---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The thought that our lives are the source…"
description: "\"The thought that our lives are the source of other people's unhappiness, that's plain unbearable.\" — Naoki Higashida"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/062/naoki-higashida-10961_happiness_the-thought-that-our-lives-are-the-sourc_356722.png"
---

#  The thought that our lives are the source of other…

![“The thought that our lives are the source of other people's unhappiness, that's plain unbearable.” quote by Naoki Higashida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/062/naoki-higashida-10961_happiness_the-thought-that-our-lives-are-the-sourc_356722.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/062/naoki-higashida-10961_happiness_the-thought-that-our-lives-are-the-sourc_356722.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/062/naoki-higashida-10961_happiness_the-thought-that-our-lives-are-the-sourc_356722.png)

> “The thought that our lives are the source of other people's unhappiness, that's plain unbearable.”

[Naoki Higashida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naoki-higashida/)

## About This Quote

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

Recognizing that our actions can cause others' suffering is painful and hard to accept.

**In simple terms:** Our lives can cause others' unhappiness, which is hard to bear.

Key Takeaway

Reflect on how your behavior impacts others.

Themes

responsibility empathy human suffering

Mood

thoughtful somber

Type

reflective ethical

When to use this quote

- family dynamics
- workplace interactions
- social media
- community leadership

Key Concepts

psychology interpersonal impact

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you lessen the negative effects of your actions?
- What steps can you take to bring more joy to others?

A Different Perspective

It may be difficult to change deep‑seated habits that cause pain.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Sadness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sadness/) [Unhappiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unhappiness/)

## Related quotes

> [“He should be happy because he can think about the unhappiness of others! He’s stupid if he doesn’t know other people’s unhappiness is theirs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-caeiro/he-should-be-happy-because-he-can-think-about-the-unhappiness-of/)

[Alberto Caeiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-caeiro/)

> [To these people, unhappiness was a condition, an intolerable state of affairs. If pills could help, pills were taken. But pills were not going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/to-these-people-unhappiness-was-a-condition-an-intolerable-state-of/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [But I ask you, those of you who are with us all day, not to stress yourselves out because of us. When you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naoki-higashida/but-i-ask-you-those-of-you-who-are-with-us-all-day-not-to-stress/)

[Naoki Higashida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naoki-higashida/)

> [When you're not involved, other people's unhappiness seems to be about the funniest damn thing on earth because you think you can solve it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-hannah/when-you-re-not-involved-other-people-s-unhappiness-seems-to-be-about/)

[Barry Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-hannah/)

> [Many people's unhappiness is rooted in the habitual role they play. While our family role may have made sense growing up, it often wreaks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-mackler/many-people-s-unhappiness-is-rooted-in-the-habitual-role-they-play/)

[Lauren Mackler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-mackler/)

> [In the long run it makes little difference how cleverly others are deceived; if we are not doing what we are best equipped to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothea-brande/in-the-long-run-it-makes-little-difference-how-cleverly-others-are/)

[Dorothea Brande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothea-brande/)

> [There's a point of poverty at which the spirit isn't with the body all the time. It finds the body really too unbearable. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-ferdinand-celine/there-s-a-point-of-poverty-at-which-the-spirit-isn-t-with-the-body/)

[Louis-Ferdinand Celine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-ferdinand-celine/)

> [What is passion? It is surely the becoming of a person. Are we not, for most of our lives, marking time? Most of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boorman/what-is-passion-it-is-surely-the-becoming-of-a-person-are-we-not-for/)

[John Boorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boorman/)

> [In the love poetry of every age, the woman longs to be weighed down by the man's body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/in-the-love-poetry-of-every-age-the-woman-longs-to-be-weighed-down-by/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [Anyone can lose a fight. That doesn't bother me. But the shame that comes afterwards is unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-bellew/anyone-can-lose-a-fight-that-doesn-t-bother-me-but-the-shame-that/)

[Tony Bellew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-bellew/)

> [Between the covers of the books that no one had ever read again, in the old parchments damaged by dampness, a livid flower had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/between-the-covers-of-the-books-that-no-one-had-ever-read-again-in/)

[Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/)

> [Anyone whose goal is 'something higher' must expect someday to suffer vertigo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/anyone-whose-goal-is-something-higher-must-expect-someday-to-suffer/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [My job is unbearable to me because it conflicts with my only desire and my only calling, which is literature. Since I am nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/my-job-is-unbearable-to-me-because-it-conflicts-with-my-only-desire/)

[Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/)

> [We plan to eliminate the state of Israel and establish a purely Palestinian state. We will make life unbearable for Jews by psychological warfare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasser-arafat/we-plan-to-eliminate-the-state-of-israel-and-establish-a-purely/)

[Yasser Arafat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasser-arafat/)

> [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

## More by Naoki Higashida

> [“What I, as a person with special needs, longed for was to be taught what role, what purpose, I could have in society, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naoki-higashida/what-i-as-a-person-with-special-needs-longed-for-was-to-be-taught/)

[Naoki Higashida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naoki-higashida/)

> [But I ask you, those of you who are with us all day, not to stress yourselves out because of us. When you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naoki-higashida/but-i-ask-you-those-of-you-who-are-with-us-all-day-not-to-stress/)

[Naoki Higashida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naoki-higashida/)

> [People with autism never, ever feel at ease, wherever we are. Because of this, we wander off - or run away - in search…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naoki-higashida/people-with-autism-never-ever-feel-at-ease-wherever-we-are-because-of/)

[Naoki Higashida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naoki-higashida/)

> [“People can only understand their own pain. Even a genuine desire to help a person with a disability can become a burden or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naoki-higashida/people-can-only-understand-their-own-pain-even-a-genuine-desire-to/)

[Naoki Higashida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naoki-higashida/)

