--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Pain, too, comes from depths that cannot…" description: "\"“Pain, too, comes from depths that cannot be revealed. We do not know whether those depths are in ourselves or elsewhere, in a graveyard, in a scarcely..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d55/tahar-ben-jelloun-8798_depression_pain-too-comes-from-depths-that-cannot-b_1216023.jpg" --- # Pain, too, comes from depths that cannot be revealed. We… ![“Pain, too, comes from depths that cannot be revealed. We do not know whether those depths are in ourselves or elsewhere, in a graveyard, in a scarcely dug grave, only recently inhabited by withered flesh. This truth, which is banal enough, unravels time and the face, holds up a mirror to me in…” quote by Tahar Ben Jelloun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d55/tahar-ben-jelloun-8798_depression_pain-too-comes-from-depths-that-cannot-b_1216023.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d55/tahar-ben-jelloun-8798_depression_pain-too-comes-from-depths-that-cannot-b_1216023.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d55/tahar-ben-jelloun-8798_depression_pain-too-comes-from-depths-that-cannot-b_1216023.jpg) > ““Pain, too, comes from depths that cannot be revealed. We do not know whether those depths are in ourselves or elsewhere, in a graveyard, in a scarcely dug grave, only recently inhabited by withered flesh. This truth, which is banal enough, unravels time and the face, holds up a mirror to me in which I cannot see myself without being overcome by a profound sadness that undermines one's whole being. The mirror has become the route through which my body reaches that state, in which it is crushed into the ground, digs a temporary grave, and allows itself to be drawn by the living roots that swarm beneath the stones. It is flattened beneath the weight of that immense sadness which few people have the privilege of knowing. So I avoid mirrors.”” [Tahar Ben Jelloun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahar-ben-jelloun/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Deep, unspoken sorrow feels like a grave that crushes identity, leading him to avoid mirrors that reflect this pain. **In simple terms:** He avoids mirrors because they reveal overwhelming sadness. Key Takeaway Confront hidden grief rather than flee from reflections. Themes sadness identity avoidance Mood melancholic introspective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - therapy - artistic creation - personal reflection - mental health care Key Concepts existentialism psychology Questions to Reflect On - What does the mirror symbolize for you? - How can you face deep sadness safely? A Different Perspective Avoiding mirrors may prevent confronting necessary healing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Depression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depression/) [Eating disorder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eating-disorder/) [Eating disorders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eating-disorders/) [Mirror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mirror/) [Mirrors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mirrors/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Profound sadness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profound-sadness/) [Sadness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sadness/) [Self esteem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-esteem/) [Self-esteem-or-lack-thereof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-esteem-or-lack-thereof/) [Sexuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sexuality/) [Transgender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transgender/) ## Related quotes > [“Anorexia is, without doubt, a serious eating disorder, but there is a hell of a lot of mainstream disordered eating going on out there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-woolf/anorexia-is-without-doubt-a-serious-eating-disorder-but-there-is-a/) [Emma Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-woolf/) > [I struggled with restricting and purging. It is not really anorexia or bulimia. It is more anorexia than bulimia, but it doesnt fit super…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malika-andrews/i-struggled-with-restricting-and-purging-it-is-not-really-anorexia-or/) [Malika Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malika-andrews/) > [Eating disorders are like a gun that's formed by genetics, loaded by a culture and family ideals, and triggered by unbearable distress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-liu/eating-disorders-are-like-a-gun-that-s-formed-by-genetics-loaded-by-a/) Aimee Liu > [This is for all the BOYS..The boys who self harm..The boys who have eating disorders..The boys who suffer from anorexia, depression etc.The boys who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-cassie-govender/this-is-for-all-the-boys-the-boys-who-self-harm-the-boys-who-have/) [Camille Cassie Govender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-cassie-govender/) > [I'd like to have finally answered the anorexic question so profoundly and definitively, that would be the end of it. The only reason