--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Pain can be endured and defeated only if…" description: "\"Pain can be endured and defeated only if it is embraced. Denied or feared, it grows in perception if not in reality. The best response to terror is rig..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c0/dean-koontz-118_confidence_pain-can-be-endured-and-defeated-only-if_1326263.jpg" --- # Pain can be endured and defeated only if it is embraced… ![“Pain can be endured and defeated only if it is embraced. Denied or feared, it grows in perception if not in reality. The best response to terror is righteous anger, confidence in ultimate justice, a refusal to be intimidated.” quote by Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c0/dean-koontz-118_confidence_pain-can-be-endured-and-defeated-only-if_1326263.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c0/dean-koontz-118_confidence_pain-can-be-endured-and-defeated-only-if_1326263.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c0/dean-koontz-118_confidence_pain-can-be-endured-and-defeated-only-if_1326263.jpg) > “Pain can be endured and defeated only if it is embraced. Denied or feared, it grows in perception if not in reality. The best response to terror is righteous anger, confidence in ultimate justice, a refusal to be intimidated.” [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) ## 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 reduces its power; confronting fear transforms it into purposeful action. **In simple terms:** Embrace pain to weaken it. Key Takeaway Confront pain, act with confidence. Themes courage resilience justice Mood determined empowering Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - therapy sessions - personal crises - conflict resolution - activism Key Concepts psychology emotional regulation ethical response Questions to Reflect On - How can you turn fear into constructive energy? - What justice does righteous anger serve? A Different Perspective If pain is ignored, it may intensify mentally. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidence/) [Intimidated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intimidated/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Perception](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perception/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Righteous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/righteous/) [Righteous anger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/righteous-anger/) ## Related quotes > [Pain can be endured and defeated only if it is embraced. Denied or feared, it grows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/pain-can-be-endured-and-defeated-only-if-it-is-embraced-denied-or/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“It is important to refuse to be intimidated. That refusal must not be based simply on a calculation of the odds of succeeding. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-c-salter-2/it-is-important-to-refuse-to-be-intimidated-that-refusal-must-not-be/) Anna C. Salter > [“(T)he political response to terror must always be to increase and to promote freedom. The battle is truly for hearts and minds and should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-malins/t-he-political-response-to-terror-must-always-be-to-increase-and-to/) Julian Malins > [“Always as lovely as any woman in any magazine, as any TV star of whom millions were enamored, she had lately looked thin and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/always-as-lovely-as-any-woman-in-any-magazine-as-any-tv-star-of-whom/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [Sometimes it seemed that the human heart, this side of Eden, feared life more than death, light more than darkness, freedom more than surrender.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/sometimes-it-seemed-that-the-human-heart-this-side-of-eden-feared/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [For one pain endured with joy, we shall love the good God more forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/therese-of-lisieux/for-one-pain-endured-with-joy-we-shall-love-the-good-god-more-forever/) [Therese of Lisieux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/therese-of-lisieux/) > [“He saved up her pain, counted it like currency and the more pain she endured, the more pleasure she could buy with it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffany-reisz/he-saved-up-her-pain-counted-it-like-currency-and-the-more-pain-she/) [Tiffany Reisz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffany-reisz/) > ['When I look back on my life , I can see the pain, I have endured, the mistakes I have made and the hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-i-look-back-on-my-life-i-can-see-the-pain-i-have-endured-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I have felt pain, I have endured hardship, I have suffered loss of loved ones and I have memories I want to forget. However,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-have-felt-pain-i-have-endured-hardship-i-have-suffered-loss-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Good pain is pain in the service of a purpose. Bad pain is pain endured because we are resisting a needed growth step.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-cloud/good-pain-is-pain-in-the-service-of-a-purpose-bad-pain-is-pain/) [Henry Cloud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-cloud/) > [When the course of experience made me see that there is no saviour and no special grace, no remission beyond the human, that pain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/when-the-course-of-experience-made-me-see-that-there-is-no-saviour/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [The pride in finishing a marathon is much greater than all the pain endured during the marathon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-higdon/the-pride-in-finishing-a-marathon-is-much-greater-than-all-the-pain/) [Hal Higdon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-higdon/) > [Sometimes I wonder if we don't see Christ's love as much in the people he tolerated as in the pain he endured.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/sometimes-i-wonder-if-we-don-t-see-christ-s-love-as-much-in-the/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [...What torments of pain have you endured that haven't as yet arrived? and may never!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/what-torments-of-pain-have-you-endured-that-haven-t-as-yet-arrived/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Pain is to be endured. It ends or it does not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/pain-is-to-be-endured-it-ends-or-it-does-not/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) ## More by Dean Koontz > [“This kind of derangement is emblematic of humankind. Grave faults are said to be only eccentricities, and imperfections are routinely celebrated as mere differences…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/this-kind-of-derangement-is-emblematic-of-humankind-grave-faults-are/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“He often remembered his dad's admonition that envy was mental theft. If you coveted another man's possessions, Dad said, then you should be willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/he-often-remembered-his-dad-s-admonition-that-envy-was-mental-theft/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [But victimhood was seductive, a release from responsibility and caring. Fear would be transmuted into weary resignation; failure would no longer generate guilt but,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/but-victimhood-was-seductive-a-release-from-responsibility-and-caring/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [What really holds their marriage together are mutual respect of an awesome depth, a shared sense of humor, faith that they were brought together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/what-really-holds-their-marriage-together-are-mutual-respect-of-an/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Her mother said that three great powers kept the universe going. The first and the strongest was God. Each of the two additional powers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/her-mother-said-that-three-great-powers-kept-the-universe-going-the/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“I stopped keeping an eye out for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve because, when I was five, my mother told me that Santa was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/i-stopped-keeping-an-eye-out-for-santa-claus-on-christmas-eve-because/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“To one degree or another, I have been happy most of my life, in part because the world has infinite charms if you wish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/to-one-degree-or-another-i-have-been-happy-most-of-my-life-in-part/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“This life is just a bootcamp, to test and toughen us, to prepare us for the next life of service in some great adventure.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/this-life-is-just-a-bootcamp-to-test-and-toughen-us-to-prepare-us-for/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“A madman should have a madman’s laugh, not the warm chuckle of a favorite uncle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/a-madman-should-have-a-madman-s-laugh-not-the-warm-chuckle-of-a/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“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/) > [“Nothing is predetermined for us, and yet all our possible choices are threads in the vast weave of things, so that we have free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/nothing-is-predetermined-for-us-and-yet-all-our-possible-choices-are/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“In fact, time teaches us that the musical score of life oscillates between that of Psycho and that of The Sound of Music, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/in-fact-time-teaches-us-that-the-musical-score-of-life-oscillates/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Some will accuse me of being judgmental. Thank you. And proud of it. You wreck a kid's life, I have no pity for you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/some-will-accuse-me-of-being-judgmental-thank-you-and-proud-of-it-you/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Waiting is one of the things that humans beings cannot do well, though it is one of the essential things we must do successfully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/waiting-is-one-of-the-things-that-humans-beings-cannot-do-well-though/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Dogs know we need to give affection as much as they need to receive it. They were the first therapists; they've been in practice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/dogs-know-we-need-to-give-affection-as-much-as-they-need-to-receive/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) [Explore all 1,233 Dean Koontz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) ## More Confidence quotes > [The CIA has concluded in a secret assessment that Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win the presidency rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/the-cia-has-concluded-in-a-secret-assessment-that-russia-intervened/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [I was just confident my work was good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bunny-yeager/i-was-just-confident-my-work-was-good/) [Bunny Yeager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bunny-yeager/) > [I am confident when I take the penalty otherwise I would pass for somebody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-fernandes/i-am-confident-when-i-take-the-penalty-otherwise-i-would-pass-for/) [Bruno Fernandes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-fernandes/) > [I started out dancing on a reality TV show, but always with the intention of making my way over to film. I transitioned into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-hough/i-started-out-dancing-on-a-reality-tv-show-but-always-with-the/) [Julianne Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-hough/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [My friend made me a leather dress for the MTV awards. It gives you confidence, wearing something you love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-deeley/my-friend-made-me-a-leather-dress-for-the-mtv-awards-it-gives-you/) [Cat Deeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-deeley/) > [Confidence comes from cutting yourself some slack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-daly/confidence-comes-from-cutting-yourself-some-slack/) [Tess Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-daly/) > [I would rather regret the things that I have done than the things that I have not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucille-ball/i-would-rather-regret-the-things-that-i-have-done-than-the-things/) [Lucille Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucille-ball/) > [You want to remain hungry and stay in a good place as a competitor; at the same time, you want to be confident but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamar-odom/you-want-to-remain-hungry-and-stay-in-a-good-place-as-a-competitor-at/) [Lamar Odom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamar-odom/) > [Get to know yourself well enough to not only expect, but also control, your response to the unexpected challenges in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/get-to-know-yourself-well-enough-to-not-only-expect-but-also-control/) Senoraroy > [The four Cs of making dreams come true: Curiosity, Courage, Consistency, Confidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/the-four-cs-of-making-dreams-come-true-curiosity-courage-consistency/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [I look for someone who has confidence. Also someone whose energetic, cause I'm NOT that energetic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-jonas/i-look-for-someone-who-has-confidence-also-someone-whose-energetic/) [Nick Jonas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-jonas/) > [Why shouldn't I be confident? I'm well educated, I can deliver a line, and I have more than three expressions. That's good right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonakshi-sinha/why-shouldn-t-i-be-confident-i-m-well-educated-i-can-deliver-a-line/) [Sonakshi Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonakshi-sinha/) > [I was very confident on the stage, and I stood out in a red gown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-johnson/i-was-very-confident-on-the-stage-and-i-stood-out-in-a-red-gown/) [Nicole Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-johnson/) > [If you go to any nunnery and ask them what the main obstacle is, they'll always say low self-esteem and lack of confidence. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/if-you-go-to-any-nunnery-and-ask-them-what-the-main-obstacle-is-they/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) [Browse all 11,290 Confidence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Pain can be endured and defeated only if it is embraced. Denied or feared, it grows in perception if not in reality. 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