--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is impossible – now, at this point in…" description: "\"It is impossible – now, at this point in the long journey of human culture – to avoid the sense that pain is necessity; that it is neither accident, no..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/562/howard-barker-28866_accidents_it-is-impossible-now-at-this-point-in-th_398460.png" --- # It is impossible – now, at this point in the long journey… ![“It is impossible – now, at this point in the long journey of human culture – to avoid the sense that pain is necessity; that it is neither accident, nor malformation, nor malice, nor misunderstanding, that it is integral to the human character both in its inflicting and in its suffering, this…” quote by Howard Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/562/howard-barker-28866_accidents_it-is-impossible-now-at-this-point-in-th_398460.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/562/howard-barker-28866_accidents_it-is-impossible-now-at-this-point-in-th_398460.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/562/howard-barker-28866_accidents_it-is-impossible-now-at-this-point-in-th_398460.png) > “It is impossible – now, at this point in the long journey of human culture – to avoid the sense that pain is necessity; that it is neither accident, nor malformation, nor malice, nor misunderstanding, that it is integral to the human character both in its inflicting and in its suffering, this terrible sense Tragedy alone has articulated, and will continue to articulate, and in so doing, make beautiful…” [Howard Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-barker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Pain is portrayed as an essential, inevitable part of human existence that shapes character and art. **In simple terms:** Pain is essential to humanity. Key Takeaway Embrace pain as a source of growth. Themes human nature art suffering meaning beauty Mood reflective somber Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - creative writing - personal reflection - counseling - therapy - art criticism Key Concepts existentialism tragic beauty psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does acknowledging pain change your view of self? - Can suffering inspire creation? A Different Perspective Pain can be overwhelming and may lead to despair if not processed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accidents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accidents/) [Beautiful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Journey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journey/) [Long journey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-journey/) [Malice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/malice/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Tragedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tragedy/) ## Related quotes > [Because I show you my pain, I do not of necessity love you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/because-i-show-you-my-pain-i-do-not-of-necessity-love-you/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [We are kept keen on the grindstone of pain and necessity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-are-kept-keen-on-the-grindstone-of-pain-and-necessity/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ “The question of desirable grief and pain or the necessity for it must also be faced. \[Are\] growth and self-fulfillment possible at all without… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-h-maslow/the-question-of-desirable-grief-and-pain-or-the-necessity-for-it-must/) [Abraham H. Maslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-h-maslow/) > [“Why do we insist on inflicting more suffering on a world that is already fraught with it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/why-do-we-insist-on-inflicting-more-suffering-on-a-world-that-is/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [For at the same time many people seem eager to extend the circle of our moral consideration to animals, in our factory farms and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/for-at-the-same-time-many-people-seem-eager-to-extend-the-circle-of/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [Something terrible has happened to the soul of the Republican Party. We've gone from bad economic doctrine. We've even gone beyond selfishness and special…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/something-terrible-has-happened-to-the-soul-of-the-republican-party/) [Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/) > [“Nothing a man suffers will prevent him from inflicting suffering on others. Indeed, it will teach him the way”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-unsworth/nothing-a-man-suffers-will-prevent-him-from-inflicting-suffering-on/) [Barry Unsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-unsworth/) > [They call war an art, but it isn't. It largely consists in outwitting people, robbing widows and orphans, and inflicting suffering on the helpless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-roberts/they-call-war-an-art-but-it-isn-t-it-largely-consists-in-outwitting/) [Kenneth Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-roberts/) > [ “\[..\] it has remained for man alone among all creatures to kill senselessly and wantonly for the mere pleasure of inflicting suffering and death.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/it-has-remained-for-man-alone-among-all-creatures-to-kill-senselessly/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) > [I don't think it's possible to have a sense of tragedy without having a sense of humor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-don-t-think-it-s-possible-to-have-a-sense-of-tragedy-without-having/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [In the midst of the sense of tragedy or loss, sometimes laughter is not only healing, it's a way of experiencing the person that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/in-the-midst-of-the-sense-of-tragedy-or-loss-sometimes-laughter-is/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [There's always a sense of tragedy with icons. It happened to both the Princess of Wales and Diana Dors. A lot of people had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keeley-hawes/there-s-always-a-sense-of-tragedy-with-icons-it-happened-to-both-the/) [Keeley Hawes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keeley-hawes/) > [“Writing this, he had reached the pit of despair and he thought that reading it, she would at least begin to sense his tragedy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/writing-this-he-had-reached-the-pit-of-despair-and-he-thought-that/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [The sense of tragedy is that the world is not a pleasant little nest made for our protection, but a vast and largely hostile…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norbert-wiener/the-sense-of-tragedy-is-that-the-world-is-not-a-pleasant-little-nest/) [Norbert Wiener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norbert-wiener/) > [The sense of tragedy - according to Aristotle - comes, ironically enough, not from the protagonist's weak points but from his good qualities. Do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-sense-of-tragedy-according-to-aristotle-comes-ironically-enough/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) ## More by Howard Barker > [“I wish I were not sensual... I wish I had not got from my mother, or my father was it, this need to grasp…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-barker/i-wish-i-were-not-sensual-i-wish-i-had-not-got-from-my-mother-or-my/) [Howard Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-barker/) > [I'm