--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Only to the extent that we expose…" description: "\"Only to the extent that we expose ourselves over and over to annihilation can that which is indestructible in us be found.\" — Pema Chodron" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb4/pema-ch-dr-n-327_annihilation_only-to-the-extent-that-we-expose-oursel_1815271.png" --- # Only to the extent that we expose ourselves over and over… ![“Only to the extent that we expose ourselves over and over to annihilation can that which is indestructible in us be found.” quote by Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb4/pema-ch-dr-n-327_annihilation_only-to-the-extent-that-we-expose-oursel_1815271.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb4/pema-ch-dr-n-327_annihilation_only-to-the-extent-that-we-expose-oursel_1815271.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb4/pema-ch-dr-n-327_annihilation_only-to-the-extent-that-we-expose-oursel_1815271.png) > “Only to the extent that we expose ourselves over and over to annihilation can that which is indestructible in us be found.” [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Repeated exposure to fear reveals inner resilience and indestructible qualities. **In simple terms:** Facing fear shows inner strength. Key Takeaway Embrace challenges to discover resilience. Themes fear resilience self‑discovery Mood calm inspired Type philosophical spiritual When to use this quote - therapy - spiritual practice - personal growth - adversity Key Concepts mindfulness impermanence inner strength Questions to Reflect On - What fears have you faced repeatedly? - How does confronting fear change you? A Different Perspective Fear can be overwhelming if not balanced with support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Annihilation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/annihilation/) [Commitment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commitment/) [Determination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/determination/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Personal growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-growth/) ## Related quotes > [“I used to have a sign pinned up on my wall that read: Only to the extent that we expose ourselves over and over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/i-used-to-have-a-sign-pinned-up-on-my-wall-that-read-only-to-the/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [it is only to the extent that we are willing to expose ourselves again and again to annihilation that we are able to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/it-is-only-to-the-extent-that-we-are-willing-to-expose-ourselves/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [If the suns come down, and the moons crumble into dust, and systems after systems are hurled into annihilation, what is that to you?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/if-the-suns-come-down-and-the-moons-crumble-into-dust-and-systems/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [When I first became famous in the United Kingdom it was helpful because it meant there wasn't a spite of 'this bloke's a drug…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-brand/when-i-first-became-famous-in-the-united-kingdom-it-was-helpful/) [Russell Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-brand/) > [“31. The human body seems indestructible when we are young. However, it is incredibly fragile and must be care for if it is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-c-dobson/31-the-human-body-seems-indestructible-when-we-are-young-however-it/) [James C. Dobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-c-dobson/) > [If ever there was a cause, if ever there can be a cause, worthy to be upheld by all of toil or sacrifice that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/if-ever-there-was-a-cause-if-ever-there-can-be-a-cause-worthy-to-be/) [Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/) > [The economic dependence of woman and her apparently indestructible illusion that marriage will release her from loneliness and work and worry are potent factors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-barnett-gilson/the-economic-dependence-of-woman-and-her-apparently-indestructible/) [Mary Barnett Gilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-barnett-gilson/) > [Everyone has a struggle in life, and the question is do you allow yourself to be overcome by it or do you master it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-draiman/everyone-has-a-struggle-in-life-and-the-question-is-do-you-allow/) [David Draiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-draiman/) > [Without any doubt the best player in the Premiership has to be Paul Scholes. He knows how to do everything, and he is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thierry-henry/without-any-doubt-the-best-player-in-the-premiership-has-to-be-paul/) [Thierry Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thierry-henry/) > [Love is what God is, love is why Jesus came, and love is why he continues to come, year after year to person after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/love-is-what-god-is-love-is-why-jesus-came-and-love-is-why-he/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [Love is indestructible. It's holy flame forever burneth; from Heaven it came, to Heaven returneth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-southey/love-is-indestructible-it-s-holy-flame-forever-burneth-from-heaven-it/) [Robert Southey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-southey/) > [The books remind us that way down deep in our hearts, part of us knows that we are creatures of light and we cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/the-books-remind-us-that-way-down-deep-in-our-hearts-part-of-us-knows/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [To be sure, the ancient belief that the dream reveals the future is not entirely devoid of truth. By representing to us a wish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/to-be-sure-the-ancient-belief-that-the-dream-reveals-the-future-is/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [I am a wire-walker. I can walk any time, anywhere - I'm indestructible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-petit/i-am-a-wire-walker-i-can-walk-any-time-anywhere-i-m-indestructible/) [Philippe Petit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-petit/) > [The Soul is not composed of any materials. It is unity indivisible. Therefore it must be indestructible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/the-soul-is-not-composed-of-any-materials-it-is-unity-indivisible/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) ## More by Pema Chodron > [“LIFE’S work is to wake up, to let the things that enter into your life wake you up rather than put you to sleep.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/life-s-work-is-to-wake-up-to-let-the-things-that-enter-into-your-life/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [Since death is certain and the time of death is uncertain, what is the most important thing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/since-death-is-certain-and-the-time-of-death-is-uncertain-what-is-the/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [Buddhist words such as compassion and emptiness don't mean much until we start cultivating our innate ability simply to be there with pain with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/buddhist-words-such-as-compassion-and-emptiness-don-t-mean-much-until/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [The essence of generosity is letting go. Pain is always a sign that we are holding on to something - usually ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/the-essence-of-generosity-is-letting-go-pain-is-always-a-sign-that-we/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“If the object of meditation were something concrete, something solid and graspable - an image or a statue or a dot on the floor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-the-object-of-meditation-were-something-concrete-something-solid/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [It's a transformative experience to simply pause instead of immediately fill up the space. By waiting, we begin to connect with fundamental restlessness as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/it-s-a-transformative-experience-to-simply-pause-instead-of/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“The essence of life is that it’s challenging. Sometimes it is sweet, and sometimes it is bitter. Sometimes your body tenses, and sometimes it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/the-essence-of-life-is-that-it-s-challenging-sometimes-it-is-sweet/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [If we run a hundred miles an hour to the other end of the continent in order to get away from the obstacle, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-we-run-a-hundred-miles-an-hour-to-the-other-end-of-the-continent/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“But in this meditation technique, we are with the out-breath; there's no particular instruction about what to do until the next out-breath.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/but-in-this-meditation-technique-we-are-with-the-out-breath-there-s/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know. Nothing ever really attacks us except our own confusion. Perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/nothing-ever-goes-away-until-it-has-taught-us-what-we-need-to-know/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [So even if the hot loneliness is there, and for 1.6 seconds we sit with that restlessness when yesterday we couldn't sit for even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/so-even-if-the-hot-loneliness-is-there-and-for-1-6-seconds-we-sit/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [If you have rage and righteously act it out and blame it all on others, it's really you who suffers. The other people and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-you-have-rage-and-righteously-act-it-out-and-blame-it-all-on/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“When we realize that the path is the goal, there’s a sense of workability. Trungpa Rinpoche said, “Whatever occurs in the confused mind is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/when-we-realize-that-the-path-is-the-goal-there-s-a-sense-of/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [Every day is a new opportunity to work with what you have inside toward enlightenment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/every-day-is-a-new-opportunity-to-work-with-what-you-have-inside/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [If someone comes along and shoots an arrow into your heart, it’s fruitless to stand there and yell at the person. It would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-someone-comes-along-and-shoots-an-arrow-into-your-heart-it-s/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) [Explore all 664 Pema Chodron quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) ## More Annihilation quotes > [The heart that breaks open can contain the whole universe... All is registered in the 'boundless heart' of the bodhisattva. Through our deepest and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-macy/the-heart-that-breaks-open-can-contain-the-whole-universe-all-is/) [Joanna Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-macy/) > [The highest ideal of cure is the rapid, gentle and permanent restoration of health; that is, the lifting and annihilation of the disease in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-hahnemann/the-highest-ideal-of-cure-is-the-rapid-gentle-and-permanent/) [Samuel Hahnemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-hahnemann/) > [To fight is to face death once more, perhaps the total annihilation of their kind. But to run... is that not also a kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nalini-singh/to-fight-is-to-face-death-once-more-perhaps-the-total-annihilation-of/) [Nalini Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nalini-singh/) > [I'm not afraid of anything other than spiritual annihilation. Where your soul is sucked into the void.