--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This stuff of a past not worthily lived…" description: "\"“This stuff of a past not worthily lived is also medicine.”\" — Joan Halifax" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc7/joan-halifax-11817_dharma_this-stuff-of-a-past-not-worthily-lived_2551580.png" --- # This stuff of a past not worthily lived is also medicine. ![“This stuff of a past not worthily lived is also medicine.” quote by Joan Halifax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc7/joan-halifax-11817_dharma_this-stuff-of-a-past-not-worthily-lived_2551580.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc7/joan-halifax-11817_dharma_this-stuff-of-a-past-not-worthily-lived_2551580.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc7/joan-halifax-11817_dharma_this-stuff-of-a-past-not-worthily-lived_2551580.png) > ““This stuff of a past not worthily lived is also medicine.”” [Joan Halifax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-halifax/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Past hardships, even when not fully lived, can become healing resources, turning suffering into medicine for growth. **In simple terms:** Past pain can become healing medicine. Key Takeaway Transform past wounds into growth tools. Themes healing resilience reflection spirituality Mood hopeful contemplative Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - therapy - personal development - spiritual practice Key Concepts psychology philosophy well‑being Questions to Reflect On - How can we responsibly use past pain for growth? - What boundaries protect against re‑traumatization? A Different Perspective The metaphor may romanticize trauma. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dharma/) [Healing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/healing/) [Medicine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medicine/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Shamanism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shamanism/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“Just remember, please, most of that stuff is in the past. It isn't the story I want to tell. At all. You needed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/just-remember-please-most-of-that-stuff-is-in-the-past-it-isn-t-the/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [“That might be the problem. A lot of the good stuff is from the past. The Jonas Brothers, High School Musical, our shared grief.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-thomas/that-might-be-the-problem-a-lot-of-the-good-stuff-is-from-the-past/) [Angie Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-thomas/) > [“You’re always making up stuff from the past,” she said. “And the stuff you imagine is always better than the stuff that actually happened.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/you-re-always-making-up-stuff-from-the-past-she-said-and-the-stuff/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [It is one of the ironies of my life and in many lives that whenever you are the happiest, all of this stuff from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-fraser/it-is-one-of-the-ironies-of-my-life-and-in-many-lives-that-whenever/) [Sylvia Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-fraser/) > [You've gotta let go of that stuff from the past, cause it just doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is what you choose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/po/you-ve-gotta-let-go-of-that-stuff-from-the-past-cause-it-just-doesn-t/) Po > ['Thank you power' is writing down the moments that are good in your life so that you can go back and reflect on them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-norville/thank-you-power-is-writing-down-the-moments-that-are-good-in-your/) [Deborah Norville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-norville/) > [I only write about stuff that’s happened to me.. stuff I can’t get past personally. Luckily, I'm quite self-destructive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-winehouse/i-only-write-about-stuff-that-s-happened-to-me-stuff-i-can-t-get-past/) [Amy Winehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-winehouse/) > [A lot of my stuff in the past has been very piano-based.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benson-boone/a-lot-of-my-stuff-in-the-past-has-been-very-piano-based/) [Benson Boone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benson-boone/) > [When you're winning an argument, the other person will bring up stuff from the past that you will lose at.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/when-you-re-winning-an-argument-the-other-person-will-bring-up-stuff/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [The past is over and done with. They tell you to not pay attention to the past. But then again, they have criminal records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmine-laura/the-past-is-over-and-done-with-they-tell-you-to-not-pay-attention-to/) [Jasmine Laura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmine-laura/) > [I sometimes use music as way of getting back to a certain time, dredging up stuff from the past and putting it down on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-fox/i-sometimes-use-music-as-way-of-getting-back-to-a-certain-time/) [Danny Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-fox/) > [“Everybody has a geography that can be used for change that is why we travel to far off places. Whether we know it or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-halifax/everybody-has-a-geography-that-can-be-used-for-change-that-is-why-we/) [Joan Halifax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-halifax/) > [Shamanism is essentially a living tradition of alchemy that is not seeking the stone but has found the stone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/shamanism-is-essentially-a-living-tradition-of-alchemy-that-is-not/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [“Being healed means committing to use your resources and knowledge.