---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Against the suffering which may come upon…"
description: "\"Against the suffering which may come upon one from human relationships the readiest safeguard is voluntary isolation, keeping oneself aloof from other ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d3/sigmund-freud-360_aloof_against-the-suffering-which-may-come-upo_38643.jpg"
---

#  Against the suffering which may come upon one from human…

![“Against the suffering which may come upon one from human relationships the readiest safeguard is voluntary isolation, keeping oneself aloof from other people. The happiness which can be achieved along this path is, as we see, the happiness of quietness. Against the dreaded external world one can…” quote by Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d3/sigmund-freud-360_aloof_against-the-suffering-which-may-come-upo_38643.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d3/sigmund-freud-360_aloof_against-the-suffering-which-may-come-upo_38643.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d3/sigmund-freud-360_aloof_against-the-suffering-which-may-come-upo_38643.jpg)

> “Against the suffering which may come upon one from human relationships the readiest safeguard is voluntary isolation, keeping oneself aloof from other people. The happiness which can be achieved along this path is, as we see, the happiness of quietness. Against the dreaded external world one can only defend oneself by some kind of turning away from it, if one intends to solve the task by oneself.”

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

## About This Quote

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

Isolation protects against relational pain, offering quiet happiness; confronting the external world requires personal withdrawal and self-reliance.

**In simple terms:** Self‑imposed solitude shields from relational distress.

Key Takeaway

Quiet contentment arises from deliberate withdrawal.

Themes

self‑preservation psychological defense solitude inner peace autonomy

Mood

contemplative somber resolute

Type

philosophical psychological advice

When to use this quote

- when relationships become toxic
- during emotional overwhelm
- seeking mental clarity
- after betrayal
- in high‑stress environments

Key Concepts

psychology human relationships suffering happiness

Practical Applications

- personal therapy strategies
- mindfulness retreats

Questions to Reflect On

- What balance between connection and solitude fosters well‑being?
- How can one practice healthy boundaries without full withdrawal?

A Different Perspective

Isolation can exacerbate loneliness and hinder social growth.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Aloof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aloof/) [Human relations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-relations/) [Human relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-relationship/) [Human relationships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-relationships/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Isolation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/isolation/) [Loneliness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loneliness/) [Path](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/path/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Quietness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quietness/) [Solitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solitude/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [Only by keeping oneself in constant process of growth, under the constant influence of the best things in one's own age, does one become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-key/only-by-keeping-oneself-in-constant-process-of-growth-under-the/)

[Ellen Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-key/)

> [“But underneath it all I tell myself the tiny glow-worm of the Leave event will be blinking. Up to me to surmount the trial,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-ne-cixous/but-underneath-it-all-i-tell-myself-the-tiny-glow-worm-of-the-leave/)

[Hélène Cixous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-ne-cixous/)

> [“We are all in “the perpetual quest for keeping oneself occupied, entertained, and important—which burns at the edge of addiction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jana-richman/we-are-all-in-the-perpetual-quest-for-keeping-oneself-occupied/)

Jana Richman

> [I know that keeping aloof is not a wise thing but since I have nothing to prove, please don't depict me as an escapist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suresh-gopi/i-know-that-keeping-aloof-is-not-a-wise-thing-but-since-i-have/)

[Suresh Gopi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suresh-gopi/)

> [People tell me all the time that I look forbidding or aloof. That doesn't bother me much - I am fairly private, withdrawn, and...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ric-ocasek/people-tell-me-all-the-time-that-i-look-forbidding-or-aloof-that/)

[Ric Ocasek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ric-ocasek/)

> [If you're a Brit you kinda get used to people being cold and aloof and just generally arrogant - particularly musicians. (Compared to Londoners…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thea-gilmore/if-you-re-a-brit-you-kinda-get-used-to-people-being-cold-and-aloof/)

[Thea Gilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thea-gilmore/)

> [My father was aloof, very strange and very distant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/my-father-was-aloof-very-strange-and-very-distant/)

[Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/)

> [There comes a terrible moment to many souls when the great movements of the world, the larger destinies of mankind, which have lain aloof…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/there-comes-a-terrible-moment-to-many-souls-when-the-great-movements/)

[George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/)

