--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ‎Comparing is empoverishing our own…" description: "\"“‎Comparing is empoverishing our own experience. There is meaning to our suffering, if we rise above it.”\" — Paulo Coelho" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d7/paulo-coelho-10_comparing_comparing-is-empoverishing-our-own-exper_2365566.jpg" --- # ‎Comparing is empoverishing our own experience. There is… ![“‎Comparing is empoverishing our own experience. There is meaning to our suffering, if we rise above it.” quote by Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d7/paulo-coelho-10_comparing_comparing-is-empoverishing-our-own-exper_2365566.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d7/paulo-coelho-10_comparing_comparing-is-empoverishing-our-own-exper_2365566.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d7/paulo-coelho-10_comparing_comparing-is-empoverishing-our-own-exper_2365566.jpg) > ““‎Comparing is empoverishing our own experience. There is meaning to our suffering, if we rise above it.”” [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Comparing ourselves diminishes our unique journey; suffering holds meaning if we transcend it. **In simple terms:** Avoid comparison, find purpose in hardship. Key Takeaway Rise above suffering to discover meaning. Themes comparison suffering meaning personal growth Mood contemplative inspirational Type philosophical self‑help When to use this quote - grief processing - career setbacks - relationship challenges - spiritual practice Key Concepts existentialism mindfulness resilience Questions to Reflect On - How can you honor your pain? - What does rising above look like? A Different Perspective Comparison can still be useful for learning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) ## Related quotes > [“No matter how heavy and gruesome the cross you have to carry in your life, surrender to the suffering and RISE.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-sequeira/no-matter-how-heavy-and-gruesome-the-cross-you-have-to-carry-in-your/) [Tina Sequeira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-sequeira/) > [Experience by itself teaches nothing... Without theory, experience has no meaning. Without theory, one has no questions to ask. Hence, without theory, there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-edwards-deming/experience-by-itself-teaches-nothing-without-theory-experience-has-no/) [W. Edwards Deming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-edwards-deming/) > [To do so is to fulfill our finest nature, to do less is to lose our chance to experience the full meaning of being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-mamerto/to-do-so-is-to-fulfill-our-finest-nature-to-do-less-is-to-lose-our/) [Edwin Mamerto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-mamerto/) > [No birth is an accident, No experience is without meaning, and no life is without value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-zukav/no-birth-is-an-accident-no-experience-is-without-meaning-and-no-life/) [Gary Zukav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-zukav/) > [Comparing is impoverishing your own experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/comparing-is-impoverishing-your-own-experience/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Comparing objects like cars, houses, clothes, and defining life according to those comparisons, instead of trying to discover the real reason for being alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/comparing-objects-like-cars-houses-clothes-and-defining-life/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [To live is to suffer. But to survive, well that's to find the meaning into suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmx/to-live-is-to-suffer-but-to-survive-well-that-s-to-find-the-meaning/) [DMX](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmx/) > [To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/to-live-is-to-suffer-to-survive-is-to-find-some-meaning-in-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [The way of surviving is to find meaning in suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurel-lea/the-way-of-surviving-is-to-find-meaning-in-suffering/) [Laurel Lea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurel-lea/) > [It is here that we encounter the central theme of existentialism: to live is to suffer, to survive is to find meaning in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/it-is-here-that-we-encounter-the-central-theme-of-existentialism-to/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [To write is to give meaning to suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandra-pizarnik/to-write-is-to-give-meaning-to-suffering/) [Alejandra Pizarnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandra-pizarnik/) > [“To leave is to suffer,to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/to-leave-is-to-suffer-to-survive-is-to-find-some-meaning-in-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [I adore themes of hope and courage and the ways we find meaning through suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruta-sepetys/i-adore-themes-of-hope-and-courage-and-the-ways-we-find-meaning/) [Ruta Sepetys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruta-sepetys/) > [“all languages that derive from Latin form the word "compassion" by combining the prefix meaning "with" (com-) and the root meaning "suffering”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/all-languages-that-derive-from-latin-form-the-word-compassion-by/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [We need not only a purpose in life to give meaning to our existence but also something to give meaning to our suffering. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/we-need-not-only-a-purpose-in-life-to-give-meaning-to-our-existence/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) ## More by Paulo Coelho > [I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were all made by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-have-inside-me-the-winds-the-deserts-the-oceans-the-stars-and/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Love will never separate a man from his personal legend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/love-will-never-separate-a-man-from-his-personal-legend/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [The world has a soul and whoever understands that soul can also understand the language of many things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-world-has-a-soul-and-whoever-understands-that-soul-can-also/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [You dont choose your life; it chooses you. Theres no point asking why life has reserved certain joys or griefs, you just accept them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-dont-choose-your-life-it-chooses-you-theres-no-point-asking-why/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [To love is to be in communion with the other and to discover in that other the spark