---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Pain is no longer pain when it is past."
description: "\"Pain is no longer pain when it is past.\" — Margaret Junkin Preston"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/311/margaret-junkin-preston-64226_inspirational_pain-is-no-longer-pain-when-it-is-past-1_1466319.png"
---

#  Pain is no longer pain when it is past.

![“Pain is no longer pain when it is past.” quote by Margaret Junkin Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/311/margaret-junkin-preston-64226_inspirational_pain-is-no-longer-pain-when-it-is-past-1_1466319.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/311/margaret-junkin-preston-64226_inspirational_pain-is-no-longer-pain-when-it-is-past-1_1466319.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/311/margaret-junkin-preston-64226_inspirational_pain-is-no-longer-pain-when-it-is-past-1_1466319.png)

> “Pain is no longer pain when it is past.”

[Margaret Junkin Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-junkin-preston/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Pain loses its sting once it becomes a memory, indicating that suffering is tied to present awareness.

**In simple terms:** Pain fades when it's no longer present.

Key Takeaway

Focus on the present to reduce suffering.

Themes

pain time memory

Mood

calming thoughtful

Type

therapeutic philosophical

When to use this quote

- grief counseling
- stress management
- mindfulness meditation
- trauma recovery

Key Concepts

psychology temporal perception healing

Questions to Reflect On

- Can you observe how present focus changes your perception of past pain?
- What strategies help you stay present?

A Different Perspective

It may minimize the ongoing impact of past trauma.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [What makes heartbreak even worse is the pain they elicit goes on for much longer than pain typically associated with physical injuries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anupam/what-makes-heartbreak-even-worse-is-the-pain-they-elicit-goes-on-for/)

AnuPam

> [I don't think any of us can speak frankly about pain until we are no longer enduring it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/i-don-t-think-any-of-us-can-speak-frankly-about-pain-until-we-are-no/)

[Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/)

> [“Pain will no longer be our curse, Molly”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalie-ham/pain-will-no-longer-be-our-curse-molly/)

[Rosalie Ham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalie-ham/)

> [“Pain was no longer a mystery to him, and a man familiar with pain has entered a new kind of freedom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-bender/pain-was-no-longer-a-mystery-to-him-and-a-man-familiar-with-pain-has/)

[Aimee Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-bender/)

> [Everything else has found a way to let me go. I suppose pain is a longer process..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/everything-else-has-found-a-way-to-let-me-go-i-suppose-pain-is-a/)

[Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/)

> [The moment when you cant bare the pain no longer…but yet it continues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-moment-when-you-cant-bare-the-pain-no-longer-but-yet-it-continues/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“She was capable of causing me pain, but no longer any joy. Pain alone kept my wearisome attachment alive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/she-was-capable-of-causing-me-pain-but-no-longer-any-joy-pain-alone/)

[Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/)

> [I dont think any of us can speak frankly about pain until we are no longer enduring it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/i-dont-think-any-of-us-can-speak-frankly-about-pain-until-we-are-no/)

[Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/)

> [Never let the pain from your past punish your present and paralyze your future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-let-the-pain-from-your-past-punish-your-present-and-paralyze/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I can close my eyes and still feel the pain of the past. But, I can open them and realize I got thru it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/my-purple-heart/i-can-close-my-eyes-and-still-feel-the-pain-of-the-past-but-i-can/)

My Purple Heart

> [“Every moment is brand new, but we often fill the new with fear of the future or pain of the past instead of simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivian-amis/every-moment-is-brand-new-but-we-often-fill-the-new-with-fear-of-the/)

[Vivian Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivian-amis/)

> [Can close her eyes and still feel the pain of the past. Then she opens her eyes and realises she got through it... now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/can-close-her-eyes-and-still-feel-the-pain-of-the-past-then-she-opens/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“There wasn't any point in dwelling in the pain of the past, not when the future could hold suck pleasure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/there-wasn-t-any-point-in-dwelling-in-the-pain-of-the-past-not-when/)

[Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/)

