--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Endure pain, find joy, and make your own…" description: "\"Endure pain, find joy, and make your own meaning, because the universe certainly isn't going to supply it.\" — Lois McMaster Bujold" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db2/lois-mcmaster-bujold-716_endure_endure-pain-find-joy-and-make-your-own-m_112240.jpg" --- # Endure pain, find joy, and make your own meaning, because… ![“Endure pain, find joy, and make your own meaning, because the universe certainly isn't going to supply it.” quote by Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db2/lois-mcmaster-bujold-716_endure_endure-pain-find-joy-and-make-your-own-m_112240.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db2/lois-mcmaster-bujold-716_endure_endure-pain-find-joy-and-make-your-own-m_112240.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db2/lois-mcmaster-bujold-716_endure_endure-pain-find-joy-and-make-your-own-m_112240.jpg) > “Endure pain, find joy, and make your own meaning, because the universe certainly isn't going to supply it.” [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. One must tolerate suffering, create happiness, and assign personal significance because external forces will not provide inherent meaning. **In simple terms:** Endure pain, find joy, craft your own purpose. Key Takeaway Meaning is self‑generated, not given. Themes pain joy meaning existentialism Mood determined optimistic Type motivation philosophical When to use this quote - recovering from illness - starting a creative project without external validation Key Concepts personal agency Practical Applications - Practice gratitude daily - Set personal goals aligned with values Questions to Reflect On - How do you distinguish between unavoidable pain and self‑imposed suffering? - What practices help you construct meaning? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Endure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/endure/) [Endure Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/endure-pain-347952/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [Meaning Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaning-universe-734873/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Pain Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain-joy/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) [Universe Certainly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe-certainly-423279/) ## Related quotes > [“We’re not the greatest thing in the universe, certainly not the smartest. Seems logical there’d be a great many things in it we can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvain-neuvel/we-re-not-the-greatest-thing-in-the-universe-certainly-not-the/) [Sylvain Neuvel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvain-neuvel/) > [Even if I knew nothing of the atoms, I would venture to assert on the evidence of the celestial phenomena themselves, supported by many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/even-if-i-knew-nothing-of-the-atoms-i-would-venture-to-assert-on-the/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [I definitely think that I, as a drag queen, can endure pain a lot better than most people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/violet-chachki/i-definitely-think-that-i-as-a-drag-queen-can-endure-pain-a-lot/) [Violet Chachki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/violet-chachki/) > [Always work harder than other people are willing to work. Sweat more, endure more pain, and then reap the rewards of success and achievement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cheeke/always-work-harder-than-other-people-are-willing-to-work-sweat-more/) [Robert Cheeke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-cheeke/) > [The earth is, of course, not the geometric center of the universe. But it is certainly the center of our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-roochnik/the-earth-is-of-course-not-the-geometric-center-of-the-universe-but/) [David Roochnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-roochnik/) > [If there's any real truth, it's that the entire multidimensional infinity of the Universe is almost certainly being run by a bunch of maniacs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/if-there-s-any-real-truth-it-s-that-the-entire-multidimensional/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [The construction of the universe is certainly very much easier to explain than is that of the plant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/the-construction-of-the-universe-is-certainly-very-much-easier-to/) [Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/) > [Well, I mean, yes idealism, yes the dignity of pure research, yes the pursuit of truth in all its forms, but there comes a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/well-i-mean-yes-idealism-yes-the-dignity-of-pure-research-yes-the/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“but there comes a point I’m afraid where you begin to suspect that if there’s any real truth, it’s that the entire multidimensional infinity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/but-there-comes-a-point-i-m-afraid-where-you-begin-to-suspect-that-if/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“There's no meaning. What's the meaning of the universe? What's the meaning of a flea? It's just there. We're so engaged in doing things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/there-s-no-meaning-what-s-the-meaning-of-the-universe-what-s-the/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [I think that taking life seriously means something such as this: that whatever man does on this planet has to be done in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/i-think-that-taking-life-seriously-means-something-such-as-this-that/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [We should provide the meaning of the universe in the meaning of our own lives. So I think science doesn't necessarily have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/we-should-provide-the-meaning-of-the-universe-in-the-meaning-of-our/) [Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/) > [ The sum total of all sums total is eternal (meaning the universe). \[Lat., Summarum summa est aeternum.