--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A life of hardship and personal suffering…" description: "\"“A life of hardship and personal suffering is unavoidable. A person must endure many humiliations of the mind and body, and expect persons whom they tr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec0/kilroy-j-oldster-1049_agony_a-life-of-hardship-and-personal-sufferin_2706536.jpg" --- # A life of hardship and personal suffering is unavoidable… ![“A life of hardship and personal suffering is unavoidable. A person must endure many humiliations of the mind and body, and expect persons whom they trusted to someday betray them. People inevitably witness the death of their loved ones. We also witness acts of depravity committed by criminals that…” quote by Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec0/kilroy-j-oldster-1049_agony_a-life-of-hardship-and-personal-sufferin_2706536.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec0/kilroy-j-oldster-1049_agony_a-life-of-hardship-and-personal-sufferin_2706536.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec0/kilroy-j-oldster-1049_agony_a-life-of-hardship-and-personal-sufferin_2706536.jpg) > ““A life of hardship and personal suffering is unavoidable. A person must endure many humiliations of the mind and body, and expect persons whom they trusted to someday betray them. People inevitably witness the death of their loved ones. We also witness acts of depravity committed by criminals that lurk in every society and rouge acts of scandal committed by government officials in charge of the public welfare. A person must nonetheless resist personal discouragement, sadness, dejection, and despondency. I must reach an accord with pain, suffering, and anguish, or forevermore be tortured by reality while constantly seeking to escape from the inescapable agony of being.”” [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life inevitably brings suffering, betrayal, and loss; yet one must accept pain and resist despair to avoid being crushed by reality. **In simple terms:** Accept pain, resist despair. Key Takeaway Cultivate resilience. Themes suffering resilience existential Mood somber hopeful Type existential motivational When to use this quote - counseling - support groups - personal growth - spiritual practice Key Concepts psychology philosophy Questions to Reflect On - How do you find meaning amid suffering? - What practices help you endure hardship? A Different Perspective Denial can delay healing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Agony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agony/) [Anguish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anguish/) [Betrayal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/betrayal/) [Betrayal-quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/betrayal-quotes/) [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Dejection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dejection/) [Depravity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depravity/) [Discouragement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discouragement/) [Enlightenment-principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enlightenment-principles/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Existential angst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existential-angst/) [Humiliation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humiliation/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Loved ones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loved-ones/) [Mind and body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind-and-body/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Stress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stress/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Suffering-life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering-life/) [Suffering-of-humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering-of-humanity/) [Suffering-quote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering-quote/) [Trauma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trauma/) [Traumatic experiences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/traumatic-experiences/) ## Related quotes > [“A torpid heart in agony needs a pen to bleed”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/munia-khan/a-torpid-heart-in-agony-needs-a-pen-to-bleed/) [Munia Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/munia-khan/) > [“A person whom is dissatisfied with the existing constitution of the self might wish to eradicate the self. A spiritual death can take the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/a-person-whom-is-dissatisfied-with-the-existing-constitution-of-the/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“We are made of flesh that bruises and bleeds, bones that break, and a mind that is susceptible to wild mood swings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/we-are-made-of-flesh-that-bruises-and-bleeds-bones-that-break-and-a/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [If suffering were an unavoidable part of our existence, we should try to alleviate it as far as possible in practical, earthly ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aung-san-suu-kyi/if-suffering-were-an-unavoidable-part-of-our-existence-we-should-try/) [Aung San Suu Kyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aung-san-suu-kyi/) > [“I only insist that meaning is possible even in spite of suffering—provided, certainly, that the suffering is unavoidable. If it were avoidable, however, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/i-only-insist-that-meaning-is-possible-even-in-spite-of-suffering/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [In the world of the present, in our time, we feel that suffering, anguish, the torments of body and soul, are greater than ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eyvind-johnson/in-the-world-of-the-present-in-our-time-we-feel-that-suffering/) [Eyvind Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eyvind-johnson/) > [Marriage for her was to be a condition of