--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Affliction is not some test that simply…" description: "\"“Affliction is not some test that simply exists to build our character. It beats us up. It changes us. It sobers us. It raises ultimate questions.”\" — ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ee/russ-ramsey-42952_quote_affliction-is-not-some-test-that-simply_1664092.jpg" --- # Affliction is not some test that simply exists to build… ![“Affliction is not some test that simply exists to build our character. It beats us up. It changes us. It sobers us. It raises ultimate questions.” quote by Russ Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ee/russ-ramsey-42952_quote_affliction-is-not-some-test-that-simply_1664092.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ee/russ-ramsey-42952_quote_affliction-is-not-some-test-that-simply_1664092.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ee/russ-ramsey-42952_quote_affliction-is-not-some-test-that-simply_1664092.jpg) > ““Affliction is not some test that simply exists to build our character. It beats us up. It changes us. It sobers us. It raises ultimate questions.”” [Russ Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-ramsey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Affliction is portrayed as a harsh teacher that forces change, sobering us and prompting profound existential questions rather than merely building character. **In simple terms:** Suffering forces change and deep questions. Key Takeaway Accept hardship as a catalyst for growth. Themes suffering growth existential inquiry Mood reflective serious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - life crises - therapy sessions - spiritual retreats Key Concepts resilience transformation meaning Questions to Reflect On - What question has suffering forced you to ask? - How can you turn pain into purpose? A Different Perspective Hardship may overwhelm, causing despair rather than insight. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Affliction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affliction/) [Affliction Test](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affliction-test-790690/) [Changes Sobers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/changes-sobers-790691/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Test](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/test/) ## Related quotes > [I don't feel insecure about any of this work anymore. Maybe I don't have what I had when I was younger. I'm not really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/i-don-t-feel-insecure-about-any-of-this-work-anymore-maybe-i-don-t/) [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) > [Short-term amnesia is not the worst affliction if you have an Irish flair for the sauce.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/short-term-amnesia-is-not-the-worst-affliction-if-you-have-an-irish/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [Religion prescribes to every miserable man the means of bettering his condition; nay, it shows him that the bearing of his afflictions as he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/religion-prescribes-to-every-miserable-man-the-means-of-bettering-his/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Afflictions make the heart more deep, more experimental, more knowing and profound, and so, more able to hold, to contain, and beat more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bunyan/afflictions-make-the-heart-more-deep-more-experimental-more-knowing/) [John Bunyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bunyan/) > [God measures out affliction to our need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-john-chrysostom/god-measures-out-affliction-to-our-need/) [Saint John Chrysostom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-john-chrysostom/) > [We are infinitely more than our limitations and afflictions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/we-are-infinitely-more-than-our-limitations-and-afflictions/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [May I strike my heart's keys clearly, and may none fail because of slack, uncertain, or fraying strings. May the tears that stream down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/may-i-strike-my-heart-s-keys-clearly-and-may-none-fail-because-of/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [Aimee Parkison offers a distinct new voice to contemporary fiction. Her seductive stories explore childhood as a realm of sorrows, and reveal the afflictions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-anshaw/aimee-parkison-offers-a-distinct-new-voice-to-contemporary-fiction/) [Carol Anshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-anshaw/) > [New materials are one of the great afflictions of contemporary art. Some artists confuse new materials with new ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-lewitt/new-materials-are-one-of-the-great-afflictions-of-contemporary-art/) [Sol LeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-lewitt/) > [Henceforth, I'll bear Affliction till it do cry out itself, 'Enough, enough, and die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/henceforth-i-ll-bear-affliction-till-it-do-cry-out-itself-enough/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Come, then, affliction, if my Father wills, and be my frowning friend. A friend that frowns is better than a smiling enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/come-then-affliction-if-my-father-wills-and-be-my-frowning-friend-a/) [George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/) > [There is nothing in afflictions which ought to disturb our joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/there-is-nothing-in-afflictions-which-ought-to-disturb-our-joy/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [WHANGDEPOOTENAWAH, n. In the Ojibwa tongue, disaster; an unexpected affliction that strikes hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/whangdepootenawah-n-in-the-ojibwa-tongue-disaster-an-unexpected/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [Every man will have his own criterion in forming his judgment of others. I depend very much on the effect of affliction. I consider…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cecil/every-man-will-have-his-own-criterion-in-forming-his-judgment-of/) [Richard Cecil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cecil/) > [Revolution will free society of its afflictions, while science will free the individual of his.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/revolution-will-free-society-of-its-afflictions-while-science-will/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) ## More by Russ Ramsey > [“Tim Keller wrote, “Human beings are hope-shaped creatures. The way you live now is completely controlled by what you believe about the future.