of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/to-love-is-to-be-in-communion-with-the-other-and-to-discover-in-that/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [It is not enough to dream of the Impossible Love - it is necessary to conquer it too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/it-is-not-enough-to-dream-of-the-impossible-love-it-is-necessary-to/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Eat when it is time to eat. And walk when it is time to walk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/eat-when-it-is-time-to-eat-and-walk-when-it-is-time-to-walk/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [People are reading more and writing more because of the internet. So the virtual world is a way for me to listen to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/people-are-reading-more-and-writing-more-because-of-the-internet-so/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Joy is like sex – it begins and ends. I want pleasure. I want to be contended, but happiness? I no longer fall into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/joy-is-like-sex-it-begins-and-ends-i-want-pleasure-i-want-to-be/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Trudi se da zivis, sjecanja su za starije ljude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/trudi-se-da-zivis-sjecanja-su-za-starije-ljude/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [I've always been a very restless person. I work hard, spend too much time looking after my son, I dance like a mad thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-ve-always-been-a-very-restless-person-i-work-hard-spend-too-much/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [When someone leaves, it's because someone else is about to arrive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/when-someone-leaves-it-s-because-someone-else-is-about-to-arrive/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [The past and the future become unimportant. There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-past-and-the-future-become-unimportant-there-is-only-that-moment/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [She didn't need to understand the meaning of life; it was enough to find someone who did, and then fall asleep in his arms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/she-didn-t-need-to-understand-the-meaning-of-life-it-was-enough-to/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“The simpler the pose, the better; the more sober, the more beautiful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-simpler-the-pose-the-better-the-more-sober-the-more-beautiful/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) [Explore all 3,665 Paulo Coelho quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) ## More Comparing quotes > [Nothing will kill what you've been called to do more than comparing yourself to someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/nothing-will-kill-what-you-ve-been-called-to-do-more-than-comparing/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [One of the greatest of all sources of misery is comparing yourself to others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhat/one-of-the-greatest-of-all-sources-of-misery-is-comparing-yourself-to/) [Zhat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhat/) > [If you're not comparing apples to apples, it doesn't matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reince-priebus/if-you-re-not-comparing-apples-to-apples-it-doesn-t-matter/) [Reince Priebus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reince-priebus/) > [You start comparing people, and ultimately, somebody feels diminished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-van-gundy/you-start-comparing-people-and-ultimately-somebody-feels-diminished/) [Jeff Van Gundy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-van-gundy/) > [“The trouble with comparing yourself to others is that there are too many others. Using all others as your control group, all your worst…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/the-trouble-with-comparing-yourself-to-others-is-that-there-are-too/) [Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/) > [“we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyndale/we-dare-not-class-ourselves-or-compare-ourselves-with-those-who/) [Tyndale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyndale/) > [When ever we start comparing our partner with others that means we start ending our relationship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-choudhri/when-ever-we-start-comparing-our-partner-with-others-that-means-we/) Nikhil Choudhri > [“Comparing yourself to others does nothing for you. Society has conditioned us to value people who fit a secular mold of perfection".”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michele-woolley/comparing-yourself-to-others-does-nothing-for-you-society-has/) [Michele Woolley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michele-woolley/) > [Comparing objects like cars, houses, clothes, and defining life according to those comparisons, instead of trying to discover the real reason for being alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/comparing-objects-like-cars-houses-clothes-and-defining-life/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Don’t undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-dyson/don-t-undermine-your-worth-by-comparing-yourself-with-others-it-is/) [Brian Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-dyson/) > [“To love is to stop comparing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-love-is-to-stop-comparing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“All of us are interested in things outside of our stewardships, and we should be, but the most important way to do anything about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-covey/all-of-us-are-interested-in-things-outside-of-our-stewardships-and-we/) [Stephen R. Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-covey/) > [That's like comparing apples with hermaphroditic ground sloths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/that-s-like-comparing-apples-with-hermaphroditic-ground-sloths/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [The Problem With Things Is That Everyone Is Always Comparing Everyone With Everyone And Because Of That, It Discredits People...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-problem-with-things-is-that-everyone-is-always-comparing-everyone/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Quit comparing yourself to others. The only comparison that makes any sense is whether you are better today than you were yesterday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suman-rai/quit-comparing-yourself-to-others-the-only-comparison-that-makes-any/) [Suman Rai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suman-rai/) Browse all 174 Comparing quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“‎Comparing is empoverishing our own experience. 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