> [It is well known that we fight in God's cause... but unless God helps us by a miracle the English, who have faster and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-rodger/it-is-well-known-that-we-fight-in-god-s-cause-but-unless-god-helps-us/)

[Nicholas Rodger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-rodger/)

> [Love's not love When it is mingled with regards that stand Aloof from th' entire point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/love-s-not-love-when-it-is-mingled-with-regards-that-stand-aloof-from/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [“Relax; the world's not watching that closely. It's too busy contemplating itself in the mirror.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/relax-the-world-s-not-watching-that-closely-it-s-too-busy/)

[Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/)

> [ \[Kellyanne Conway\]taking \[Jennifer\] Palmieri to school. You had a lousy candidate, you've got a candidate who's arrogant and aloof and didn't even campaign in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/kellyanne-conway-taking-jennifer-palmieri-to-school-you-had-a-lousy/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [Hungry wailing standeth not aloof.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hungry-wailing-standeth-not-aloof/)

[Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/)

> [If someone were plucked from the group and given those responsibilities, they might find themselves growing more aloof, just by virtue of that promotion.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-ferris/if-someone-were-plucked-from-the-group-and-given-those/)

[Joshua Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-ferris/)

> [To combat social awkwardness, I would just act like I couldn't be bothered - that kind of aloof persona or aloof demeanor. It's so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/to-combat-social-awkwardness-i-would-just-act-like-i-couldn-t-be/)

[Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/)

## More by Sigmund Freud

> [Anatomy is destiny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/anatomy-is-destiny/)

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

> [“Woe to you, my Princess, when I come. I will kiss you quite red and feed you till you are plump. And if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/woe-to-you-my-princess-when-i-come-i-will-kiss-you-quite-red-and-feed/)

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

> [I take up the standpoint that the tendency to aggression is an innate, independent, instinctual disposition in man, and I come back now to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/i-take-up-the-standpoint-that-the-tendency-to-aggression-is-an-innate/)

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

> [“Ko postavlja pitanje o smislu zivota,s njegovim libidom nije nesto u redu.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/ko-postavlja-pitanje-o-smislu-zivota-s-njegovim-libidom-nije-nesto-u/)

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

> [“When it comes to the small matters in life one should think long and hard, but when it comes to the big ones -whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/when-it-comes-to-the-small-matters-in-life-one-should-think-long-and/)

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

> [We like to forget that in fact everything in our life is chance, from our genesis out of the encounter of spermatozoon and egg…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/we-like-to-forget-that-in-fact-everything-in-our-life-is-chance-from/)

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

> [We should picture the instrument that carries our mental functioning as resembling a compound microscope or photographic apparatus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/we-should-picture-the-instrument-that-carries-our-mental-functioning/)

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

> [The religions of mankind must be classed among the mass-delusions of this kind. No one, needless to say, who shares a delusion ever recognizes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/the-religions-of-mankind-must-be-classed-among-the-mass-delusions-of/)

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

> [It seems to be my fate to discover only the obvious: that children have sexual feelings, which every nurse maid knows; and that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/it-seems-to-be-my-fate-to-discover-only-the-obvious-that-children/)

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

> [The first requisite of civilization is that of justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/the-first-requisite-of-civilization-is-that-of-justice/)

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

> [“Actually, the substitution of the reality-principle for the pleasure-principle denotes no dethronement of the pleasure-principle, but only a safeguarding of it. A momentary pleasure,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/actually-the-substitution-of-the-reality-principle-for-the-pleasure/)

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

> [Dreams are often most profound when they seem the most crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/dreams-are-often-most-profound-when-they-seem-the-most-crazy/)

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

> [There is to my mind no doubt that the concept of beautiful had its roots in sexual excitation and that its original meaning was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/there-is-to-my-mind-no-doubt-that-the-concept-of-beautiful-had-its/)

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

> [The voice of the intellect is soft one, but it does not rest until it has gained a hearing. Ultimately, after endless rebuffs, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/the-voice-of-the-intellect-is-soft-one-but-it-does-not-rest-until-it/)

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

> [If you want to endure life, prepare yourself for death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/if-you-want-to-endure-life-prepare-yourself-for-death/)

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

[Explore all 608 Sigmund Freud quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

