself to the pain. You cannot avoid facing yourself your whole life.”” [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Facing pain directly is essential for healing; avoidance prolongs suffering. **In simple terms:** Confront pain to heal. Key Takeaway Embrace discomfort for growth. Themes healing self‑care psychology Mood empathetic supportive Type psychological inspirational When to use this quote - therapy - personal growth - support groups Key Concepts trauma theory mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - What pain are you avoiding? - How can you safely engage with it? A Different Perspective Pain can be overwhelming without support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Facing life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facing-life/) [Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth/) [Healing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/healing/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Surrender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surrender/) ## Related quotes > [“To heal the pain of another is to heal my own pain. Yet, some of the greatest pain that I can experience is found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/to-heal-the-pain-of-another-is-to-heal-my-own-pain-yet-some-of-the/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [Don't cry over the past; cry to get over the past. don't smile to hide the pain; smile to heal the pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-forgotten/don-t-cry-over-the-past-cry-to-get-over-the-past-don-t-smile-to-hide/) The Forgotten > [Suicide doesn't heal the pain it just passes it one to the people you love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaile-stewart/suicide-doesn-t-heal-the-pain-it-just-passes-it-one-to-the-people-you/) [Kaile Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaile-stewart/) > [The only way to heal the pain which will not heal itself is to forgive the person who hurt you. Forgiveness heals the memory's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/the-only-way-to-heal-the-pain-which-will-not-heal-itself-is-to/) [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) > [Don't show too much love to anyone, because it creates a non-curable pain when they avoid you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeromy-shingongo/don-t-show-too-much-love-to-anyone-because-it-creates-a-non-curable/) [Jeromy Shingongo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeromy-shingongo/) > [If you're afraid of getting hurt and feeling severe pain, then avoid falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-re-afraid-of-getting-hurt-and-feeling-severe-pain-then-avoid/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Pain is inevitable, but misery is optional. We cannot avoid pain, but we can avoid joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-hansel/pain-is-inevitable-but-misery-is-optional-we-cannot-avoid-pain-but-we/) [Tim Hansel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-hansel/) > [To avoid pain, they avoid pleasure. To avoid death, they avoid life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-avoid-pain-they-avoid-pleasure-to-avoid-death-they-avoid-life/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“There are odd things in life, and one of them is pain. The odd thing about pain is this: you can't avoid it. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-eastham/there-are-odd-things-in-life-and-one-of-them-is-pain-the-odd-thing/) [Chad Eastham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-eastham/) > [“Go to the pain rather than avoid it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/go-to-the-pain-rather-than-avoid-it/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“Avoidance is never the answer. Yes, life is all about pain and trouble and frustration and anger, but it's also about love and friendship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-leighton/avoidance-is-never-the-answer-yes-life-is-all-about-pain-and-trouble/) [M. Leighton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-leighton/) > [Don't show so much of loveon anyone becauseit creates a non-curable pain when they avoid u.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hemant/don-t-show-so-much-of-loveon-anyone-becauseit-creates-a-non-curable/) [Hemant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hemant/) > [Don't show so much of love on anyone because it creates a non-curable pain when they avoid u.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-show-so-much-of-love-on-anyone-because-it-creates-a-non-curable/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“You can bury your pain or avoid it. You can tattoo over it. But you won't be free of it until you feel it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suanne-laqueur/you-can-bury-your-pain-or-avoid-it-you-can-tattoo-over-it-but-you-won/) [Suanne Laqueur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suanne-laqueur/) > [We always try to avoid pain, avoid to fall for the wrong person, avoid to expect avoid to encounter misunderstandings avoid to cry but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unkown/we-always-try-to-avoid-pain-avoid-to-fall-for-the-wrong-person-avoid/) Unkown ## More by Bryant McGill > [“Witnessing a selfless act brings tears to remind us how we should be treating others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/witnessing-a-selfless-act-brings-tears-to-remind-us-how-we-should-be/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“The teacher can only provide the lessons, but the student ultimately decides what to learn.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/the-teacher-can-only-provide-the-lessons-but-the-student-ultimately/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“Start the daily practice of joyful living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/start-the-daily-practice-of-joyful-living/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“You have permission to walk away from anything that doesn't feel right. Trust your instincts and listen to your inner-voice — it's trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/you-have-permission-to-walk-away-from-anything-that-doesn-t-feel/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“Fun is not an activity, it is a state of mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/fun-is-not-an-activity-it-is-a-state-of-mind/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“You cannot change another person's mind or educate them; this they must do themselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/you-cannot-change-another-person-s-mind-or-educate-them-this-they/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“The public good must come before private interests.