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/the-sum-total-of-all-sums-total-is-eternal-meaning-the-universe-lat/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [We need God, not in order to understand the why, but in order to feel and sustain the ultimate wherefore, to give a meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-unamuno/we-need-god-not-in-order-to-understand-the-why-but-in-order-to-feel/) [Miguel de Unamuno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-unamuno/) > [Does a being who requires meaning find meaning in a universe that has no meaning?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/does-a-being-who-requires-meaning-find-meaning-in-a-universe-that-has/) [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) ## More by Lois McMaster Bujold > [What you are is a question only you can answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/what-you-are-is-a-question-only-you-can-answer/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [Never do yourself, what you can con professionals into doing for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/never-do-yourself-what-you-can-con-professionals-into-doing-for-you/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [“It reminded him of that definition of his father's. A weapon is a device for making your enemy change his mind. The mind was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/it-reminded-him-of-that-definition-of-his-father-s-a-weapon-is-a/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [“I was imagining the most bizarre things befalling you.” “Did they include a six-hundred-pound ice bear and a pirate poet?” “No…” “Then they weren’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/i-was-imagining-the-most-bizarre-things-befalling-you-did-they/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [There is a sad disconnectedness that overcomes a library when its owner is gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/there-is-a-sad-disconnectedness-that-overcomes-a-library-when-its/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [“No, amusing me only, I wonder if they realize how they are used?" "Not a bit. They think they are the emperors of creation."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/no-amusing-me-only-i-wonder-if-they-realize-how-they-are-used-not-a/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [“You bastards are on the top of Imperial Lord Auditor Miles Vorkosigan's very own shit list now, you bet. But under what name? Only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/you-bastards-are-on-the-top-of-imperial-lord-auditor-miles-vorkosigan/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [“Anyway, if the Cetagandans really wanted to assassinate you, they'd hardly do it here. They'd slip something subtle under your skin that wouldn't go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/anyway-if-the-cetagandans-really-wanted-to-assassinate-you-they-d/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [Your Reverence, I do not hate any man in this world enough to inflict the results of my prayers upon him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/your-reverence-i-do-not-hate-any-man-in-this-world-enough-to-inflict/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [“I always thought my parents could fix anything. Now it's my turn. Dear God, how did this happen?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/i-always-thought-my-parents-could-fix-anything-now-it-s-my-turn-dear/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [“I think it is not so much the growth of virtue, as simply the replacement of prior vices with an addiction to one’s god.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/i-think-it-is-not-so-much-the-growth-of-virtue-as-simply-the/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [“Mark’s ideas tended to the bland, and there was no point in asking Miles, whose embittered suggestions all ran to things like Vomit Vanilla…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/mark-s-ideas-tended-to-the-bland-and-there-was-no-point-in-asking/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [The dead cannot cry out for justice. It is a duty of the living to do so for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/the-dead-cannot-cry-out-for-justice-it-is-a-duty-of-the-living-to-do/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [“Gardens were meant to be seen, smelled, walked through, grubbed in. A hundred objective measurements didn't sum the worth of a garden; only the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/gardens-were-meant-to-be-seen-smelled-walked-through-grubbed-in-a/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [“Something I did not know at twenty,” said Nikys slowly, “that I do know at thirty, is that when a woman marries a man,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/something-i-did-not-know-at-twenty-said-nikys-slowly-that-i-do-know/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) [Explore all 392 Lois McMaster Bujold quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) ## More Endure quotes > [So many things beat upon us in a lifetime that simply enduring may seem almost beyond us… But the test a loving God