--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The idea that damage has to be pain is…" description: "\"“The idea that damage has to be pain is mistaken. We feel pain because we have specific types of receptors called nociceptors which are programmed to r..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b47/daniel-chamovitz-34430_pain_the-idea-that-damage-has-to-be-pain-is-m_2720105.jpg" --- # The idea that damage has to be pain is mistaken. We feel… ![“The idea that damage has to be pain is mistaken. We feel pain because we have specific types of receptors called nociceptors which are programmed to respond to pain, not to touch. People can have genetic malfunctions where they feel pressure but never feel pain because they don't have pain…” quote by Daniel Chamovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b47/daniel-chamovitz-34430_pain_the-idea-that-damage-has-to-be-pain-is-m_2720105.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b47/daniel-chamovitz-34430_pain_the-idea-that-damage-has-to-be-pain-is-m_2720105.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b47/daniel-chamovitz-34430_pain_the-idea-that-damage-has-to-be-pain-is-m_2720105.jpg) > ““The idea that damage has to be pain is mistaken. We feel pain because we have specific types of receptors called nociceptors which are programmed to respond to pain, not to touch. People can have genetic malfunctions where they feel pressure but never feel pain because they don't have pain receptors.”” [Daniel Chamovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-chamovitz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Pain perception is a biological function, not a necessity for touch. **In simple terms:** Pain is a receptor response, not required for feeling. Key Takeaway Understand pain’s biological role. Themes biology pain perception genetics Mood scientific inquisitive Type educational informative When to use this quote - medical research - pain management - genetic studies Key Concepts neuroscience physiology Questions to Reflect On - How does pain protect us? - Can pain‑free living be safe? A Different Perspective Complex genetics can be oversimplified. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Called Nociceptors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/called-nociceptors-2875295/) [Damage Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/damage-pain-2875294/) [Feel Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-pain/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Pain Receptors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain-receptors-2119674/) [Plants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plants/) [Respond Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respond-pain-958149/) [Vegan-quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vegan-quotes/) [Veganism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/veganism/) ## Related quotes > [“Plants are not cognizant. When we cut a leaf, we assume that the plant is suffering. But that's our own anthropomorphism about what's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-chamovitz/plants-are-not-cognizant-when-we-cut-a-leaf-we-assume-that-the-plant/) [Daniel Chamovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-chamovitz/) > [“The pain receptors have evolved to make us care about injury and disease. Pain is an analog of injury in its inherent similarity. Contrast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sianne-ngai/the-pain-receptors-have-evolved-to-make-us-care-about-injury-and/) [Sianne Ngai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sianne-ngai/) > [“Vegans following a whole food diet had a borderline supply of vitamin B12. 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Differences in macronutrient intakes (protein, fat, carbohydrate, dietary fibre, sugars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ginter/vegetarians-and-especially-vegans-have-a-significantly-lower/) [Emil Ginter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ginter/) > [“Your perception of meat being nice is blurred by the likely fact that you are excluded from participating in, or even witnessing the untimely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mango-wodzak/your-perception-of-meat-being-nice-is-blurred-by-the-likely-fact-that/) [Mango Wodzak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mango-wodzak/) > [“It’s hard to imagine calling the dairy industry anything but “inhumane” when you consider that on dairy farms, cows are artificially inseminated and forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mimi-bekhechi/it-s-hard-to-imagine-calling-the-dairy-industry-anything-but-inhumane/) [Mimi Bekhechi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mimi-bekhechi/) > [“Baby rats need rat milk, baby cats need cat milk, baby dogs need dog milk, baby humans need human milk, baby cows need cow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mango-wodzak/baby-rats-need-rat-milk-baby-cats-need-cat-milk-baby-dogs-need-dog/) [Mango Wodzak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mango-wodzak/) > [“We can eat meat, it tastes good, but it’s very costly considering the land we have to use to produce the plants needed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sven-erik-jacobsen/we-can-eat-meat-it-tastes-good-but-it-s-very-costly-considering-the/) [Sven-Erik Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sven-erik-jacobsen/) > [“Speak to meat eaters the way you would speak to a wild animal: softly and without any sudden movements.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-j-adams/speak-to-meat-eaters-the-way-you-would-speak-to-a-wild-animal-softly/) [Carol J. Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-j-adams/) > [“The main finding was that vegan and lacto-ovo vegetarian diets were associated with a nearly one-half reduction in risk of type 2 diabetes compared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serena-tonstad/the-main-finding-was-that-vegan-and-lacto-ovo-vegetarian-diets-were/) [Serena Tonstad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serena-tonstad/) > [“Giving up flesh foods may help cure arthritis. This has become evident from a widely acclaimed study conducted in 1991 by Norwegian researchers. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-k-bakhru/giving-up-flesh-foods-may-help-cure-arthritis-this-has-become-evident/) [H.K. Bakhru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-k-bakhru/) > [“All children should be encouraged to love and respect animals.. Not turn a blind eye to their suffering and stab forks into their dead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mango-wodzak/all-children-should-be-encouraged-to-love-and-respect-animals-not/) [Mango Wodzak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mango-wodzak/) > [“Non-meat eaters, especially vegans, have a lower prevalence of hypertension and lower systolic and diastolic blood pressures than meat eaters, largely because of differences…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-appleby/non-meat-eaters-especially-vegans-have-a-lower-prevalence-of/) [Paul Appleby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-appleby/) > [“Organic production has a particular challenge since the ideology of organic production and the expectations from consumers include that the food is produced