bondage, maternity a condition of suffering and anguish, and in silence and subjection, she was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/marriage-for-her-was-to-be-a-condition-of-bondage-maternity-a/) [Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/) > [“Those who have suffered in the hands of others,know what it is to be free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/those-who-have-suffered-in-the-hands-of-others-know-what-it-is-to-be/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [“The deepest wounds of the soul are healed only by compassion... People do not merely need to be clothed, they need to be embraced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jocelyn-soriano/the-deepest-wounds-of-the-soul-are-healed-only-by-compassion-people/) [Jocelyn Soriano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jocelyn-soriano/) > [“A blow that would kill a civilized man soon heals on a savage. The higher we go in the scale of life, the greater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-breckenridge-carnegie/a-blow-that-would-kill-a-civilized-man-soon-heals-on-a-savage-the/) Dale Breckenridge Carnegie > [“The fleetest beast to bear you to perfection is suffering." .”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/master-eckhardt/the-fleetest-beast-to-bear-you-to-perfection-is-suffering/) Master Eckhardt > [“How do you wipe away pain? You don’t. You put in tenderness, compassion and joy. You cling to hope and then you offer everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jocelyn-soriano/how-do-you-wipe-away-pain-you-don-t-you-put-in-tenderness-compassion/) [Jocelyn Soriano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jocelyn-soriano/) > [“Times of suffering will come, use them To grow into a better version of yourself. Use the dirt to grow flowers. Let the storm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-overby/times-of-suffering-will-come-use-them-to-grow-into-a-better-version/) [Eric Overby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-overby/) > [“There at the cross, we see all pain and darkness conquered in such a way that it is defeated forever. Not by disregarding it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jocelyn-soriano/there-at-the-cross-we-see-all-pain-and-darkness-conquered-in-such-a/) [Jocelyn Soriano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jocelyn-soriano/) ## More by Kilroy J. Oldster > [“Disharmony at home or work is toxic to a person’s physical disposition and mental health.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/disharmony-at-home-or-work-is-toxic-to-a-person-s-physical/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“The emotional ingredients that sustain long-term relationships are kindness, thoughtfulness, and compassion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/the-emotional-ingredients-that-sustain-long-term-relationships-are/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“Personal disillusionment accompanied by self-pity and self-loathing are the Achilles’ heel of modern humankind, representing the weakness of the human spirit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/personal-disillusionment-accompanied-by-self-pity-and-self-loathing/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“We nurture our own being by respecting all people and consciously working to mitigate the pain of the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/we-nurture-our-own-being-by-respecting-all-people-and-consciously/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“Life is a collection of memories and feelings. Mawkish sentimentally urges us to engage in artistic overtures, we yearn to share with other people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/life-is-a-collection-of-memories-and-feelings-mawkish-sentimentally/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“Time is inexplicable because it moves – clicks away – at steady increments, while increasing the past and bringing the future into the present.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/time-is-inexplicable-because-it-moves-clicks-away-at-steady/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“Each of us, along with our ancestors, inhabits the same cosmos. When we tell stories, we enter the stream of human consciousness; we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/each-of-us-along-with-our-ancestors-inhabits-the-same-cosmos-when-we/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“A period of darkness is essential in order to expand personal awareness. Experiencing sadness and loss makes a person appreciative of life, more tenderhearted,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/a-period-of-darkness-is-essential-in-order-to-expand-personal/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“A person writes similar to how a blind person uses brail. We grope along the palpable corridors of the mind’s organic texture to locate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/a-person-writes-similar-to-how-a-blind-person-uses-brail-we-grope/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“People frequently ask me why I work so hard - prolong hours, infrequent vacations, and never calling in sick or missing work for any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/people-frequently-ask-me-why-i-work-so-hard-prolong-hours-infrequent/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“The ego is the culmination of our preferences and dislikes. Our ego represents the firm edges of how we perceive ourselves. An ego death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/the-ego-is-the-culmination-of-our-preferences-and-dislikes-our-ego/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“Witnessing the moonrise each month, a person cannot resist noting a modest sense of optimism tugging at his or her enclosed capsule of bodily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/witnessing-the-moonrise-each-month-a-person-cannot-resist-noting-a/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“Attempting to express a person’s objective reality and subjective state of mind with the