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/the-public-good-must-come-before-private-interests/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“Countries, states, cities, corporations and laws are all words on paper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/countries-states-cities-corporations-and-laws-are-all-words-on-paper/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“We must remember that nature is the supreme cradle of life, and must be protected and treated with the highest respect and care.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/we-must-remember-that-nature-is-the-supreme-cradle-of-life-and-must/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“The world is not fair, and often fools, cowards, liars and the selfish hide in high places. (p 57)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/the-world-is-not-fair-and-often-fools-cowards-liars-and-the-selfish/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“Even discomfort or pain delivers awareness of life, and an opportunity for gratitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/even-discomfort-or-pain-delivers-awareness-of-life-and-an-opportunity/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“The secret to unseating great power, is not to move the other direction, but to compete directly against their goals.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/the-secret-to-unseating-great-power-is-not-to-move-the-other/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“In the moments of your deepest need, despair and desperation, what you need more than any other thing, is calm and faith.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/in-the-moments-of-your-deepest-need-despair-and-desperation-what-you/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“It is essential that you follow your own idea of passion, even if to others it looks like suffering.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/it-is-essential-that-you-follow-your-own-idea-of-passion-even-if-to/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“Joy is a practice, not an involuntary state.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/joy-is-a-practice-not-an-involuntary-state/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) [Explore all 1,286 Bryant McGill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) ## More Facing life quotes > [“Had I faced all the facts It seemed like I had but actually you never know just by remembering how many there were to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/had-i-faced-all-the-facts-it-seemed-like-i-had-but-actually-you-never/) [Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/) > [I was facing life for the first time. I was 12 years old, but I felt like a 20 year old. I knew then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-ka-shing/i-was-facing-life-for-the-first-time-i-was-12-years-old-but-i-felt/) [Li Ka-shing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-ka-shing/) > [In the case of my husband, we found that facing a life-threatening illness prodded us to make a dramatic change in our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/in-the-case-of-my-husband-we-found-that-facing-a-life-threatening/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [The beauty of facing life unprepared is tremendous. Then life has a newness, a youth; then life has a flow and freshness. Then life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/the-beauty-of-facing-life-unprepared-is-tremendous-then-life-has-a/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Happiness begins with facing life with a smile :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/happiness-begins-with-facing-life-with-a-smile/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Why is it that, despite having achieved previously undreamed-of miracles of progress, we seem more helpless in facing life than our less privileged ancestors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/why-is-it-that-despite-having-achieved-previously-undreamed-of/) [Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/) > [“Losing people I cared so much about and very nearly losing my dream of working for myself was devastating. To make ends meet, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/losing-people-i-cared-so-much-about-and-very-nearly-losing-my-dream/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [Stress is not bad but a necessary part of facing life's challenges. Whilst the dreamers maintain the delusion that 'all accidents are preventable' the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-long/stress-is-not-bad-but-a-necessary-part-of-facing-life-s-challenges/) [Rob Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-long/) > [“It is not so much a question of how far you have traveled as which way you face. It is facing life the right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/it-is-not-so-much-a-question-of-how-far-you-have-traveled-as-which/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [We deal with people that are going through divorces and that are facing life-threatening illnesses, and I'm giving them hope. And to me, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/we-deal-with-people-that-are-going-through-divorces-and-that-are/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [It was not facing what life dealt that made you crazy, but rather trying to set life straight where it was unstraightenable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/it-was-not-facing-what-life-dealt-that-made-you-crazy-but-rather/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge to test our courage and willingness to change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/when-we-least-expect-it-life-sets-us-a-challenge-to-test-our-courage-2/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Inner peace is found by facing life squarely, solving its problems, and delving as far beneath its surface as possible to discover its verities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peace-pilgrim/inner-peace-is-found-by-facing-life-squarely-solving-its-problems-and/) [Peace Pilgrim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peace-pilgrim/) > [For me, poetry is a situation - a state of being, a way of facing life and facing history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahar-ben-jelloun/for-me-poetry-is-a-situation-a-state-of-being-a-way-of-facing-life/) [Tahar Ben Jelloun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahar-ben-jelloun/) > [The only problem facing you in life is the belief in separation from your Source. Solve that one and all the other ones will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-randolph-price/the-only-problem-facing-you-in-life-is-the-belief-in-separation-from/) [John Randolph Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-randolph-price/) [Browse all 21 Facing life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facing-life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“To heal, you have to give yourself to the pain. 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