> [Worst feeling in the world, how you try to be happy and try your best to heal from the pain and something from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/worst-feeling-in-the-world-how-you-try-to-be-happy-and-try-your-best/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [you cannot let the pain of the past destroy the happiness of the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracie-peterson/you-cannot-let-the-pain-of-the-past-destroy-the-happiness-of-the/)

[Tracie Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracie-peterson/)

## More by Margaret Junkin Preston

> [The lotos bowed above the tide and dreamed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-junkin-preston/the-lotos-bowed-above-the-tide-and-dreamed/)

[Margaret Junkin Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-junkin-preston/)

> [But see, in our open clearings, how golden the melons lie; Enrich them with sweets and spices, and give us the pumpkin-pie!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-junkin-preston/but-see-in-our-open-clearings-how-golden-the-melons-lie-enrich-them/)

[Margaret Junkin Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-junkin-preston/)

> [O Nature, gracious mother of us all, Within thy bosom myriad secrets lie Which thou surrenderest to the patient eye That seeks and waits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-junkin-preston/o-nature-gracious-mother-of-us-all-within-thy-bosom-myriad-secrets/)

[Margaret Junkin Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-junkin-preston/)

> [God pity the tortured hearts that will pant through this night! And the agony of the poor wife who has heard that her husband…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-junkin-preston/god-pity-the-tortured-hearts-that-will-pant-through-this-night-and/)

[Margaret Junkin Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-junkin-preston/)

[Explore all 5 Margaret Junkin Preston quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-junkin-preston/)

## More Inspirational quotes

> [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [We talk to God--that is prayer; God talks to us--that is inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-emilie-cady/we-talk-to-god-that-is-prayer-god-talks-to-us-that-is-inspiration/)

[H. Emilie Cady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-emilie-cady/)

> [You cant be controlling in improv.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-walsh/you-cant-be-controlling-in-improv/)

[Matt Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-walsh/)

> [The man who can master his time can master nearly anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-man-who-can-master-his-time-can-master-nearly-anything/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Just understand that the good that you want is already here. All you have to do is get in harmony with it. And you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/just-understand-that-the-good-that-you-want-is-already-here-all-you/)

[Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/)

> [“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/if-you-want-to-build-a-ship-don-t-drum-up-the-men-to-gather-wood/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [Obviously, if you don't love life, you can't enjoy an oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-clark/obviously-if-you-don-t-love-life-you-can-t-enjoy-an-oyster/)

[Eleanor Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-clark/)

> [It's not the method, it's the mindset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gilbert/it-s-not-the-method-it-s-the-mindset/)

[Andy Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gilbert/)

> [It's a hard thing to describe. It's just this sense that you got something to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/it-s-a-hard-thing-to-describe-it-s-just-this-sense-that-you-got/)

[Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/)

> [Too much familiarity breeds contempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/too-much-familiarity-breeds-contempt/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [We never really perceive what color is physically!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-albers/we-never-really-perceive-what-color-is-physically/)

[Josef Albers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-albers/)

> [Politics is not an issue whether you like or dislike , but every citizen must involve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khem-veasna/politics-is-not-an-issue-whether-you-like-or-dislike-but-every/)

[Khem Veasna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khem-veasna/)

> [God reveals Himself through surprises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/god-reveals-himself-through-surprises/)

[Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/)

> [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/)

[Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/)

[Browse all 114,561 Inspirational quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Pain is no longer pain when it is past.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Margaret Junkin Preston"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-junkin-preston/pain-is-no-longer-pain-when-it-is-past/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Inspirational"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-junkin-preston/pain-is-no-longer-pain-when-it-is-past/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/311/margaret-junkin-preston-64226_inspirational_pain-is-no-longer-pain-when-it-is-past-1_1466319.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/311/margaret-junkin-preston-64226_inspirational_pain-is-no-longer-pain-when-it-is-past-1_1466319.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/311/margaret-junkin-preston-64226_inspirational_pain-is-no-longer-pain-when-it-is-past-1_1466319.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Pain is no longer pain when it is past.” — Margaret Junkin Preston",
                "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 Junkin Preston",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-junkin-preston/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Pain is no longer pain when...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-junkin-preston/pain-is-no-longer-pain-when-it-is-past/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-junkin-preston/pain-is-no-longer-pain-when-it-is-past/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
