--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nothing hurts me if I don’t want it to,”…" description: "\"“Nothing hurts me if I don’t want it to,” she told him.”\" — Christina Stead" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c58/christina-stead-2325_hurts_nothing-hurts-me-if-i-don-t-want-it-to-s_2168123.png" --- # Nothing hurts me if I don’t want it to,” she told him. ![“Nothing hurts me if I don’t want it to,” she told him.” quote by Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c58/christina-stead-2325_hurts_nothing-hurts-me-if-i-don-t-want-it-to-s_2168123.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c58/christina-stead-2325_hurts_nothing-hurts-me-if-i-don-t-want-it-to-s_2168123.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c58/christina-stead-2325_hurts_nothing-hurts-me-if-i-don-t-want-it-to-s_2168123.png) > ““Nothing hurts me if I don’t want it to,” she told him.”” [Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A character asserts control over emotional pain by refusing to let it affect her, emphasizing personal agency in suffering **In simple terms:** Refusing to feel pain gives personal control Key Takeaway Empower yourself by setting emotional boundaries Themes psychology self‑control relationships Mood reflective cautious Type literary psychological When to use this quote - therapy - conflict resolution - self‑help - literary analysis Key Concepts emotional autonomy personal agency Questions to Reflect On - When is it healthy to ignore pain? - What are the risks of emotional suppression? 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How much strength it takes to act like you don't know him. To not make eye contact with the one thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/hurts-don-t-it-how-much-strength-it-takes-to-act-like-you-don-t-know/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It hurts too much so I don't want to talk about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-hurts-too-much-so-i-don-t-want-to-talk-about-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I miss you. I miss you so fucking bad it hurts, but I don't know how to find you even though you're right in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward-4/i-miss-you-i-miss-you-so-fucking-bad-it-hurts-but-i-don-t-know-how-to/) [J R Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward-4/) > [It hurts when it don't last, no easy way saying bye. So I'mma spread my wings and head for the sky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wiz-khalifa/it-hurts-when-it-don-t-last-no-easy-way-saying-bye-so-i-mma-spread-my/) [Wiz Khalifa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wiz-khalifa/) > [If someone hurts you, don't hurt them back. If you do so, you are at the same level as the ones who hurt you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babloo/if-someone-hurts-you-don-t-hurt-them-back-if-you-do-so-you-are-at-the/) [Babloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babloo/) > [It's not what they say that hurts, it's what they don't say that hurts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-not-what-they-say-that-hurts-it-s-what-they-don-t-say-that-hurts/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Christina Stead > [Charm is a cunning self-forgetfulness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/charm-is-a-cunning-self-forgetfulness/) [Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) > [“It is splendid—to be—loved! If we only—can—live up—to the thoughts—of us—by them—that love us!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/it-is-splendid-to-be-loved-if-we-only-can-live-up-to-the-thoughts-of/) [Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) > [“I’m afraid to write to your father: he criticizes my spelling,” sneered Henny. “And it appears I know nothing about geography. Hang his stuck-up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/i-m-afraid-to-write-to-your-father-he-criticizes-my-spelling-sneered/) [Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) > [“you do not know what she did not only to me but to the little children. She has tortured them, turned them against me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/you-do-not-know-what-she-did-not-only-to-me-but-to-the-little/) [Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) > [To me, all the juice of a book is in an unpublished manuscript, and the published book is like a dead tree - just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/to-me-all-the-juice-of-a-book-is-in-an-unpublished-manuscript-and-the/) [Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) > [“Hair under the arms, for example, he said, should never be removed, for nature had put it there, and evidently it had some use.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/hair-under-the-arms-for-example-he-said-should-never-be-removed-for/) [Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) > [About myself - no. I'm unimportant, an observer, a wandering animal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/about-myself-no-i-m-unimportant-an-observer-a-wandering-animal/) [Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) > [“A month before our marriage, I knew it would be a well-nigh hopeless union, yet so great is a young man’s idea of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/a-month-before-our-marriage-i-knew-it-would-be-a-well-nigh-hopeless/) [Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) > [“For a moment, after years of scamping, she felt the dread power of wifehood; they were locked in each other’s grasp till the end—the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/for-a-moment-after-years-of-scamping-she-felt-the-dread-power-of/) [Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) > [Socialist writers are made of sterner stuff than those who only let their characters steeplechase through trouble in order to comeout first in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/socialist-writers-are-made-of-sterner-stuff-than-those-who-only-let/) [Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) > [“Don’t call humans rats—rats are superior.