> [“Traveling with people who have special needs might present difficulties, but please, let it happen. We all need a break and a change of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naoki-higashida/traveling-with-people-who-have-special-needs-might-present/)

[Naoki Higashida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naoki-higashida/)

> [When you see an object, it seems that you see it as an entire thing first, and only afterwards do its details follow on.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naoki-higashida/when-you-see-an-object-it-seems-that-you-see-it-as-an-entire-thing/)

[Naoki Higashida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naoki-higashida/)

> [True compassion is about not bruising the other person’s self-respect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naoki-higashida/true-compassion-is-about-not-bruising-the-other-person-s-self-respect/)

[Naoki Higashida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naoki-higashida/)

> [“Naoki is anticipating his audience’s emotions and manipulating them. That is empathy. The conclusion is that both emotional poverty and an aversion to company…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naoki-higashida/naoki-is-anticipating-his-audience-s-emotions-and-manipulating-them/)

[Naoki Higashida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naoki-higashida/)

> [“I would like people to stop pressuring children to make friends. Friendships can’t be artificially created.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naoki-higashida/i-would-like-people-to-stop-pressuring-children-to-make-friends/)

[Naoki Higashida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naoki-higashida/)

> [“... for me the number one reason is that us people with autism love the greenness of nature. ... Our fondness for nature is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naoki-higashida/for-me-the-number-one-reason-is-that-us-people-with-autism-love-the/)

[Naoki Higashida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naoki-higashida/)

> [“autism is more like retina patterns than measles”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naoki-higashida/autism-is-more-like-retina-patterns-than-measles/)

[Naoki Higashida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naoki-higashida/)

> [“What brought you here isn't your fault. We human beings have to live each day to its fullest and do our best in whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naoki-higashida/what-brought-you-here-isn-t-your-fault-we-human-beings-have-to-live/)

[Naoki Higashida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naoki-higashida/)

> [“So how do people with autism see the world, exactly? We, only we, can ever know the answer to that one! Sometimes I actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naoki-higashida/so-how-do-people-with-autism-see-the-world-exactly-we-only-we-can/)

[Naoki Higashida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naoki-higashida/)

> [“We do take pleasure in one thing that you probably won't be able to guess. Namely, making friends with nature. ... nature is always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naoki-higashida/we-do-take-pleasure-in-one-thing-that-you-probably-won-t-be-able-to/)

[Naoki Higashida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naoki-higashida/)

> [“When boundaries of behavior are set, it’s crucial to respect those boundaries, but it’s doubly crucial that the boundaries are appropriate and realistic for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naoki-higashida/when-boundaries-of-behavior-are-set-it-s-crucial-to-respect-those/)

[Naoki Higashida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naoki-higashida/)

[Explore all 62 Naoki Higashida quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naoki-higashida/)

## More Happiness 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/)

> [Remember that your natural state is joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/remember-that-your-natural-state-is-joy/)

[Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/)

> [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. That is a false expectation… There are going to be priorities and dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/balance-suggests-a-perfect-equilibrium-there-is-no-such-thing-that-is/)

[Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/)

> [“WE CAN'T ALWAYS CONTROL OUR CIRCUMSTANCES BUT WE CAN CONTROL OUR ATTITUDE. WE MUST BE MORE CONCERNED WITH WHAT WE DO WITH WHAT HAPPENS…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-j-ashton/we-can-t-always-control-our-circumstances-but-we-can-control-our/)

[MARVIN J. ASHTON](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-j-ashton/)

> [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/)

[Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/)

> [Sometimes we wish for the feel but we never understand that we have to give a lot to get the feel !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reynolds/sometimes-we-wish-for-the-feel-but-we-never-understand-that-we-have/)

[Robert Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reynolds/)

> [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [“It was beautiful. He thought he had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life; that, having seen it, he could die content,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/it-was-beautiful-he-thought-he-had-never-seen-anything-so-beautiful/)

[Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/)

> [The happy have whole days,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colley-cibber/the-happy-have-whole-days/)

[Colley Cibber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colley-cibber/)

> [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [I've got nothing to do today but smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-ve-got-nothing-to-do-today-but-smile/)

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

> [Her dignity consists in being unknown to the world; her glory is in the esteem of her husband; her pleasures in the happiness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/her-dignity-consists-in-being-unknown-to-the-world-her-glory-is-in/)

[Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/)

> [The size of a man's understanding might always be justly measured by his mirth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-size-of-a-man-s-understanding-might-always-be-justly-measured-by/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [Positive thinking evokes more energy, more initiative, more happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/positive-thinking-evokes-more-energy-more-initiative-more-happiness/)

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

> [When you have a choice, choose happy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pancho-barnes/when-you-have-a-choice-choose-happy/)

Pancho Barnes

[Browse all 40,288 Happiness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The thought that our lives are the source of other people's unhappiness, that's plain unbearable.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Naoki Higashida"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naoki-higashida/the-thought-that-our-lives-are-the-source-of-other-people-s/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Happiness"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naoki-higashida/the-thought-that-our-lives-are-the-source-of-other-people-s/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/062/naoki-higashida-10961_happiness_the-thought-that-our-lives-are-the-sourc_356722.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/062/naoki-higashida-10961_happiness_the-thought-that-our-lives-are-the-sourc_356722.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/062/naoki-higashida-10961_happiness_the-thought-that-our-lives-are-the-sourc_356722.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The thought that our lives are the source of other people's unhappiness, that's plain unbearable.” — Naoki Higashida",
                "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": "Naoki Higashida",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naoki-higashida/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The thought that our lives are...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naoki-higashida/the-thought-that-our-lives-are-the-source-of-other-people-s/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naoki-higashida/the-thought-that-our-lives-are-the-source-of-other-people-s/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