not interested in observed reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-barker/i-m-not-interested-in-observed-reality/) [Howard Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-barker/) > [I don't like sympathetic characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-barker/i-don-t-like-sympathetic-characters/) [Howard Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-barker/) > [When I write, I am not giving a lecture, I am speculating on behavior. Sometimes this is dangerous, but it should be. As I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-barker/when-i-write-i-am-not-giving-a-lecture-i-am-speculating-on-behavior/) [Howard Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-barker/) > [I am so far as I am aware not at all influenced by dramatists, expect for Shakespeare, who I have to say, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-barker/i-am-so-far-as-i-am-aware-not-at-all-influenced-by-dramatists-expect/) [Howard Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-barker/) > [“It's time we started taking our audiences more seriously, and stop telling them stories they can understand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-barker/it-s-time-we-started-taking-our-audiences-more-seriously-and-stop/) [Howard Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-barker/) > [I'm not interested in entertainment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-barker/i-m-not-interested-in-entertainment/) [Howard Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-barker/) > [I’ve often taken important classical, biblical or literary stories and interrogated them. I have tried to reinvigorate Lot by interpreting it differently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-barker/i-ve-often-taken-important-classical-biblical-or-literary-stories-and/) [Howard Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-barker/) > [I submit all my plays to the National Theatre for rejection. To assure myself I am seeing clearly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-barker/i-submit-all-my-plays-to-the-national-theatre-for-rejection-to-assure/) [Howard Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-barker/) > [I believe in poetic discourse, in the value of speech in a non-naturalistic way; it's speculative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-barker/i-believe-in-poetic-discourse-in-the-value-of-speech-in-a-non/) [Howard Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-barker/) > [A good play puts the audience through a certain ordeal,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-barker/a-good-play-puts-the-audience-through-a-certain-ordeal/) [Howard Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-barker/) > [Theatre should be a taxing experience: the greatest achievement of a writer is to produce a character who creates anxiety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-barker/theatre-should-be-a-taxing-experience-the-greatest-achievement-of-a/) [Howard Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-barker/) > [I have plenty of political views and plenty of social and personal prejudices. I do not, however, value them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-barker/i-have-plenty-of-political-views-and-plenty-of-social-and-personal/) [Howard Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-barker/) > [Tragedy is the greatest art form of all. It gives us the courage to continue with our life by exposing us to the pain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-barker/tragedy-is-the-greatest-art-form-of-all-it-gives-us-the-courage-to/) [Howard Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-barker/) > [The artist who makes himself accessible is self-destructive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-barker/the-artist-who-makes-himself-accessible-is-self-destructive/) [Howard Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-barker/) [Explore all 19 Howard Barker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-barker/) ## More Accidents quotes > [Almost all accidents take place because of human distraction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-thrun/almost-all-accidents-take-place-because-of-human-distraction/) [Sebastian Thrun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-thrun/) > [It was no accident, no coincidence, that the seasons came round and round year after year. It was the Lord speaking to us all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-rivers/it-was-no-accident-no-coincidence-that-the-seasons-came-round-and/) [Francine Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-rivers/) > [No, I think most astronauts recognize that the space shuttle program is very high-risk, and are prepared for accidents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-ride/no-i-think-most-astronauts-recognize-that-the-space-shuttle-program/) [Sally Ride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-ride/) > [In presenting a mathematical argument the great thing is to give the educated reader the chance to catch on at once to the momentary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edensor-littlewood/in-presenting-a-mathematical-argument-the-great-thing-is-to-give-the/) [John Edensor Littlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edensor-littlewood/) > [The only way to have a funeral is to invite everyone who ever knew the person and just wait for the accident to happen-somebody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/the-only-way-to-have-a-funeral-is-to-invite-everyone-who-ever-knew/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [Good films are not made by accident, nor is good photography. You can have good things happen, on occasion, by accident that can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-willis/good-films-are-not-made-by-accident-nor-is-good-photography-you-can/) [Gordon Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-willis/) > [By education I am an Englishman, by views an internationalist, by culture a Muslim and a Hindu only by accident of birth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jawaharlal-nehru/by-education-i-am-an-englishman-by-views-an-internationalist-by/) [Jawaharlal Nehru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jawaharlal-nehru/) > [I made out with a homeless guy by accident. I had no idea -- he was really tan, he had no shoes on. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-schumer/i-made-out-with-a-homeless-guy-by-accident-i-had-no-idea-he-was/) [Amy Schumer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-schumer/) > [Naturally I feel no shame in writing these things because of the time which separates the moment when they are written--when only I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-ernaux/naturally-i-feel-no-shame-in-writing-these-things-because-of-the-time/) [Annie Ernaux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-ernaux/) > [In a city where you walk around, it's impossible to plan your day and your life as accidents will happen, you'll overhear things, bump…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-schwartzman/in-a-city-where-you-walk-around-it-s-impossible-to-plan-your-day-and/) [Jason Schwartzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-schwartzman/) > [I don't think it's by accident that I was first attracted to translating two French women poets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-hacker/i-don-t-think-it-s-by-accident-that-i-was-first-attracted-to/) [Marilyn Hacker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-hacker/) > [Despite my mentors advice that I would never go to heaven fishing with a weighted nymph and a float, I took it up. 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