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/don-t-call-humans-rats-rats-are-superior/) [Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) > [“Whatever men say, women know;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/whatever-men-say-women-know/) [Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) > [“she is never more herself than when she destroys herself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/she-is-never-more-herself-than-when-she-destroys-herself/) [Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) > [Each Australian is a Ulysses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/each-australian-is-a-ulysses/) [Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) > [A dominant race did not lie, because it had the whip.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/a-dominant-race-did-not-lie-because-it-had-the-whip/) [Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) [Explore all 171 Christina Stead quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) ## More Hurts quotes > [It hurts wanting the best for someone you love, even if they feel the best isn't you. That's real love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-hurts-wanting-the-best-for-someone-you-love-even-if-they-feel-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I love you with all my heart, but I didn't know true love hurts so hard, I love and I miss you, every single…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-love-you-with-all-my-heart-but-i-didn-t-know-true-love-hurts-so/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [And yet it disturbs me to learn I have hurt someone unintentionally. I want all my hurts to be intentional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/and-yet-it-disturbs-me-to-learn-i-have-hurt-someone-unintentionally-i/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Mistaking obsession for love is one of the greatest mistakes you'll every make”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karina-halle/mistaking-obsession-for-love-is-one-of-the-greatest-mistakes-you-ll/) [Karina Halle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karina-halle/) > [If you dance, you dance because you have to. Every dancer hurts, you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunham/if-you-dance-you-dance-because-you-have-to-every-dancer-hurts-you-know/) [Katherine Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunham/) > [“Loving someone who does not love you back hurts, alot, i know. It is liking seeing these pair of shoes at the retail store…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomthandazo-tsembeni/loving-someone-who-does-not-love-you-back-hurts-alot-i-know-it-is/) [Nomthandazo Tsembeni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomthandazo-tsembeni/) > [You get those hunger pains. 'I am so hungry. We don't have any food. What are we going to eat?' Your stomach hurts. Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-mclemore/you-get-those-hunger-pains-i-am-so-hungry-we-don-t-have-any-food-what/) [Ben McLemore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-mclemore/) > [It hurts to fall in love with a friend. You keep on hiding your feelings, avoiding it as much as you can until you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-hurts-to-fall-in-love-with-a-friend-you-keep-on-hiding-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Why is racism still a conversation in 2020? We are all one. It hurts me. It upsets me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-van-aanholt/why-is-racism-still-a-conversation-in-2020-we-are-all-one-it-hurts-me/) [Patrick van Aanholt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-van-aanholt/) > [“I can’t be around you right now. It hurts too much, because I am so completely and desperately in love you, Tweet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-g-bailey/i-can-t-be-around-you-right-now-it-hurts-too-much-because-i-am-so/) [Alison G. Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-g-bailey/) > [“People have come, surpassed my soul and left. I have become hollow and the hollow space inside, hurts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aniket-more/people-have-come-surpassed-my-soul-and-left-i-have-become-hollow-and/) [Aniket More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aniket-more/) > [“I hugged my mom. “Is it supposed to hurt this much, mommy?” I asked. “My sweet Sloane,” she said. “True love hurts the worst.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/micalea-smeltzer/i-hugged-my-mom-is-it-supposed-to-hurt-this-much-mommy-i-asked-my/) [Micalea Smeltzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/micalea-smeltzer/) > [Feeling moved on but still hurts? 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