written word is an endless task because writing alters our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/attempting-to-express-a-person-s-objective-reality-and-subjective/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“A person can hurry through or sleep walk through life, but whenever they stop to catch their breath or awaken from a long nap,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/a-person-can-hurry-through-or-sleep-walk-through-life-but-whenever/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“It is up to each one of us to immunize ourselves from any disabling bolts of anger and defend ourselves from the thunderstorms of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/it-is-up-to-each-one-of-us-to-immunize-ourselves-from-any-disabling/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) [Explore all 302 Kilroy J. Oldster quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) ## More Agony quotes > [Many Republicans have always reminded me of professional WWF wrestlers. They come into the ring all pumped up and acting like they're invincible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/many-republicans-have-always-reminded-me-of-professional-wwf/) [Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/) > [“aaron would not come out aaron entered into agony.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/aaron-would-not-come-out-aaron-entered-into-agony/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) > [ “\[W\]e must learn to accommodate ourselves to the discovery that some of those cunningly-fashioned instruments called human souls have only a very limited range… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/w-e-must-learn-to-accommodate-ourselves-to-the-discovery-that-some-of/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [As we look upon that agony and those tearful prayers, let us not only look with thankfulness; but let that kneeling Saviour teach us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-maclaren/as-we-look-upon-that-agony-and-those-tearful-prayers-let-us-not-only/) [Alexander MacLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-maclaren/) > [Love masters agony; the soul that seemed Forsaken feels her present God again And in her Father's arms Contented dies away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keble/love-masters-agony-the-soul-that-seemed-forsaken-feels-her-present/) [John Keble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keble/) > [I have seen war. I have seen war on land and sea. I have seen blood running from the wounded. I have seen men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/i-have-seen-war-i-have-seen-war-on-land-and-sea-i-have-seen-blood/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [“Anger was a reliable defense, but one that allowed no chance of final victory. Anger was a medicine but never a cure, briefly numbing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/anger-was-a-reliable-defense-but-one-that-allowed-no-chance-of-final/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [The cure is in the house, not brought by other hands from distant places, but by its own, in agony and blood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/the-cure-is-in-the-house-not-brought-by-other-hands-from-distant/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [Sometimes, a lie is told in kindness. I don't believe it ever works kindly. The quick pain of truth can pass away, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/sometimes-a-lie-is-told-in-kindness-i-don-t-believe-it-ever-works/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [The young man shivered. He rolled the stock themes of fantasy over in his mind: cars and stockbrokers and commuters, housewives and police, agony…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-young-man-shivered-he-rolled-the-stock-themes-of-fantasy-over-in/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Being ill like this combines shock - this time I will die - with a pain and agony that are unfamiliar, that wrench me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-brodkey/being-ill-like-this-combines-shock-this-time-i-will-die-with-a-pain/) [Harold Brodkey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-brodkey/) > [One often learns more from ten days of agony than ten years of contentment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merle-shain/one-often-learns-more-from-ten-days-of-agony-than-ten-years-of/) [Merle Shain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merle-shain/) > [There’s been a problem, a problem eating away at me from the inside out. I’ve become weak, I’ve shown human compassion, and it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kane/there-s-been-a-problem-a-problem-eating-away-at-me-from-the-inside/) [Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kane/) > [Pay special attention to their agony so I might take some pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euripides/pay-special-attention-to-their-agony-so-i-might-take-some-pleasure/) [Euripides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euripides/) > [Die, enemies of Ra!" Sekhemet yelled. "Perish in agony!" "She's almost as annoying as you," I told Horus. "Impossible," Horus said. "No one bests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/die-enemies-of-ra-sekhemet-yelled-perish-in-agony-she-s-almost-as/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) [Browse all 813 Agony quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agony/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“A life of hardship and personal suffering is unavoidable. A person must endure many humiliations of the mind and body, and expect persons whom they trusted to someday betray them. People inevitably witness the death of their loved ones. We also witness acts of depravity committed by criminals that lurk in every society and rouge acts of scandal committed by government officials in charge of the public welfare. A person must nonetheless resist personal discouragement, sadness, dejection, and despondency. 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