--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Pain is the great equalizer, the cure to…" description: "\"“Pain is the great equalizer, the cure to mental anguish, the antidote for a hopeful heart.”\" — David Estes" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/375/david-estes-16837_pain_pain-is-the-great-equalizer-the-cure-to_774388.jpg" --- # Pain is the great equalizer, the cure to mental anguish… ![“Pain is the great equalizer, the cure to mental anguish, the antidote for a hopeful heart.” quote by David Estes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/375/david-estes-16837_pain_pain-is-the-great-equalizer-the-cure-to_774388.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/375/david-estes-16837_pain_pain-is-the-great-equalizer-the-cure-to_774388.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/375/david-estes-16837_pain_pain-is-the-great-equalizer-the-cure-to_774388.jpg) > ““Pain is the great equalizer, the cure to mental anguish, the antidote for a hopeful heart.”” [David Estes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-estes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Pain levels all people equally and can transform suffering into a catalyst for hope and healing. **In simple terms:** Pain is universal and can inspire hope. Key Takeaway Use pain as a stepping stone to resilience. Themes resilience hope healing Mood reflective hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal loss - health crises - career setbacks - emotional struggles Key Concepts Transformation equalizer mental health Questions to Reflect On - What can you learn from your pain? - How can you turn suffering into hope? A Different Perspective Pain alone cannot guarantee recovery without support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) ## Related quotes > [Keep a light, hopeful heart. But expect the worst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/keep-a-light-hopeful-heart-but-expect-the-worst/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [I've got a cure for mental health issue. Spank your children more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-bannon/i-ve-got-a-cure-for-mental-health-issue-spank-your-children-more/) [Steve Bannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-bannon/) > [I do not know a better cure for mental illness than a book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/i-do-not-know-a-better-cure-for-mental-illness-than-a-book/) [Irving Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-stone/) > [Keep a light, hopeful heart. But íexpect the worst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babloo/keep-a-light-hopeful-heart-but-expect-the-worst-2/) [Babloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babloo/) > [Pain is a great teacher, but most of us would rather learn some other way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-james/pain-is-a-great-teacher-but-most-of-us-would-rather-learn-some-other/) [Jennifer James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-james/) > [“The pain had to be great enough for me to accept my reality, to hope that something different, and hopefully better, was out there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-e-rainey/the-pain-had-to-be-great-enough-for-me-to-accept-my-reality-to-hope/) [Sharon E. Rainey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-e-rainey/) > [The good face pain. But the great? They embrace it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/the-good-face-pain-but-the-great-they-embrace-it/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [“After the funeral Peter couldn’t find a way back out of himself—the pain became too great for him to move at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrik-backman/after-the-funeral-peter-couldn-t-find-a-way-back-out-of-himself-the/) [Fredrik Backman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrik-backman/) > [When the pain is great enough, we will let anyone be doctor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mignon-mclaughlin/when-the-pain-is-great-enough-we-will-let-anyone-be-doctor/) [Mignon McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mignon-mclaughlin/) > [The pain is not great. But the symbolism is disagreeable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/the-pain-is-not-great-but-the-symbolism-is-disagreeable/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [“the severe pain and the great trials we go through teach us the real essence of great joy”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/the-severe-pain-and-the-great-trials-we-go-through-teach-us-the-real/) [Ernest Agyemang Yeboah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/) > [“Touch pain with great curiosity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorie-graham/touch-pain-with-great-curiosity/) [Jorie Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorie-graham/) > [Me and pain had a great relationship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-bettis/me-and-pain-had-a-great-relationship/) [Jerome Bettis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-bettis/) > [Pain is the great teacher of mankind. Beneath its breath souls develop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/pain-is-the-great-teacher-of-mankind-beneath-its-breath-souls-develop/) [Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/) > [We may have pain, but not as great as His name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-grace/we-may-have-pain-but-not-as-great-as-his-name/) [Jamie Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-grace/) ## More by David Estes > [“There are some things more important than your own life. Like friendship, and love, and trust, and goodness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-estes/there-are-some-things-more-important-than-your-own-life-like/) [David Estes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-estes/) > [“Blaming yourself is like a curse eating you from within, a rogue virus, cancerous and poisonous. It will drive you mad if you let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-estes/blaming-yourself-is-like-a-curse-eating-you-from-within-a-rogue-virus/) [David Estes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-estes/) > [“He throws his hands up in a request for mercy, I'm not in the mood so I stab him in the heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-estes/he-throws-his-hands-up-in-a-request-for-mercy-i-m-not-in-the-mood-so/) [David Estes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-estes/) > [“...in the end, we all die. But we don't die equal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-estes/in-the-end-we-all-die-but-we-don-t-die-equal/) [David Estes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-estes/) > [“I don't particularly like confrontation. Unfortunately, confrontation seems to like me quite a lot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-estes/i-don-t-particularly-like-confrontation-unfortunately-confrontation/) [David Estes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-estes/) > [“As they say, with great power comes great responsibility.” “Are you screwin’ with me, man?” Taylor asked bluntly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-estes/as-they-say-with-great-power-comes-great-responsibility-are-you/) [David Estes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-estes/) > [“No. You’re wrong. It was something. It was a great thing. Our greatest moments are often unseen and unheard, but they are never unfelt.