--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only way through pain…is to absorb…" description: "\"The only way through pain…is to absorb, probe, understand exactly what it is and what it means. To close the door on pain is to miss the chance for gro..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c24/may-sarton-897_chance_the-only-way-through-pain-is-to-absorb-p_1732012.jpg" --- # The only way through pain…is to absorb, probe, understand… ![“The only way through pain…is to absorb, probe, understand exactly what it is and what it means. To close the door on pain is to miss the chance for growth.” quote by May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c24/may-sarton-897_chance_the-only-way-through-pain-is-to-absorb-p_1732012.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c24/may-sarton-897_chance_the-only-way-through-pain-is-to-absorb-p_1732012.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c24/may-sarton-897_chance_the-only-way-through-pain-is-to-absorb-p_1732012.jpg) > “The only way through pain…is to absorb, probe, understand exactly what it is and what it means. To close the door on pain is to miss the chance for growth.” [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Understanding pain deeply transforms it into a catalyst for personal growth rather than something to avoid. **In simple terms:** Pain can teach if we examine it. Key Takeaway Embrace and study discomfort for growth. Themes self-awareness growth resilience Mood reflective determined Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - therapy sessions - personal setbacks - creative blocks - relationship conflicts Key Concepts psychology mindfulness emotional intelligence Questions to Reflect On - What does your pain reveal about you? - How can confronting discomfort improve your life? A Different Perspective Ignoring pain may prevent learning and healing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absorb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absorb/) [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Close Door](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/close-door/) [Door Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/door-pain-522784/) [Doors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doors/) [Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Missing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/missing/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Pain Absorb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain-absorb-1439250/) [Pain Miss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain-miss-811932/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [“Over the hum of the appliances, she heard the knocking on the back door. The pain pill must not have knocked Spender out for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-howard/over-the-hum-of-the-appliances-she-heard-the-knocking-on-the-back/) [Linda Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-howard/) > [“Perhaps pain was not a hot potato after all, but a traveling professor. Maybe instead of slamming the door on pain, I need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glennon-doyle-melton/perhaps-pain-was-not-a-hot-potato-after-all-but-a-traveling-professor/) [Glennon Doyle Melton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glennon-doyle-melton/) > [A pain it is to love indeed, but it is pain that you miss, of all pain, the greatest pain it is to love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-pain-it-is-to-love-indeed-but-it-is-pain-that-you-miss-of-all-pain/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I could have missed the pain, but I'd have had to miss the dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-arata/i-could-have-missed-the-pain-but-i-d-have-had-to-miss-the-dance/) [Tony Arata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-arata/) > [I could have missed the pain but I'd of had to miss the dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-arata/i-could-have-missed-the-pain-but-i-d-of-had-to-miss-the-dance/) [Tony Arata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-arata/) > [Cant eat cant sleep all I can do is think about you I dont enjoy the pain and all I can do is miss…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alanna-woodward-mee/cant-eat-cant-sleep-all-i-can-do-is-think-about-you-i-dont-enjoy-the/) [Alanna Woodward (mee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alanna-woodward-mee/) > [We, we were lost. This world of pain. I miss you so much now I call again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-maya/we-we-were-lost-this-world-of-pain-i-miss-you-so-much-now-i-call-again/) [Edward Maya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-maya/) > [Getting a room's not always enough. Sometimes you gotta close the door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/getting-a-room-s-not-always-enough-sometimes-you-gotta-close-the-door/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [Ma'am," Augustus said, nodding toward her, "Your daughter's car has just been deservingly egged by a blind man. Please close the door and go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/ma-am-augustus-said-nodding-toward-her-your-daughter-s-car-has-just/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [When you close that door to nowhere throw away the key, we have a tendency to look back and regret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/when-you-close-that-door-to-nowhere-throw-away-the-key-we-have-a/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [They'll try to close the door on you... Just open it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dj-khaled/they-ll-try-to-close-the-door-on-you-just-open-it/) [DJ Khaled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dj-khaled/) > [In the garden the door is always open into the holy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/in-the-garden-the-door-is-always-open-into-the-holy/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [“I realized I was a teacher when I felt warm during class and got up to open the door. Later on there was noise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/i-realized-i-was-a-teacher-when-i-felt-warm-during-class-and-got-up/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [“We resent being talked to. We’d rather be talked with. So will all of the experts and the terminally self-absorbed please leave the room…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-scott/we-resent-being-talked-to-we-d-rather-be-talked-with-so-will-all-of/) [Susan Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-scott/) > [I was beautiful the day we met, But now I'm not so sure. Awkward and alone, you don't make me feel sexy anymore. