--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Anaesthesia, that's one technique: if it…" description: "\"Anaesthesia, that's one technique: if it hurts, invent a different pain.\" — Margaret Atwood" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ab/margaret-atwood-40_anaesthesia_anaesthesia-that-s-one-technique-if-it-h_935654.jpg" --- # Anaesthesia, that's one technique: if it hurts, invent a… ![“Anaesthesia, that's one technique: if it hurts, invent a different pain.” quote by Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ab/margaret-atwood-40_anaesthesia_anaesthesia-that-s-one-technique-if-it-h_935654.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ab/margaret-atwood-40_anaesthesia_anaesthesia-that-s-one-technique-if-it-h_935654.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ab/margaret-atwood-40_anaesthesia_anaesthesia-that-s-one-technique-if-it-h_935654.jpg) > “Anaesthesia, that's one technique: if it hurts, invent a different pain.” [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When pain becomes unbearable, innovate new ways to alleviate it rather than endure. **In simple terms:** Find new solutions to pain. Key Takeaway Innovate to ease suffering. Themes innovation resilience pain management Mood inspirational practical Type advice motivational When to use this quote - healthcare - personal setbacks - creative projects - stress relief Key Concepts creative problem solving adaptation Questions to Reflect On - What pain could you transform into a catalyst? - How can you reframe discomfort as opportunity? A Different Perspective Innovation may not eliminate the underlying issue. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Detachment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detachment/) [Emptiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emptiness/) [Numbness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/numbness/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Technique](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technique/) ## Related quotes > [I absolutely hate heading. I've got the worst technique because it hurts every time I do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-cantwell/i-absolutely-hate-heading-i-ve-got-the-worst-technique-because-it/) [Todd Cantwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-cantwell/) > [“Know that blank pages feel the urge of the ink as much as tears paint a different pain, changes”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goitsemang-sandra-mvula/know-that-blank-pages-feel-the-urge-of-the-ink-as-much-as-tears-paint/) Goitsemang Sandra Mvula > [Our stories are different; our pain is the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-buckley/our-stories-are-different-our-pain-is-the-same/) [Betty Buckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-buckley/) > [In order that a "self" may exist there must be some continuity of mental experiences and, particularly, continuity bridging gaps of unconsciousness. For example,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-eccles/in-order-that-a-self-may-exist-there-must-be-some-continuity-of/) [John Eccles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-eccles/) > [Discouragement is the anaesthesia the devil uses before he rips our very heart out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/discouragement-is-the-anaesthesia-the-devil-uses-before-he-rips-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The best thing about modern living is anaesthesia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-ryan/the-best-thing-about-modern-living-is-anaesthesia/) [Meg Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-ryan/) > [She smiled again. "Do you like cat?" she said. "Yes," said Richard. "I quite like cats." Anaesthesia looked relieved. "Thigh?" she asked, "or breast?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/she-smiled-again-do-you-like-cat-she-said-yes-said-richard-i-quite/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [I prefer insomnia to anaesthesia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-tabucchi/i-prefer-insomnia-to-anaesthesia/) [Antonio Tabucchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-tabucchi/) > [... we ought to have saints' days to commemorate the great discoveries which have been made for all mankind, and perhaps for all time-or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/we-ought-to-have-saints-days-to-commemorate-the-great-discoveries/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [Winning intoxicates you, and numbs you to the sufferings of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/winning-intoxicates-you-and-numbs-you-to-the-sufferings-of-others/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [You know, I think the people I feel saddest for are the ones who once knew what profoundness was, but who lost or became…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/you-know-i-think-the-people-i-feel-saddest-for-are-the-ones-who-once/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [I wish I could explain it so someone could understand it. I'm afraid it's something I can't put into words. There's just this heavy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/i-wish-i-could-explain-it-so-someone-could-understand-it-i-m-afraid/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [He wondered if this was what clinical depression felt like, a total numbness, a weary lack of hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/he-wondered-if-this-was-what-clinical-depression-felt-like-a-total/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [You have to be nicer to me," I said. Again he laughed. "What? I'm the King of nice. What are you talking about?" "You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-myracle/you-have-to-be-nicer-to-me-i-said-again-he-laughed-what-i-m-the-king/) [Lauren Myracle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-myracle/) > [She still felt shell-shocked by all of it, numb. Beneath the numbness, though, was a raw and terrible anger that was unlike anything she'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-hannah/she-still-felt-shell-shocked-by-all-of-it-numb-beneath-the-numbness/) [Kristin Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-hannah/) ## More by Margaret Atwood > [“I'm fine," said Pilar, "for the moment. And the moment is the only time we can be fine in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-m-fine-said-pilar-for-the-moment-and-the-moment-is-the-only-time-we/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [And yet it disturbs me to learn I have hurt someone unintentionally. I want all my hurts to be intentional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/and-yet-it-disturbs-me-to-learn-i-have-hurt-someone-unintentionally-i/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Mary: Some call this "Eve's curse," but I think that is stupid because the real curse of Eve was having to put up