## More Aloof quotes

> [To combat social awkwardness, I would just act like I couldn't be bothered - that kind of aloof persona or aloof demeanor. It's so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/to-combat-social-awkwardness-i-would-just-act-like-i-couldn-t-be/)

[Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/)

> [If someone were plucked from the group and given those responsibilities, they might find themselves growing more aloof, just by virtue of that promotion.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-ferris/if-someone-were-plucked-from-the-group-and-given-those/)

[Joshua Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-ferris/)

> [Hungry wailing standeth not aloof.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hungry-wailing-standeth-not-aloof/)

[Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/)

> [ \[Kellyanne Conway\]taking \[Jennifer\] Palmieri to school. You had a lousy candidate, you've got a candidate who's arrogant and aloof and didn't even campaign in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/kellyanne-conway-taking-jennifer-palmieri-to-school-you-had-a-lousy/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [“Relax; the world's not watching that closely. It's too busy contemplating itself in the mirror.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/relax-the-world-s-not-watching-that-closely-it-s-too-busy/)

[Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/)

> [Love's not love When it is mingled with regards that stand Aloof from th' entire point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/love-s-not-love-when-it-is-mingled-with-regards-that-stand-aloof-from/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [It is well known that we fight in God's cause... but unless God helps us by a miracle the English, who have faster and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-rodger/it-is-well-known-that-we-fight-in-god-s-cause-but-unless-god-helps-us/)

[Nicholas Rodger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-rodger/)

> [There comes a terrible moment to many souls when the great movements of the world, the larger destinies of mankind, which have lain aloof…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/there-comes-a-terrible-moment-to-many-souls-when-the-great-movements/)

[George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/)

> [My father was aloof, very strange and very distant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/my-father-was-aloof-very-strange-and-very-distant/)

[Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/)

> [If you're a Brit you kinda get used to people being cold and aloof and just generally arrogant - particularly musicians. (Compared to Londoners…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thea-gilmore/if-you-re-a-brit-you-kinda-get-used-to-people-being-cold-and-aloof/)

[Thea Gilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thea-gilmore/)

> [People tell me all the time that I look forbidding or aloof. That doesn't bother me much - I am fairly private, withdrawn, and...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ric-ocasek/people-tell-me-all-the-time-that-i-look-forbidding-or-aloof-that/)

[Ric Ocasek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ric-ocasek/)

> [I know that keeping aloof is not a wise thing but since I have nothing to prove, please don't depict me as an escapist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suresh-gopi/i-know-that-keeping-aloof-is-not-a-wise-thing-but-since-i-have/)

[Suresh Gopi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suresh-gopi/)

> [When I am with French people, I am not aloof because I belong to them. My view is that the French president belongs to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-macron/when-i-am-with-french-people-i-am-not-aloof-because-i-belong-to-them/)

[Emmanuel Macron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuel-macron/)

> [I was drawn to be very solitary as a scholar. I lived a very quiet life, aloof, with my books, with my walks in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/i-was-drawn-to-be-very-solitary-as-a-scholar-i-lived-a-very-quiet/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [There was Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, an aloof superstar who had everything and needed no one. And Michael Jackson, the shy kid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jackson/there-was-michael-jackson-the-king-of-pop-an-aloof-superstar-who-had/)

[Michael Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jackson/)

[Browse all 146 Aloof quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aloof/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Against the suffering which may come upon one from human relationships the readiest safeguard is voluntary isolation, keeping oneself aloof from other people. The happiness which can be achieved along this path is, as we see, the happiness of quietness. Against the dreaded external world one can only defend oneself by some kind of turning away from it, if one intends to solve the task by oneself.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Sigmund Freud"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/against-the-suffering-which-may-come-upon-one-from-human/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Aloof"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/against-the-suffering-which-may-come-upon-one-from-human/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d3/sigmund-freud-360_aloof_against-the-suffering-which-may-come-upo_38643.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d3/sigmund-freud-360_aloof_against-the-suffering-which-may-come-upo_38643.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d3/sigmund-freud-360_aloof_against-the-suffering-which-may-come-upo_38643.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Against the suffering which may come upon one from human relationships the readiest safeguard is voluntary…” — Sigmund Freud",
                "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": "Sigmund Freud",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Against the suffering which may come...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/against-the-suffering-which-may-come-upon-one-from-human/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/against-the-suffering-which-may-come-upon-one-from-human/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