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-estes/no-you-re-wrong-it-was-something-it-was-a-great-thing-our-greatest/) [David Estes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-estes/) > [“This isn’t about redemption… This is about family.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-estes/this-isn-t-about-redemption-this-is-about-family/) [David Estes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-estes/) > [“If you'd have told me two weeks ago that one day I'd be part of a not-so-merry band of Necros seeking to exterminate a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-estes/if-you-d-have-told-me-two-weeks-ago-that-one-day-i-d-be-part-of-a-not/) [David Estes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-estes/) > [“I wonder what I'm really doing out here with a magic dog, a trigger-happy girl and her mute sister, and a trail of dead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-estes/i-wonder-what-i-m-really-doing-out-here-with-a-magic-dog-a-trigger/) [David Estes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-estes/) > [“You'll learn far more by listening than you ever will by speaking.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-estes/you-ll-learn-far-more-by-listening-than-you-ever-will-by-speaking/) [David Estes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-estes/) > [“My brain is telling me to stop staring at him, but for some reason I can't. It's almost... instinct... to keep on looking at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-estes/my-brain-is-telling-me-to-stop-staring-at-him-but-for-some-reason-i/) [David Estes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-estes/) > [“No beast of reality, or creature of imagination, is as terrible as mankind. Or as loving. It’s a contradiction. I’ve always liked contradictions. Today…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-estes/no-beast-of-reality-or-creature-of-imagination-is-as-terrible-as/) [David Estes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-estes/) > [“Sometimes it's best to hide in plain sight.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-estes/sometimes-it-s-best-to-hide-in-plain-sight/) [David Estes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-estes/) > [“opening to reveal toothless maws. He knocked their disease-weakened arms away and fought onward. When Roan reached the top of the human pyramid, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-estes/opening-to-reveal-toothless-maws-he-knocked-their-disease-weakened/) [David Estes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-estes/) [Explore all 38 David Estes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-estes/) ## 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 > [“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. 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/) > [“What is there, in the mention of Time To Come, that is so quick to wrench at the heart, to inflict a pain in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-llewellyn/what-is-there-in-the-mention-of-time-to-come-that-is-so-quick-to/) [Richard Llewellyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-llewellyn/) > [“Where there is doubt (shanka), there is misery. The moment one begins to doubt the knowledge that, 'I am Chandubhai,' misery arises. Once one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/where-there-is-doubt-shanka-there-is-misery-the-moment-one-begins-to/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [Stop trying to give me hope ... I have no room left for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenn-f/stop-trying-to-give-me-hope-i-have-no-room-left-for-it/) [Jenn F](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenn-f/) > [There's only so much for a man to take...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-gilchrist/there-s-only-so-much-for-a-man-to-take/) Kirsten Gilchrist > [Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding. Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that its heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/your-pain-is-the-breaking-of-the-shell-that-encloses-your/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) [Browse all 17,919 Pain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Pain is the great equalizer, the cure to mental anguish, the antidote for a hopeful heart.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Estes" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-estes/pain-is-the-great-equalizer-the-cure-to-mental-anguish-the-antidote/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Pain" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-estes/pain-is-the-great-equalizer-the-cure-to-mental-anguish-the-antidote/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/375/david-estes-16837_pain_pain-is-the-great-equalizer-the-cure-to_774388.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/375/david-estes-16837_pain_pain-is-the-great-equalizer-the-cure-to_774388.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/375/david-estes-16837_pain_pain-is-the-great-equalizer-the-cure-to_774388.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Pain is the great equalizer, the cure to mental anguish, the antidote for a hopeful heart.” — David Estes", "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": "David Estes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-estes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Pain is the great equalizer, the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-estes/pain-is-the-great-equalizer-the-cure-to-mental-anguish-the-antidote/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-estes/pain-is-the-great-equalizer-the-cure-to-mental-anguish-the-antidote/#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 } } ] } ```