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crispian-mills/i-m-not-afraid-of-anything-other-than-spiritual-annihilation-where/) Crispian Mills > [“The breath had become as much a trick as breathing. Things were not dual merely, but multiple. I had become a cage of mirrors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/the-breath-had-become-as-much-a-trick-as-breathing-things-were-not/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [There were days when she was unhappy, she did not know why,--when it did not seem worthwhile to be glad or sorry, to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-chopin/there-were-days-when-she-was-unhappy-she-did-not-know-why-when-it-did/) [Kate Chopin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-chopin/) > [I've crossed some kind of invisible line. I feel as if I've come to a place I never thought I'd have to come to.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-carver/i-ve-crossed-some-kind-of-invisible-line-i-feel-as-if-i-ve-come-to-a/) [Raymond Carver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-carver/) > [We travel together, passengers on a little spaceship, dependent on it's vulnerable reserves of air and soil, all committed, for our safety, to it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adlai-e-stevenson/we-travel-together-passengers-on-a-little-spaceship-dependent-on-it-s/) [Adlai E. Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adlai-e-stevenson/) > [Liberty is to faction, what air is to fire, an aliment without which it instantly expires. But it could not be a less folly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/liberty-is-to-faction-what-air-is-to-fire-an-aliment-without-which-it/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [Today I will once more be a prophet. If the international Jewish financiers, inside and outside Europe, succeed in plunging the nations once more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/today-i-will-once-more-be-a-prophet-if-the-international-jewish/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [“The edge of total annihilation wasn't the worst place to hide.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kit-rocha/the-edge-of-total-annihilation-wasn-t-the-worst-place-to-hide/) [Kit Rocha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kit-rocha/) > [To hope is to give yourself to the future - and that commitment to the future is what makes the present inhabitable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/to-hope-is-to-give-yourself-to-the-future-and-that-commitment-to-the/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [Annihilation is an absurdity in terms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-palissy/annihilation-is-an-absurdity-in-terms/) Bernard Palissy > [Love is scary because it pulls you in with an intense force, a supermassive black hole which looks like nothing from the outside but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/love-is-scary-because-it-pulls-you-in-with-an-intense-force-a/) [Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/) > [I have issued the command, and I'll have anybody who utters but one word of criticism executed by a firing squad, that our war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/i-have-issued-the-command-and-i-ll-have-anybody-who-utters-but-one/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) [Browse all 244 Annihilation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/annihilation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Only to the extent that we expose ourselves over and over to annihilation can that which is indestructible in us be found.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Pema Chodron" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/only-to-the-extent-that-we-expose-ourselves-over-and-over-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Annihilation" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/only-to-the-extent-that-we-expose-ourselves-over-and-over-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb4/pema-ch-dr-n-327_annihilation_only-to-the-extent-that-we-expose-oursel_1815271.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb4/pema-ch-dr-n-327_annihilation_only-to-the-extent-that-we-expose-oursel_1815271.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb4/pema-ch-dr-n-327_annihilation_only-to-the-extent-that-we-expose-oursel_1815271.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Only to the extent that we expose ourselves over and over to annihilation can that which is indestructible…” — Pema Chodron", "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": "Pema Chodron", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Only to the extent that we...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/only-to-the-extent-that-we-expose-ourselves-over-and-over-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/only-to-the-extent-that-we-expose-ourselves-over-and-over-to/#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 } } ] } ```