---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Despair is the price one pays for…"
description: "\"Despair is the price one pays for self-awareness. Look deeply into life, and you'll always find despair.\" — Irvin D. Yalom"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f0/irvin-d-yalom-1519_awareness_despair-is-the-price-one-pays-for-self-a_1017933.png"
---

#  Despair is the price one pays for self-awareness. Look…

![“Despair is the price one pays for self-awareness. Look deeply into life, and you'll always find despair.” quote by Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f0/irvin-d-yalom-1519_awareness_despair-is-the-price-one-pays-for-self-a_1017933.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f0/irvin-d-yalom-1519_awareness_despair-is-the-price-one-pays-for-self-a_1017933.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f0/irvin-d-yalom-1519_awareness_despair-is-the-price-one-pays-for-self-a_1017933.png)

> “Despair is the price one pays for self-awareness. Look deeply into life, and you'll always find despair.”

[Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Self‑awareness brings despair because it reveals life's inherent uncertainties.

**In simple terms:** Deep self‑knowledge can cause existential dread.

Key Takeaway

Embrace awareness while seeking meaning.

Themes

existentialism psychology despair

Mood

thoughtful somber

Type

philosophical psychological

When to use this quote

- therapy sessions
- philosophical reading
- support groups
- creative writing

Key Concepts

self‑reflection meaning‑making acceptance

Questions to Reflect On

- How does awareness affect your emotional state?
- What gives you purpose amid uncertainty?

A Different Perspective

Despair can become paralyzing without coping tools.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Awareness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awareness/) [Despair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despair/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self -awareness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-awareness/) [Self Awareness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-awareness-3/)

## Related quotes

> [Despair is the price one pays for setting oneself an impossible aim. It is, one is told, the unforgivable sin, but it is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/despair-is-the-price-one-pays-for-setting-oneself-an-impossible-aim/)

[Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/)

> [Despair is the price one pays for setting oneself an impossible aim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/despair-is-the-price-one-pays-for-setting-oneself-an-impossible-aim-2/)

[Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/)

> [Bid me despair, and I'll despair,Under that cypress tree;Or bid me die, and I will dareE'en Death, to die for thee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-herrick/bid-me-despair-and-i-ll-despair-under-that-cypress-tree-or-bid-me-die/)

[Robert Herrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-herrick/)

> [The thing about living alone is that it gives you a lot of time to think. You don't necessarily reach any conclusions, because wisdom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-tropper/the-thing-about-living-alone-is-that-it-gives-you-a-lot-of-time-to/)

[Jonathan Tropper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-tropper/)

> [Self-awareness moves us beyond the old, well-worn pathways in the brain that support fixed, unconscious habits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/self-awareness-moves-us-beyond-the-old-well-worn-pathways-in-the/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [So every time I rap about being a big girl in a small world it's doing a couple things: it's empowering my self-awareness, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lizzo/so-every-time-i-rap-about-being-a-big-girl-in-a-small-world-it-s/)

[Lizzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lizzo/)

> [We are creatures on this planet that have the capacity of self-awareness, playing out our role just the same as all else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-kest/we-are-creatures-on-this-planet-that-have-the-capacity-of-self/)

[Bryan Kest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-kest/)

> [Self awareness allows you to self-correct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hybels/self-awareness-allows-you-to-self-correct/)

[Bill Hybels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hybels/)

> [Self-awareness is not the same thing as self-approval, any more than imagination is the same thing as day-dreaming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/self-awareness-is-not-the-same-thing-as-self-approval-any-more-than/)

[Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/)

> [Fear is self-awareness raised to a higher level.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/fear-is-self-awareness-raised-to-a-higher-level/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [Self-awareness cant be built on looking at our pluses and minuses before we look at the most basic essence of what we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruben-papian/self-awareness-cant-be-built-on-looking-at-our-pluses-and-minuses/)

[Ruben Papian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruben-papian/)

> [Despair is the price one pays for setting himself an impossible aim.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/despair-is-the-price-one-pays-for-setting-himself-an-impossible-aim/)

[Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/)

