--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Why do mortals think that suffering is a…" description: "\"“Why do mortals think that suffering is a coin with which they can buy justice or salvation? ... life is a steal if you are a talented thief, and if yo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dba/karen-maitland-20432_death_why-do-mortals-think-that-suffering-is-a_481473.jpg" --- # Why do mortals think that suffering is a coin with which… ![“Why do mortals think that suffering is a coin with which they can buy justice or salvation? ... life is a steal if you are a talented thief, and if you are not, then you may suffer all you please but if will buy you nothing but pain.” quote by Karen Maitland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dba/karen-maitland-20432_death_why-do-mortals-think-that-suffering-is-a_481473.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dba/karen-maitland-20432_death_why-do-mortals-think-that-suffering-is-a_481473.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dba/karen-maitland-20432_death_why-do-mortals-think-that-suffering-is-a_481473.jpg) > ““Why do mortals think that suffering is a coin with which they can buy justice or salvation? ... life is a steal if you are a talented thief, and if you are not, then you may suffer all you please but if will buy you nothing but pain.”” [Karen Maitland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-maitland/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Suffering cannot purchase justice; seeking redemption through pain is futile and self‑destructive. **In simple terms:** Pain doesn’t buy justice. Key Takeaway Seek healing, not suffering. Themes justice redemption human nature Mood reflective somber Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal loss - social injustice - spiritual crisis Key Concepts existentialism moral philosophy Questions to Reflect On - What does true justice look like? - Can suffering ever be purposeful? A Different Perspective Pain may be necessary for growth, not just a barrier. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Mortals Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mortals-think-4139417/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Suffering Coin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering-coin-4139416/) [Thief Suffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thief-suffer-1636842/) [Think Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-suffering-966184/) ## Related quotes > [“Theft is punished by Your law, O Lord, and by the law written in men's hearts, which iniquity itself cannot blot out. 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Her advice in the face of melancholy is: 'Think about all the suffering in the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-frank/this-is-where-mother-and-i-differ-greatly-her-advice-in-the-face-of/) [Anne Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-frank/) > [I Think Your Suffering From Vitamin Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brittanyjay/i-think-your-suffering-from-vitamin-me/) [Brittanyjay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brittanyjay/) > [“I don’t think your suffering is fake. I don’t think these feelings about wanting it to end are fake. I don’t think your self-hatred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/i-don-t-think-your-suffering-is-fake-i-don-t-think-these-feelings/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) ## More by Karen Maitland > [You've heard tales of beauty and the beast. How a fair maid falls in love with a monster and sees the beauty of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-maitland/you-ve-heard-tales-of-beauty-and-the-beast-how-a-fair-maid-falls-in/) [Karen Maitland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-maitland/) > [Rain slips through your fingers as easily as words blow away in the wind, and yet it has the power to destroy your whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-maitland/rain-slips-through-your-fingers-as-easily-as-words-blow-away-in-the/) [Karen Maitland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-maitland/) > [But then, the flames of a fire are not made less painful by the knowledge that others are burning with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-maitland/but-then-the-flames-of-a-fire-are-not-made-less-painful-by-the/) [Karen Maitland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-maitland/) > [“I'd believed mine was the greatest of all the arts, the noblest of all the lies, the creation of hope. 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You can’t let anything that seems even semi-important pass, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/i-think-when-you-re-dying-you-start-looking-for-important-things-in/) [Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/) [Browse all 39,127 Death quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Why do mortals think that suffering is a coin with which they can buy justice or salvation? ... life is a steal if you are a talented thief, and if you are not, then you may suffer all you please but if will buy you nothing but pain.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Karen Maitland" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-maitland/why-do-mortals-think-that-suffering-is-a-coin-with-which-they-can-buy/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Death" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-maitland/why-do-mortals-think-that-suffering-is-a-coin-with-which-they-can-buy/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dba/karen-maitland-20432_death_why-do-mortals-think-that-suffering-is-a_481473.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dba/karen-maitland-20432_death_why-do-mortals-think-that-suffering-is-a_481473.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dba/karen-maitland-20432_death_why-do-mortals-think-that-suffering-is-a_481473.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Why do mortals think that suffering is a coin with which they can buy justice or salvation? ... life is a…” — Karen Maitland", "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": "Karen Maitland", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-maitland/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Why do mortals think that suffering...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-maitland/why-do-mortals-think-that-suffering-is-a-coin-with-which-they-can-buy/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-maitland/why-do-mortals-think-that-suffering-is-a-coin-with-which-they-can-buy/#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 } } ] } ```