in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigrid-agen-s/organic-production-has-a-particular-challenge-since-the-ideology-of/) [Sigrid Agenäs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigrid-agen-s/) ## More by Daniel Chamovitz > [“In his phototropism experiment, he showed that the tip of a shoot sees the light and transfers this information to its midsection to tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-chamovitz/in-his-phototropism-experiment-he-showed-that-the-tip-of-a-shoot-sees/) [Daniel Chamovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-chamovitz/) > [“A recent (and provocative) study in Science showed that men who simply sniffed negative-emotion-related odorless tears obtained from women showed reduced levels of testosterone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-chamovitz/a-recent-and-provocative-study-in-science-showed-that-men-who-simply/) [Daniel Chamovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-chamovitz/) > [“Plants are not cognizant. When we cut a leaf, we assume that the plant is suffering. But that's our own anthropomorphism about what's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-chamovitz/plants-are-not-cognizant-when-we-cut-a-leaf-we-assume-that-the-plant/) [Daniel Chamovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-chamovitz/) > [“Darwin found that all plants move in a recurring spiral oscillation, which he termed "circumnutation" (Latin for "circle" or "sway"). This spiral pattern varies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-chamovitz/darwin-found-that-all-plants-move-in-a-recurring-spiral-oscillation/) [Daniel Chamovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-chamovitz/) > [“They compared the compounds emitted by leaves following bacterial infection with those emitted following an insect feeding. Both treatments resulted in the expression of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-chamovitz/they-compared-the-compounds-emitted-by-leaves-following-bacterial/) [Daniel Chamovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-chamovitz/) > [“A plant can be pulled in many directions at once. Sunlight hitting a plant at an angle caises it to bend toward the rays,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-chamovitz/a-plant-can-be-pulled-in-many-directions-at-once-sunlight-hitting-a/) [Daniel Chamovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-chamovitz/) > [“Flying halfway around the world puts our circadian clock out of sync with the day-night signals, a phenomenon we call jet lag. The circadian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-chamovitz/flying-halfway-around-the-world-puts-our-circadian-clock-out-of-sync/) [Daniel Chamovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-chamovitz/) > [“In 1924, Frank E. Denny, a scientist from the US Department of Agriculture in Los Angeles, demonstrated that kerosene smoke contains minute amounts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-chamovitz/in-1924-frank-e-denny-a-scientist-from-the-us-department-of/) [Daniel Chamovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-chamovitz/) > [“Plants are acutely aware of the world around them. They are aware of their visual environment; they differentiate between red, blue, far red, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-chamovitz/plants-are-acutely-aware-of-the-world-around-them-they-are-aware-of/) [Daniel Chamovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-chamovitz/) > [“While the mechanisms involved in electrochemical signaling are complex, the basic principles are simple. Just as a battery maintains its charge by housing different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-chamovitz/while-the-mechanisms-involved-in-electrochemical-signaling-are/) [Daniel Chamovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-chamovitz/) > [“These weightless plants were placed on a large rotating centrifuge that mimicked gravitation, much as Knight's waterwheel had years and years earlier. The plants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-chamovitz/these-weightless-plants-were-placed-on-a-large-rotating-centrifuge/) [Daniel Chamovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-chamovitz/) > [“My grandmother didn’t study plant biology or agriculture. She didn’t even finish high school. But she knew that she could get a hard avocado…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-chamovitz/my-grandmother-didn-t-study-plant-biology-or-agriculture-she-didn-t/) [Daniel Chamovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-chamovitz/) > [“With his makeshift centrifuge, Knight had applied a force on the seedlings that mimicked gravitation and demonstrated that the roots always grew in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-chamovitz/with-his-makeshift-centrifuge-knight-had-applied-a-force-on-the/) [Daniel Chamovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-chamovitz/) [Explore all 14 Daniel Chamovitz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-chamovitz/) ## More Pain quotes > [Pain is meant to wake us up. People try to hide their pain. But they're wrong. Pain is something to carry, like a radio.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-morrison/pain-is-meant-to-wake-us-up-people-try-to-hide-their-pain-but-they-re/) [Jim Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-morrison/) > [“If I let myself think of it the pain and anger were still fresh, adrenalin racing down my limbs to pool, hot and itchy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kylie-ladd/if-i-let-myself-think-of-it-the-pain-and-anger-were-still-fresh/) [Kylie Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kylie-ladd/) > [“I locked the door and turned on the water to fill the tub. I made it so hot that I had to get in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-crandall/i-locked-the-door-and-turned-on-the-water-to-fill-the-tub-i-made-it/) [Susan Crandall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-crandall/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I want people to hear my lyrics and my melodies and say, 'That dude's in pain.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-moody/i-want-people-to-hear-my-lyrics-and-my-melodies-and-say-that-dude-s/) [Ivan Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-moody/) > [A poet is wounded into speech, and he examines these wounds, meticulously, to discover how to heal them. The bad poet harangues at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/a-poet-is-wounded-into-speech-and-he-examines-these-wounds/) [Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/) > [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/) > [Tryna hide this pain with these pain killers, she said the storms only will last a little while but shit it got me feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myself/tryna-hide-this-pain-with-these-pain-killers-she-said-the-storms-only/) [Myself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myself/) > [“do not misunderstand person by beauty You really do not know its real or Mask on dirty thoughts”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-zaki-ansari/do-not-misunderstand-person-by-beauty-you-really-do-not-know-its-real/) [Mohammed Zaki Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-zaki-ansari/) > [Many Republicans have always reminded me of professional WWF wrestlers. 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