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-was-beautiful-the-day-we-met-but-now-i-m-not-so-sure-awkward-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by May Sarton > [“I felt pain like an assault, The old pain again When the world thrusts itself inside, When we have to take in the outside,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/i-felt-pain-like-an-assault-the-old-pain-again-when-the-world-thrusts/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [Most people have to talk so they won't hear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/most-people-have-to-talk-so-they-won-t-hear/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [People who cannot feel punish those who do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/people-who-cannot-feel-punish-those-who-do/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [This suspension of one's own reality, this being entirely alone in a strange city (at times I wondered if I had lost the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/this-suspension-of-one-s-own-reality-this-being-entirely-alone-in-a/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [One must think like a hero to behave like a merely decent human being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/one-must-think-like-a-hero-to-behave-like-a-merely-decent-human-being/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [Real joy is becoming exceedingly rare among artists of any kind. And I have an idea that those who can and do communicate it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/real-joy-is-becoming-exceedingly-rare-among-artists-of-any-kind-and-i/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [For to be desperate is to discover strength. / We die of comfort and by conflict live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/for-to-be-desperate-is-to-discover-strength-we-die-of-comfort-and-by/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [“I see you with that shell Held to your sensitive abstracted ear, Hunting the ocean’s rumor till you hear it well, Until you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/i-see-you-with-that-shell-held-to-your-sensitive-abstracted-ear/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [There is a wilder solitude in winter When every sense is pricked alive and keen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/there-is-a-wilder-solitude-in-winter-when-every-sense-is-pricked/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [I long for the bulbs to arrive, for the early autumn chores are melancholy, but the planting of bulbs is the work of hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/i-long-for-the-bulbs-to-arrive-for-the-early-autumn-chores-are/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [Why is it that people who cannot show feeling presume that that is a strength and not a weakness?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/why-is-it-that-people-who-cannot-show-feeling-presume-that-that-is-a/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [Innocence is not pure so much as pleased, Always expectant, bright-eyed, self-enclosed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/innocence-is-not-pure-so-much-as-pleased-always-expectant-bright-eyed/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [I have written every poem, every novel, for the same purpose-to find out what I think, to know where I stand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/i-have-written-every-poem-every-novel-for-the-same-purpose-to-find/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [For art is order, but it is born out of the chaos of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/for-art-is-order-but-it-is-born-out-of-the-chaos-of-life/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [all great people are humble because great people have great work and are humbled by the largeness of their dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/all-great-people-are-humble-because-great-people-have-great-work-and/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) [Explore all 336 May Sarton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) ## More Absorb quotes > [The absence of God in most spheres of life is perceived to be normal, and even Christians feel it as normal - which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/the-absence-of-god-in-most-spheres-of-life-is-perceived-to-be-normal/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [We were interested in this notion of compression- a lot of the songs were really short so that you'd absorb them in memory rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arto-lindsay/we-were-interested-in-this-notion-of-compression-a-lot-of-the-songs/) [Arto Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arto-lindsay/) > [“Always read…always learn…always absorb.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pia-leba-talmud/always-read-always-learn-always-absorb/) [Pia Leba Talmud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pia-leba-talmud/) > [If you're very open to watching the world go by, with people's different tics, you absorb it all without realizing it and find ways…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-blunt/if-you-re-very-open-to-watching-the-world-go-by-with-people-s/) [Emily Blunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-blunt/) > [“…he was doing a breath hydrogen test. If you know the amount of hydrogen someone is exhaling orally, it's a simple matter to extrapolate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/he-was-doing-a-breath-hydrogen-test-if-you-know-the-amount-of/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [I would spend hours absorbing every intonation, every inflection - how the singer would convey a sentiment and how it would sound coming out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kat-edmonson/i-would-spend-hours-absorbing-every-intonation-every-inflection-how/) [Kat Edmonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kat-edmonson/) > [Be a mirror, absorb everything around you and still remain the same](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/be-a-mirror-absorb-everything-around-you-and-still-remain-the-same/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [To Kiss : An attempt to absorb the essence of the other person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giacomo-casanova/to-kiss-an-attempt-to-absorb-the-essence-of-the-other-person/) [Giacomo Casanova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giacomo-casanova/) > [Most of the things you absorb you will ultimately secrete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/most-of-the-things-you-absorb-you-will-ultimately-secrete/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [You absorb 2,000 years of history just by being near the Thames.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/you-absorb-2-000-years-of-history-just-by-being-near-the-thames/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [We live with incessant music, all the time. It's like some weird musical purgatory, there is absolutely no rest for the ears, no space…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-blake/we-live-with-incessant-music-all-the-time-it-s-like-some-weird/) [James Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-blake/) > [Technology teaches passivity. Absorbed in our devices - at any age - we are absorbed in someone else's perspective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-cameron/technology-teaches-passivity-absorbed-in-our-devices-at-any-age-we/) [Julia Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-cameron/) > [A man, to read, must read alone. He may make extracts, he may work at books in company; but to read, to absorb, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-jefferies/a-man-to-read-must-read-alone-he-may-make-extracts-he-may-work-at/) [Richard Jefferies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-jefferies/) > [Console yourself, you're better alone destroy yourself, see who gives a fuck. Absorb yourself, you're better alone destroy yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamb-of-god/console-yourself-you-re-better-alone-destroy-yourself-see-who-gives-a/) [Lamb Of God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamb-of-god/) > [In '77 there was no Internet, there was no Twitter or Facebook, and I think that, without being some old git who hates anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jones/in-77-there-was-no-internet-there-was-no-twitter-or-facebook-and-i/) [Steve Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jones/) [Browse all 194 Absorb quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absorb/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The only way through pain…is to absorb, probe, understand exactly what it is and what it means. 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