--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Pain is not a punishment; pleasure is not…" description: "\"Pain is not a punishment; pleasure is not a reward.\" — Pema Chodron" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/084/pema-ch-dr-n-327_crime_pain-is-not-a-punishment-pleasure-is-not_1605785.png" --- # Pain is not a punishment; pleasure is not a reward. ![“Pain is not a punishment; pleasure is not a reward.” quote by Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/084/pema-ch-dr-n-327_crime_pain-is-not-a-punishment-pleasure-is-not_1605785.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/084/pema-ch-dr-n-327_crime_pain-is-not-a-punishment-pleasure-is-not_1605785.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/084/pema-ch-dr-n-327_crime_pain-is-not-a-punishment-pleasure-is-not_1605785.png) > “Pain is not a punishment; pleasure is not a reward.” [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. Pain and pleasure are not moral judgments; they are neutral experiences. **In simple terms:** Pain and pleasure are neutral, not moral. Key Takeaway Detach judgment from sensations. Themes mindfulness non-judgment experience Mood calm neutral Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - therapy sessions - daily meditation - stress coping Key Concepts Buddhist philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does labeling affect your experience? - Can you observe pain without judgment? A Different Perspective Hard to stop labeling sensations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure/) [Punishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punishment/) [Rewards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rewards/) ## Related quotes > [Pain is not a punishment. And pleasure is not a reward. You could argue that failure is not punishment and Success is not reward.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-lewis/pain-is-not-a-punishment-and-pleasure-is-not-a-reward-you-could-argue/) [Sarah Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-lewis/) > [All pain is a punishment, and every punishment is inflicted for love as much as for justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-de-maistre/all-pain-is-a-punishment-and-every-punishment-is-inflicted-for-love/) [Joseph de Maistre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-de-maistre/) > [Pain is not a punishment, it is an eye opener.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan/pain-is-not-a-punishment-it-is-an-eye-opener/) [Joan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan/) > [“God has given us the freedom to make choices. Some choices will be better than others. 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I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-nodier/if-you-are-alone-tell-some-stories-to-yourself-this-is-a-different/) [Charles Nodier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-nodier/) > [“...the reward centers of the brain--where the pleasure of those high-calorie foods registers--also respond to other substances that bring about pleasure…But those reward centers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-greene/the-reward-centers-of-the-brain-where-the-pleasure-of-those-high/) [Bob Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-greene/) > [“Thomas Edison once said, “One might think that the money value of an invention constitutes its reward to the man who loves his work.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-r-niven/thomas-edison-once-said-one-might-think-that-the-money-value-of-an/) Paul R. Niven > [One might think that the money value of an invention constitutes its reward to the man who loves his work. But... I continue to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/one-might-think-that-the-money-value-of-an-invention-constitutes-its/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [“Pleasure is a reward, given to the human system by evolution in return for services rendered to the preservation and increase of the species.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/pleasure-is-a-reward-given-to-the-human-system-by-evolution-in-return/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) > [Rewards and punishments, to speak frankly, are the desk of the soul, that is, a means of enslaving a child's spirit, and better suited…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/rewards-and-punishments-to-speak-frankly-are-the-desk-of-the-soul/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [Cool loneliness allows us to look honestly and without aggressionat our own minds. We can gradually drop our ideals of who we think weought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/cool-loneliness-allows-us-to-look-honestly-and-without-aggressionat/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [We give it up and just look directly with compassion and humor at who we are. 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