--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Most of our suffering comes from…" description: "\"Most of our suffering comes from resisting what is already here, particularly our feelings. All any feeling wants is to be welcomed, touched, allowed. ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/120/geneen-roth-3050_attention_most-of-our-suffering-comes-from-resisti_23008.jpg" --- # Most of our suffering comes from resisting what is already… ![“Most of our suffering comes from resisting what is already here, particularly our feelings. All any feeling wants is to be welcomed, touched, allowed. It wants attention. It wants kindness. If you treated your feelings with as much love as you treated your dog or your cat or your child, you'd feel…” quote by Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/120/geneen-roth-3050_attention_most-of-our-suffering-comes-from-resisti_23008.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/120/geneen-roth-3050_attention_most-of-our-suffering-comes-from-resisti_23008.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/120/geneen-roth-3050_attention_most-of-our-suffering-comes-from-resisti_23008.jpg) > “Most of our suffering comes from resisting what is already here, particularly our feelings. All any feeling wants is to be welcomed, touched, allowed. It wants attention. It wants kindness. If you treated your feelings with as much love as you treated your dog or your cat or your child, you'd feel as if you were living in heaven every day of your sweet life.” [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Suffering stems from rejecting present emotions; embracing them with compassion transforms experience into peace. **In simple terms:** Accept feelings with love. Key Takeaway Compassionate acceptance eases pain. Themes mindfulness self‑compassion emotional awareness acceptance inner peace Mood calm hopeful Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - when anxiety spikes - during grief - in daily stress - while feeling lonely Key Concepts resistance attention kindness healing Practical Applications - mind‑body therapy - self‑care routines Questions to Reflect On - How might your life change if you greeted each feeling as a friend? - What practices can help you respond with kindness instead of resistance? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Cat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cat/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Dog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dog/) [Every day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-day/) [Feeling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Heaven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heaven/) [Kindness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kindness/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Our children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-children/) [Particularly Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/particularly-feelings-403114/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Sweet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sweet/) [Sweet life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sweet-life/) [Treated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/treated/) [Treated Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/treated-feelings-403113/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Your children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/your-children/) ## Related quotes > [It's delicious to have people adore you, but it's exhausting, too. Particularly when your own feelings don't match theirs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tasha-alexander/it-s-delicious-to-have-people-adore-you-but-it-s-exhausting-too/) [Tasha Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tasha-alexander/) > [If you treat your feelings with as much love as you treat your dog or your cat or your child you'll feel as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/if-you-treat-your-feelings-with-as-much-love-as-you-treat-your-dog-or/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [If you want to do something for your children and show how much you love them, the single best thing-by far-is to support organizations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bloomberg/if-you-want-to-do-something-for-your-children-and-show-how-much-you/) [Michael Bloomberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bloomberg/) > [Your words, your schedule, your choices, your obedience, the way you savor your victories and the way you swallow your defeats all help to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-kimmel/your-words-your-schedule-your-choices-your-obedience-the-way-you/) [Tim Kimmel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-kimmel/) > [It was just this interesting, my first, the first time you hear your child in any way criticize you. It's the worst review of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tea-leoni/it-was-just-this-interesting-my-first-the-first-time-you-hear-your/) [Tea Leoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tea-leoni/) > [This is one country. It has become one country because all of us and all the people who came here had an equal chance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/this-is-one-country-it-has-become-one-country-because-all-of-us-and/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [You want your children to be safe. You want your families to be safe. We know that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kasich/you-want-your-children-to-be-safe-you-want-your-families-to-be-safe/) [John Kasich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kasich/) > [You never want to have to give your child bad news of any kind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/you-never-want-to-have-to-give-your-child-bad-news-of-any-kind/) [Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/) > [Whatever discipline you exercise should be based on the goal your child is eventually to reach, namely, freedom and happiness. I would show him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/whatever-discipline-you-exercise-should-be-based-on-the-goal-your/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [Write: write letters. Keep journals. Besides your children, there is no surer way of achieving immortality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-burns/write-write-letters-keep-journals-besides-your-children-there-is-no/) [Ken Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-burns/) > [While your children are sleeping, your puppy is crappin'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-zappa/while-your-children-are-sleeping-your-puppy-is-crappin/) [Frank Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-zappa/) > [I can't imagine why you would want to take your child to see what the career of a writer is like, because it mostly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/i-can-t-imagine-why-you-would-want-to-take-your-child-to-see-what-the/) [Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/) > [I learned a lot from my Mom. My favorite lesson: remember there is no such thing as a certain way to parent and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/regina-king/i-learned-a-lot-from-my-mom-my-favorite-lesson-remember-there-is-no/) [Regina King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/regina-king/) > [Our obsession with material things and lack of self-worth is evident in our need for an abundance of momentary luxuries and must-have amenities that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-i/our-obsession-with-material-things-and-lack-of-self-worth-is-evident/) [T.I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-i/) > [I would have done well as a gypsy child, I think. A circus baby. I coulda played a great street urchin or ragamuffin. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-lyonne/i-would-have-done-well-as-a-gypsy-child-i-think-a-circus-baby-i/) [Natasha Lyonne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-lyonne/) ## More by Geneen Roth > [For some reason, we are truly convinced that if we criticize ourselves, the criticism will lead to change. If we are harsh, we believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/for-some-reason-we-are-truly-convinced-that-if-we-criticize-ourselves/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [“Most of us are so enthralled with the scary tigers in our minds--our stories of loneliness, rejection, grief--that we don't realize they are in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/most-of-us-are-so-enthralled-with-the-scary-tigers-in-our-minds-our/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [The relentless attempts to be thin take you further and further away from what could actually end your suffering: getting back in touch with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/the-relentless-attempts-to-be-thin-take-you-further-and-further-away/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [I tell my retreat students that they need to remember two things: to eat what they want when they're hungry and to feel what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/i-tell-my-retreat-students-that-they-need-to-remember-two-things-to/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [After initial needs are met—enough food, shelter, comfort—there is no correlation between money and happiness. That's a difficult thing for people to believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/after-initial-needs-are-met-enough-food-shelter-comfort-there-is-no/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [“When you ignore your belly, you become homeless. You spend your life trying to erase your own existence. Apologizing for yourself. Feeling like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/when-you-ignore-your-belly-you-become-homeless-you-spend-your-life/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [“People often mistake tenderheartedness for indulgence, as if being kind to themselves leads to lethargy—sitting around the house all day eating bonbons and wearing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/people-often-mistake-tenderheartedness-for-indulgence-as-if-being/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [If you pay attention to when you are hungry, what your body wants, what you are eating, when you've had enough, you end the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/if-you-pay-attention-to-when-you-are-hungry-what-your-body-wants-what/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [“Pay careful attention to the bodily sensations that you recognize as hunger. When you feel yourself starting to get hungry, sit down for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/pay-careful-attention-to-the-bodily-sensations-that-you-recognize-as/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [The purpose of healing is to live while you are alive instead of dying while you are alive. Healing is about being broken and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/the-purpose-of-healing-is-to-live-while-you-are-alive-instead-of/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [“But replacing hunger for divine connection with Double Stuf Oreos is like giving a glass of sand to a person dying of thirst. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/but-replacing-hunger-for-divine-connection-with-double-stuf-oreos-is/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [I live between fearing doom and wishing for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/i-live-between-fearing-doom-and-wishing-for-it/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [Imagine treating yourself with the kindness that you show people you love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/imagine-treating-yourself-with-the-kindness-that-you-show-people-you/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [“When you are not hungry and decide to eat, choose a food that you ate that day when you were hungry. Be aware of:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/when-you-are-not-hungry-and-decide-to-eat-choose-a-food-that-you-ate/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [You can rescue yourself. No matter how you feel, no matter what you believe about your worth or your capacity to love and be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/you-can-rescue-yourself-no-matter-how-you-feel-no-matter-what-you/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) [Explore all 141 Geneen Roth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) ## More Attention quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [What people don't normally know about us is the hustle is very real, and it's sorely driven a lot by how we consider ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lzzy-hale/what-people-don-t-normally-know-about-us-is-the-hustle-is-very-real/) [Lzzy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lzzy-hale/) > [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/) [Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray. Thanksgiving will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-murray/let-us-thank-god-heartily-as-often-as-we-pray-that-we-have-his-spirit/) [Andy Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-murray/) > [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [We must have a welfare system that we can afford, which will mean giving greater attention to directing the welfare program toward its primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/we-must-have-a-welfare-system-that-we-can-afford-which-will-mean/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) > [The director's job should give you a sense of music without drawing attention to itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/the-director-s-job-should-give-you-a-sense-of-music-without-drawing/) [Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/) [Browse all 10,153 Attention quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Most of our suffering comes from resisting what is already here, particularly our feelings. All any feeling wants is to be welcomed, touched, allowed. It wants attention. It wants kindness. If you treated your feelings with as much love as you treated your dog or your cat or your child, you'd feel as if you were living in heaven every day of your sweet life.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Geneen Roth" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/most-of-our-suffering-comes-from-resisting-what-is-already-here/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Attention" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/most-of-our-suffering-comes-from-resisting-what-is-already-here/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/120/geneen-roth-3050_attention_most-of-our-suffering-comes-from-resisti_23008.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/120/geneen-roth-3050_attention_most-of-our-suffering-comes-from-resisti_23008.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/120/geneen-roth-3050_attention_most-of-our-suffering-comes-from-resisti_23008.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Most of our suffering comes from resisting what is already here, particularly our feelings. All any feeling…” — Geneen Roth", "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": "Geneen Roth", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Most of our suffering comes from...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/most-of-our-suffering-comes-from-resisting-what-is-already-here/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/most-of-our-suffering-comes-from-resisting-what-is-already-here/#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 } } ] } ```