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-kelley-harrell/being-healed-means-committing-to-use-your-resources-and-knowledge/) [S. Kelley Harrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-kelley-harrell/) > [Shamanism is a path of knowledge, not of faith, and that knowledge cannot come from me or anyone else in this reality. To acquire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-harner/shamanism-is-a-path-of-knowledge-not-of-faith-and-that-knowledge/) [Michael Harner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-harner/) ## More by Joan Halifax > [We have even done a weekend on Japanese grammar! Not that I know anything about Japanese grammar, but it was Kaz's idea, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-halifax/we-have-even-done-a-weekend-on-japanese-grammar-not-that-i-know/) [Joan Halifax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-halifax/) > [Developing our capacity for compassion makes it possible for us to help others in a more skillful and effective way. And compassion helps us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-halifax/developing-our-capacity-for-compassion-makes-it-possible-for-us-to/) [Joan Halifax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-halifax/) > [Buddhist practice is the grounding for this work, this life, this way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-halifax/buddhist-practice-is-the-grounding-for-this-work-this-life-this-way/) [Joan Halifax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-halifax/) > [ We have been teaching together \[with Kaz\] now for more than twenty years in sesshins, in international travel programs in Japan and China, as… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-halifax/we-have-been-teaching-together-with-kaz-now-for-more-than-twenty/) [Joan Halifax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-halifax/) > [All are interconnected...the environment; rights of the dying; care of caregivers; education and medical care for peoples of the Himalayas; prison work; those living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-halifax/all-are-interconnected-the-environment-rights-of-the-dying-care-of/) [Joan Halifax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-halifax/) > [“Within and around the earth, within and around the hills, within and around the mountains your authority returns to you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-halifax/within-and-around-the-earth-within-and-around-the-hills-within-and/) [Joan Halifax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-halifax/) > [“Some of us are drawn to mountains the way the moon draws the tide. Both the great forests and the mountains live in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-halifax/some-of-us-are-drawn-to-mountains-the-way-the-moon-draws-the-tide/) [Joan Halifax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-halifax/) > [I am working on a technical paper on compassion. So I am reading everything I can on the subject, including my own mind and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-halifax/i-am-working-on-a-technical-paper-on-compassion-so-i-am-reading/) [Joan Halifax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-halifax/) > [ \[Kaz\] is a great scholar, very funny - a true man of no rank! ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-halifax/kaz-is-a-great-scholar-very-funny-a-true-man-of-no-rank/) [Joan Halifax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-halifax/) > [Compassion has enemies, and those enemies are things like pity, moral outrage, fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-halifax/compassion-has-enemies-and-those-enemies-are-things-like-pity-moral/) [Joan Halifax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-halifax/) > [The roots of all living things are tied together. Deep in the ground of being, they tangle and embrace. This understanding is expressed in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-halifax/the-roots-of-all-living-things-are-tied-together-deep-in-the-ground/) [Joan Halifax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-halifax/) > [ I remember having a discussion with \[Kaz\] about his translation of the word shunyata as "boundlessness," instead of the more traditional "emptiness." I said:… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-halifax/i-remember-having-a-discussion-with-kaz-about-his-translation-of-the/) [Joan Halifax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-halifax/) > [If compassion is so good for us, why don't we train our health care providers in compassion so that they can do what they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-halifax/if-compassion-is-so-good-for-us-why-don-t-we-train-our-health-care/) [Joan Halifax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-halifax/) > [May I see my own limits with compassion, just as I view the limits of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-halifax/may-i-see-my-own-limits-with-compassion-just-as-i-view-the-limits-of/) [Joan Halifax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-halifax/) > [Cease consuming, practice generosity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-halifax/cease-consuming-practice-generosity/) [Joan Halifax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-halifax/) [Explore all 57 Joan Halifax quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-halifax/) ## More Dharma quotes > [The very best players, when they are practicing, put everything they've got into it. 