has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/so-many-things-beat-upon-us-in-a-lifetime-that-simply-enduring-may/) [Henry B. Eyring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-b-eyring/) > [This is no time for ease and comfort. It is time to dare and endure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/this-is-no-time-for-ease-and-comfort-it-is-time-to-dare-and-endure/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [There is a spirit which I feel that delights to do no evil, nor to revenge any wrong, but delights to endure all things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nayler/there-is-a-spirit-which-i-feel-that-delights-to-do-no-evil-nor-to/) [James Nayler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nayler/) > [A great read; an exciting, frightening account of organized crime today. But like all important works of nonfiction, it goes further… This book is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/le-ly-hayslip/a-great-read-an-exciting-frightening-account-of-organized-crime-today/) [Le Ly Hayslip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/le-ly-hayslip/) > [It is easy enough to say that man is immortal simply because he will endure: that when the last ding-dong of doom has clanged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/it-is-easy-enough-to-say-that-man-is-immortal-simply-because-he-will/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [It is well for a man when he has learned to endure what he cannot change, and to give up with dignity what he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-schiller/it-is-well-for-a-man-when-he-has-learned-to-endure-what-he-cannot/) [Friedrich Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-schiller/) > [The art of life is to know how to enjoy a little and to endure very much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-art-of-life-is-to-know-how-to-enjoy-a-little-and-to-endure-very/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [Life is not a PG feel-good movie. Real life often ends badly. Literature tries to document this reality, while showing us it is still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/life-is-not-a-pg-feel-good-movie-real-life-often-ends-badly/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) > [It is impossible to build enduring institutions without solid values. For us, the fundamental value is that associated with democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-henrique-cardoso/it-is-impossible-to-build-enduring-institutions-without-solid-values/) [Fernando Henrique Cardoso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-henrique-cardoso/) > [I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness because it shows me the stars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/i-will-love-the-light-for-it-shows-me-the-way-yet-i-will-endure-the/) [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) > [“This is how they are able to continue and endure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/this-is-how-they-are-able-to-continue-and-endure/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [There are many who say they want to be victorious Christians, but few are willing to endure the discipline necessary to make one a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vance-havner/there-are-many-who-say-they-want-to-be-victorious-christians-but-few/) [Vance Havner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vance-havner/) > [“Whatever befalls us, we will endure it together. I clutch my longbow and dagger close to my side. My last thoughts linger on my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-noce/whatever-befalls-us-we-will-endure-it-together-i-clutch-my-longbow/) [Mark Noce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-noce/) > [“One by one, I'll face the tasks before me and complete them as best I can. Focusing on each stride forward, but at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/one-by-one-i-ll-face-the-tasks-before-me-and-complete-them-as-best-i/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) [Browse all 2,549 Endure quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/endure/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Endure pain, find joy, and make your own meaning, because the universe certainly isn't going to supply it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lois McMaster Bujold" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/endure-pain-find-joy-and-make-your-own-meaning-because-the-universe/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Endure" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/endure-pain-find-joy-and-make-your-own-meaning-because-the-universe/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db2/lois-mcmaster-bujold-716_endure_endure-pain-find-joy-and-make-your-own-m_112240.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db2/lois-mcmaster-bujold-716_endure_endure-pain-find-joy-and-make-your-own-m_112240.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db2/lois-mcmaster-bujold-716_endure_endure-pain-find-joy-and-make-your-own-m_112240.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Endure pain, find joy, and make your own meaning, because the universe certainly isn't going to supply it.” — Lois McMaster Bujold", "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": "Lois McMaster Bujold", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Endure pain, find joy, and make...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/endure-pain-find-joy-and-make-your-own-meaning-because-the-universe/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/endure-pain-find-joy-and-make-your-own-meaning-because-the-universe/#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 } } ] } ```