with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/mary-some-call-this-eve-s-curse-but-i-think-that-is-stupid-because/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“The birds were singing around me, but I reflected that the very birds were strangers to me, for I did not even know their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-birds-were-singing-around-me-but-i-reflected-that-the-very-birds/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Strange how we decorate pain. These ribbons, for instance, and the small hard teardrops of blood. Who are they for? Do we think the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/strange-how-we-decorate-pain-these-ribbons-for-instance-and-the-small/) [margaret atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [I wanted to forget the past, but it refused to forget me; it waited for sleep, then cornered me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-wanted-to-forget-the-past-but-it-refused-to-forget-me-it-waited-for/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Back at home they drew the curtains and read, with disapproval, with relish, with avidity and glee - even the ones who'd never thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/back-at-home-they-drew-the-curtains-and-read-with-disapproval-with/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“It's my fault. I am forgetting too much.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/it-s-my-fault-i-am-forgetting-too-much/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [All fiction is about people, unless it's about rabbits pretending to be people. It's all essentially characters in action, which means characters moving through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/all-fiction-is-about-people-unless-it-s-about-rabbits-pretending-to/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Simon walks back to the house alone. The night is clear and warm, with a moon, almost full, enclosed in a nimbus of mist;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/simon-walks-back-to-the-house-alone-the-night-is-clear-and-warm-with/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“There is indeed something delightful about being able to combine obedience and disobedience in the same act.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/there-is-indeed-something-delightful-about-being-able-to-combine/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Every time the women appear, Snowman is astonished all over again. They're every known colour from the deepest black to whitest white, they're various…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/every-time-the-women-appear-snowman-is-astonished-all-over-again-they/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Once you publish a book, it is out of your control. You cannot dictate how people read it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/once-you-publish-a-book-it-is-out-of-your-control-you-cannot-dictate/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“The more difficult it was to love the particular man beside us, the more we believed in Love, abstract and total. We were waiting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-more-difficult-it-was-to-love-the-particular-man-beside-us-the/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“She knows she's deceiving herself about that, but she prefers to deceive herself. She desperately needs to believe such pure joy is still possible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/she-knows-she-s-deceiving-herself-about-that-but-she-prefers-to/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) [Explore all 2,072 Margaret Atwood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) ## More Anaesthesia quotes > [She smiled again. "Do you like cat?" she said. "Yes," said Richard. "I quite like cats." Anaesthesia looked relieved. "Thigh?" she asked, "or breast?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/she-smiled-again-do-you-like-cat-she-said-yes-said-richard-i-quite/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [I prefer insomnia to anaesthesia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-tabucchi/i-prefer-insomnia-to-anaesthesia/) [Antonio Tabucchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-tabucchi/) > [... we ought to have saints' days to commemorate the great discoveries which have been made for all mankind, and perhaps for all time-or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/we-ought-to-have-saints-days-to-commemorate-the-great-discoveries/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [The best thing about modern living is anaesthesia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-ryan/the-best-thing-about-modern-living-is-anaesthesia/) [Meg Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-ryan/) > [Discouragement is the anaesthesia the devil uses before he rips our very heart out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/discouragement-is-the-anaesthesia-the-devil-uses-before-he-rips-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In order that a "self" may exist there must be some continuity of mental experiences and, particularly, continuity bridging gaps of unconsciousness. For example,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-eccles/in-order-that-a-self-may-exist-there-must-be-some-continuity-of/) [John Eccles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-eccles/) Browse all 7 Anaesthesia quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Anaesthesia, that's one technique: if it hurts, invent a different pain.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Margaret Atwood" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/anaesthesia-that-s-one-technique-if-it-hurts-invent-a-different-pain/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Anaesthesia" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/anaesthesia-that-s-one-technique-if-it-hurts-invent-a-different-pain/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ab/margaret-atwood-40_anaesthesia_anaesthesia-that-s-one-technique-if-it-h_935654.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ab/margaret-atwood-40_anaesthesia_anaesthesia-that-s-one-technique-if-it-h_935654.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ab/margaret-atwood-40_anaesthesia_anaesthesia-that-s-one-technique-if-it-h_935654.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Anaesthesia, that's one technique: if it hurts, invent a different pain.” — Margaret Atwood", "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": "Margaret Atwood", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Anaesthesia, that's one technique: if it...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/anaesthesia-that-s-one-technique-if-it-hurts-invent-a-different-pain/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/anaesthesia-that-s-one-technique-if-it-hurts-invent-a-different-pain/#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 } } ] } ```