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-ramsey/tim-keller-wrote-human-beings-are-hope-shaped-creatures-the-way-you/) [Russ Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-ramsey/) > [“Historically, God deals with those he loves by breaking them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-ramsey/historically-god-deals-with-those-he-loves-by-breaking-them/) [Russ Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-ramsey/) > [“My other realization was that when I look back on my life as a performing songwriter, among all my regrets, all the moments of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-ramsey/my-other-realization-was-that-when-i-look-back-on-my-life-as-a/) [Russ Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-ramsey/) > [“I do not like being thwarted, but shall I receive good from the God and not also trouble? The voices that say Recover so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-ramsey/i-do-not-like-being-thwarted-but-shall-i-receive-good-from-the-god/) [Russ Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-ramsey/) > [“We want the people around us to show us a satisfactory measure of genuine empathy, but no one has any idea what that looks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-ramsey/we-want-the-people-around-us-to-show-us-a-satisfactory-measure-of/) [Russ Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-ramsey/) > [“I also needed what God has brought. I needed to lose control. I needed a broken heart. I needed to be dipped in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-ramsey/i-also-needed-what-god-has-brought-i-needed-to-lose-control-i-needed/) [Russ Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-ramsey/) > [“Lamentation is the intentional process of grieving and mourning so that we can bid an honest farewell to what we’ve lost and embrace the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-ramsey/lamentation-is-the-intentional-process-of-grieving-and-mourning-so/) [Russ Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-ramsey/) > [“There is something holy about taking up the task of stewarding a life, especially our own. If we come to this work at all,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-ramsey/there-is-something-holy-about-taking-up-the-task-of-stewarding-a-life/) [Russ Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-ramsey/) > [“If I wanted, I could come up with reasons to be angry with everyone I know; there are sins of commission or omission I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-ramsey/if-i-wanted-i-could-come-up-with-reasons-to-be-angry-with-everyone-i/) [Russ Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-ramsey/) [Explore all 10 Russ Ramsey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-ramsey/) ## More Affliction quotes > [I don't feel insecure about any of this work anymore. Maybe I don't have what I had when I was younger. I'm not really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/i-don-t-feel-insecure-about-any-of-this-work-anymore-maybe-i-don-t/) [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) > [Every man will have his own criterion in forming his judgment of others. I depend very much on the effect of affliction. I consider…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cecil/every-man-will-have-his-own-criterion-in-forming-his-judgment-of/) [Richard Cecil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cecil/) > [WHANGDEPOOTENAWAH, n. In the Ojibwa tongue, disaster; an unexpected affliction that strikes hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/whangdepootenawah-n-in-the-ojibwa-tongue-disaster-an-unexpected/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [There is nothing in afflictions which ought to disturb our joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/there-is-nothing-in-afflictions-which-ought-to-disturb-our-joy/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [Come, then, affliction, if my Father wills, and be my frowning friend. A friend that frowns is better than a smiling enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/come-then-affliction-if-my-father-wills-and-be-my-frowning-friend-a/) [George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/) > [Henceforth, I'll bear Affliction till it do cry out itself, 'Enough, enough, and die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/henceforth-i-ll-bear-affliction-till-it-do-cry-out-itself-enough/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [New materials are one of the great afflictions of contemporary art. Some artists confuse new materials with new ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-lewitt/new-materials-are-one-of-the-great-afflictions-of-contemporary-art/) [Sol LeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-lewitt/) > [Aimee Parkison offers a distinct new voice to contemporary fiction. Her seductive stories explore childhood as a realm of sorrows, and reveal the afflictions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-anshaw/aimee-parkison-offers-a-distinct-new-voice-to-contemporary-fiction/) [Carol Anshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-anshaw/) > [May I strike my heart's keys clearly, and may none fail because of slack, uncertain, or fraying strings. May the tears that stream down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/may-i-strike-my-heart-s-keys-clearly-and-may-none-fail-because-of/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [We are infinitely more than our limitations and afflictions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/we-are-infinitely-more-than-our-limitations-and-afflictions/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [God measures out affliction to our need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-john-chrysostom/god-measures-out-affliction-to-our-need/) [Saint John Chrysostom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-john-chrysostom/) > [Afflictions make the heart more deep, more experimental, more knowing and profound, and so, more able to hold, to contain, and beat more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bunyan/afflictions-make-the-heart-more-deep-more-experimental-more-knowing/) [John Bunyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bunyan/) > [Religion prescribes to every miserable man the means of bettering his condition; nay, it shows him that the bearing of his afflictions as he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/religion-prescribes-to-every-miserable-man-the-means-of-bettering-his/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Short-term amnesia is not the worst affliction if you have an Irish flair for the sauce.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/short-term-amnesia-is-not-the-worst-affliction-if-you-have-an-irish/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [Revolution will free society of its afflictions, while science will free the individual of his.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/revolution-will-free-society-of-its-afflictions-while-science-will/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) [Browse all 598 Affliction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affliction/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Affliction is not some test that simply exists to build our character. It beats us up. It changes us. It sobers us. It raises ultimate questions.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Russ Ramsey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-ramsey/affliction-is-not-some-test-that-simply-exists-to-build-our-character/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Affliction" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-ramsey/affliction-is-not-some-test-that-simply-exists-to-build-our-character/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ee/russ-ramsey-42952_quote_affliction-is-not-some-test-that-simply_1664092.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ee/russ-ramsey-42952_quote_affliction-is-not-some-test-that-simply_1664092.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ee/russ-ramsey-42952_quote_affliction-is-not-some-test-that-simply_1664092.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Affliction is not some test that simply exists to build our character. It beats us up. It changes us. It…” — Russ Ramsey", "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": "Russ Ramsey", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-ramsey/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Affliction is not some test that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-ramsey/affliction-is-not-some-test-that-simply-exists-to-build-our-character/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-ramsey/affliction-is-not-some-test-that-simply-exists-to-build-our-character/#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 } } ] } ```