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My own life's experience w/ both Dharma practice & punk rock inspired me to try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-levine/actually-a-solution-a-path-to-personal-freedom-my-own-life-s/) [Noah Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-levine/) > [ \[Townies\] was a great springboard, obviously, because Jenna \[Elfman\] went from that to Dharma & Greg, and a few years later, Lauren \[Graham\] went… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-mccormack/townies-was-a-great-springboard-obviously-because-jenna-elfman-went/) [Eric McCormack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-mccormack/) > [Today, society is sacrificing love, values and dharma in its pursuit of materialistic gains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/today-society-is-sacrificing-love-values-and-dharma-in-its-pursuit-of/) [Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/) > [“Dharma is about exchange, about giving and receiving, It is about outgrowing animal instincts, outgrowing fear, discovering the ability to feed others, comfort others,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/dharma-is-about-exchange-about-giving-and-receiving-it-is-about/) [Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/) > [Hinduism... gave itself no name, because it set itself no sectarian limits; it claimed no universal adhesion, asserted no sole infallible dogma, set up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-aurobindo/hinduism-gave-itself-no-name-because-it-set-itself-no-sectarian/) [Sri Aurobindo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-aurobindo/) > [In transmitting the dharma, there is neither explanation nor teaching; there is neighter hearing nor attainment. Since explanations never really explains, nor are they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-daido-loori/in-transmitting-the-dharma-there-is-neither-explanation-nor-teaching/) [John Daido Loori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-daido-loori/) > [Going for refuge to Buddha,Dharma, and Sangha means that we apply effort to receiving Buddha's blessings, to putting Dharma into practice, and to receiving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geshe-kelsang-gyatso/going-for-refuge-to-buddha-dharma-and-sangha-means-that-we-apply/) [Geshe Kelsang Gyatso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geshe-kelsang-gyatso/) > [There is no dharma greater than a word uttered by a man of conscience; there is no karma greater than a man listening to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thiruman-archunan/there-is-no-dharma-greater-than-a-word-uttered-by-a-man-of-conscience/) [Thiruman Archunan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thiruman-archunan/) > [Naturally, to follow dharma, we have to find out what it is. You have to struggle with it. The answer will not come easily.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/naturally-to-follow-dharma-we-have-to-find-out-what-it-is-you-have-to/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Saints and ordinary folks are the same from the start. Inquiring about a difference is like asking to borrow string when you've got a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hsu-yun/saints-and-ordinary-folks-are-the-same-from-the-start-inquiring-about/) Hsu Yun > [Because a human being is endowed with empathy, he violates the natural order if he does not reach out to those who need care.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dayananda-saraswati/because-a-human-being-is-endowed-with-empathy-he-violates-the-natural/) [Dayananda Saraswati](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dayananda-saraswati/) > [The nature of things is dharma.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahavira/the-nature-of-things-is-dharma/) [Mahavira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahavira/) > [When you understand dharma, when you see its perfect perfection, shining both in and beyond all things, you will be freed from all misunderstandings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/when-you-understand-dharma-when-you-see-its-perfect-perfection/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) [Browse all 355 Dharma quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dharma/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“This stuff of a past not worthily lived is also medicine.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joan Halifax" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-halifax/this-stuff-of-a-past-not-worthily-lived-is-also-medicine/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dharma" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-halifax/this-stuff-of-a-past-not-worthily-lived-is-also-medicine/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc7/joan-halifax-11817_dharma_this-stuff-of-a-past-not-worthily-lived_2551580.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc7/joan-halifax-11817_dharma_this-stuff-of-a-past-not-worthily-lived_2551580.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc7/joan-halifax-11817_dharma_this-stuff-of-a-past-not-worthily-lived_2551580.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“This stuff of a past not worthily lived is also medicine.” — Joan Halifax", "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": "Joan Halifax", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-halifax/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“This stuff of a past not...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-halifax/this-stuff-of-a-past-not-worthily-lived-is-also-medicine/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-halifax/this-stuff-of-a-past-not-worthily-lived-is-also-medicine/#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 } } ] } ```