> [Despair is the price one pays for setting oneself an impossible aim. It is, one is told, the unforgivable sin, but it is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/despair-is-the-price-one-pays-for-setting-oneself-an-impossible-aim-3/)

[Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/)

> [We are always searching our eye glasses by wearing the same eye glasses.Self awareness required for growth.But still we are behind other things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sumesh-nair/we-are-always-searching-our-eye-glasses-by-wearing-the-same-eye/)

[Sumesh Nair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sumesh-nair/)

> [If you think about what you do, if you become self-conscious about it, you've got to be very careful. Because I really like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-morgan/if-you-think-about-what-you-do-if-you-become-self-conscious-about-it/)

[Peter Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-morgan/)

## More by Irvin D. Yalom

> [“ALAS, IF ALL HUMANS WERE WISE AND HAD MORE GOOD WILL THE WORLD WOULD BE A PARADISE NOW IT IS MOSTLY A HELL”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/alas-if-all-humans-were-wise-and-had-more-good-will-the-world-would/)

[Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/)

> [I dream of a love that is more than two people craving to possess one another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/i-dream-of-a-love-that-is-more-than-two-people-craving-to-possess-one/)

[Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/)

> [“Ümitsizlik özfarkındalık uğruna ödenen bedeldir.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/mitsizlik-zfark-ndal-k-u-runa-denen-bedeldir/)

[Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/)

> [Therapists need to have a long experience in personal therapy to see what it's like to be on the other side of the couch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/therapists-need-to-have-a-long-experience-in-personal-therapy-to-see/)

[Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/)

> [“Beginning therapists must learn that there are times to sit in silence, sometimes in silent communion, sometimes simply while waiting for patients' thoughts to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/beginning-therapists-must-learn-that-there-are-times-to-sit-in/)

[Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/)

> [If one is to learn to live with the dead, one must first learn to live with the living!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/if-one-is-to-learn-to-live-with-the-dead-one-must-first-learn-to-live/)

[Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/)

> [Specialness as a primary mode of death transcendence takes a number of other maladaptive forms. The drive for power is not uncommonly motivated by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/specialness-as-a-primary-mode-of-death-transcendence-takes-a-number/)

[Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/)

> [“Exactly. We know that the great Goethe carried a copy of Spinoza’s Ethics in his pocket for a year. Imagine that—an entire year! And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/exactly-we-know-that-the-great-goethe-carried-a-copy-of-spinoza-s/)

[Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/)

> [“Hope is the worst of evils because it protracts torment.” “Your”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/hope-is-the-worst-of-evils-because-it-protracts-torment-your/)

[Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/)

> [Mature love is loving, not being loved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/mature-love-is-loving-not-being-loved/)

[Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/)

> [Absolute power, as we have always known, corrupts absolutely; it corrupts because it does not do the trick for the individual. Reality always creeps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/absolute-power-as-we-have-always-known-corrupts-absolutely-it/)

[Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/)

> [“Indeed, the capacity to tolerate uncertainty is a prerequisite for the profession. Though the public may believe that therapists guide patients systematically and sure-handedly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/indeed-the-capacity-to-tolerate-uncertainty-is-a-prerequisite-for-the/)

[Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/)

> [“Rollo May quipped that anxiety about nothing tries to become anxiety about something. In other words, anxiety about nothingness quickly attaches itself to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/rollo-may-quipped-that-anxiety-about-nothing-tries-to-become-anxiety/)

[Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/)

> [“I often urge patients to project themselves into the future and to consider how they can live now so that five years hence they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/i-often-urge-patients-to-project-themselves-into-the-future-and-to/)

[Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/)

> [When people don't have any curiosity about themselves, that is always a bad sign.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/when-people-don-t-have-any-curiosity-about-themselves-that-is-always/)

[Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/)

[Explore all 184 Irvin D. Yalom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/)

## More Awareness quotes

> [An enlightened awareness is within each one of us, right at this moment. This enlightened awareness is truly unborn and marvellously illuminating; and everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bankei-yotaku/an-enlightened-awareness-is-within-each-one-of-us-right-at-this/)

[Bankei Yotaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bankei-yotaku/)

> [We have a fear of facing ourselves. That is the obstacle. Experiencing the innermost core of our existence is very embarrassing to a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-have-a-fear-of-facing-ourselves-that-is-the-obstacle-experiencing/)

[Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/)

> [Listening is a very active awareness of the coming together of at least two lives. Listening, as far as I'm concerned, is certainly a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/listening-is-a-very-active-awareness-of-the-coming-together-of-at/)

[Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/)

> [“In the worldly life, due to maadakta (intoxication of the ego of ‘I am Chandubhai’), one has completely lost awareness of everything about one’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/in-the-worldly-life-due-to-maadakta-intoxication-of-the-ego-of-i-am/)

[Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/)

> [A tree is a self: it is 'unseen shaping' more than it is leaves or bark, roots or cellulose or fruit ... What this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-swimme/a-tree-is-a-self-it-is-unseen-shaping-more-than-it-is-leaves-or-bark/)

[Brian Swimme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-swimme/)

> [I know the importance of highly trained awareness of the “moment” and the immediate and intuitive response of the photographer. It should be obvious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/i-know-the-importance-of-highly-trained-awareness-of-the-moment-and/)

[Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/)

> [The thing about living alone is that it gives you a lot of time to think. You don't necessarily reach any conclusions, because wisdom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-tropper/the-thing-about-living-alone-is-that-it-gives-you-a-lot-of-time-to/)

[Jonathan Tropper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-tropper/)

> [“It is not so much about fighting against the ego; it is more about harmonizing with it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-sara/it-is-not-so-much-about-fighting-against-the-ego-it-is-more-about/)

[Grace Sara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-sara/)

> [I'm part of a team that raises millions of dollars and raises awareness of HIV and AIDS all over the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-evangelista/i-m-part-of-a-team-that-raises-millions-of-dollars-and-raises/)

[Linda Evangelista](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-evangelista/)

> [“Don’t turn your face away. Once you’ve seen, you can no longer act like you don’t know. Open your eyes to the truth. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vashti-quiroz-vega/don-t-turn-your-face-away-once-you-ve-seen-you-can-no-longer-act-like/)

Vashti Quiroz-Vega

> [“No one has any right to tell you that the way you perceive yourself is wrong. Because by doing so, they also discourage the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/no-one-has-any-right-to-tell-you-that-the-way-you-perceive-yourself/)

[Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/)

> [Sometimes I am a collector of data, and only a collector, and am likely to be gross and miserly, piling up notes, pleased with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-fort/sometimes-i-am-a-collector-of-data-and-only-a-collector-and-am-likely/)

[Charles Fort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-fort/)

> [The bird with the thorn in its breast, it follows an immutable law; it is driven by it knows not what to impale itself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-mccullough/the-bird-with-the-thorn-in-its-breast-it-follows-an-immutable-law-it/)

[Colleen McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-mccullough/)

> [Seeking means: to have a goal; but finding means: to be free, to be receptive, to have no goal. You, O worthy one, are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/seeking-means-to-have-a-goal-but-finding-means-to-be-free-to-be/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Human freedom involves our capacity to pause between the stimulus and response and, in that pause, to choose the one response toward which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/human-freedom-involves-our-capacity-to-pause-between-the-stimulus-and/)

[Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/)

[Browse all 4,768 Awareness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awareness/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Despair is the price one pays for self-awareness. Look deeply into life, and you'll always find despair.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Irvin D. Yalom"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/despair-is-the-price-one-pays-for-self-awareness-look-deeply-into/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Awareness"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/despair-is-the-price-one-pays-for-self-awareness-look-deeply-into/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f0/irvin-d-yalom-1519_awareness_despair-is-the-price-one-pays-for-self-a_1017933.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f0/irvin-d-yalom-1519_awareness_despair-is-the-price-one-pays-for-self-a_1017933.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f0/irvin-d-yalom-1519_awareness_despair-is-the-price-one-pays-for-self-a_1017933.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Despair is the price one pays for self-awareness. Look deeply into life, and you'll always find despair.” — Irvin D. Yalom",
                "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": "Irvin D. Yalom",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Despair is the price one pays...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/despair-is-the-price-one-pays-for-self-awareness-look-deeply-into/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/despair-is-the-price-one-pays-for-self-awareness-look-deeply-into/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