I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-beckinsale/i-d-like-to-have-finally-answered-the-anorexic-question-so-profoundly/) [Kate Beckinsale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-beckinsale/) > [“As I searched for food perfection, and as I gained weight, I began to realize that the race for perfection in anything was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-rose-steil/as-i-searched-for-food-perfection-and-as-i-gained-weight-i-began-to/) [Rachael Rose Steil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-rose-steil/) > [There have been so many stories about alcoholism and drugs. Eating disorders are also a form of abuse, but rarely a theme in feature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanna-lenken/there-have-been-so-many-stories-about-alcoholism-and-drugs-eating/) Sanna Lenken > [Yes, I talk about eating disorders and you know, excessive dieting and excessive exercising can be a sign of a mental illness... but when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-gregoire-trudeau/yes-i-talk-about-eating-disorders-and-you-know-excessive-dieting-and/) [Sophie Gregoire Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-gregoire-trudeau/) > [I am forever engaged in a silent battle in my head over whether or not to lift the fork to my mouth, and when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jena-morrow/i-am-forever-engaged-in-a-silent-battle-in-my-head-over-whether-or/) Jena Morrow > [You don't understand...Cutting unless your'e a cutter. Drugs unless your'e a druggie. Suicide unless you've attempted it. Eating disorders unless you've had one. Me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-don-t-understand-cutting-unless-your-e-a-cutter-drugs-unless-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In this business, there is an insane amount of pressure, spoken and unspoken, to be thin. If you look at some of the television…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-raver/in-this-business-there-is-an-insane-amount-of-pressure-spoken-and/) [Kim Raver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-raver/) > [The more people talk about eating disorders, the more people get the real story about what they're like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-pomers/the-more-people-talk-about-eating-disorders-the-more-people-get-the/) [Scarlett Pomers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-pomers/) > [“We may also discover that sexual abuse helps to explain the high prevalence rates of eating disorders among women and may lend some insight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-a-duncan/we-may-also-discover-that-sexual-abuse-helps-to-explain-the-high/) Karen A. Duncan > [Having an eating disorder doesn't show ‘strength.’ Strength is when are able to overcome your demons after being sick and tired for so long.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demi-lovato/having-an-eating-disorder-doesn-t-show-strength-strength-is-when-are/) [Demi Lovato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demi-lovato/) > [Eating disorders can have serious medical and psychological consequences which, left unchecked, can kill. Parents should address this issue and ask their children to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tipper-gore/eating-disorders-can-have-serious-medical-and-psychological/) [Tipper Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tipper-gore/) ## More by Tahar Ben Jelloun > [What have we achieved since the end of the Second World War? We have allowed petty, bourgeois regimes in which everything is average, mediocre.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahar-ben-jelloun/what-have-we-achieved-since-the-end-of-the-second-world-war-we-have/) [Tahar Ben Jelloun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahar-ben-jelloun/) > [“A novel related in a dungeon, in the presence of death, cannot have the same meaning, the same consequences, as it would when read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahar-ben-jelloun/a-novel-related-in-a-dungeon-in-the-presence-of-death-cannot-have-the/) [Tahar Ben Jelloun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahar-ben-jelloun/) > [I read a poem every night, as others read a prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahar-ben-jelloun/i-read-a-poem-every-night-as-others-read-a-prayer/) [Tahar Ben Jelloun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahar-ben-jelloun/) > [This universe can very well be expressed in words and syllables which are not those of one's mother tongue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahar-ben-jelloun/this-universe-can-very-well-be-expressed-in-words-and-syllables-which/) [Tahar Ben Jelloun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahar-ben-jelloun/) > [The intellectual, the man of thought, doubt and analysis, should give the best of himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahar-ben-jelloun/the-intellectual-the-man-of-thought-doubt-and-analysis-should-give/) [Tahar Ben Jelloun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahar-ben-jelloun/) > [I'd thought sexuality was instinctive or natural, but it's profoundly linked to inner security and cultural context.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahar-ben-jelloun/i-d-thought-sexuality-was-instinctive-or-natural-but-it-s-profoundly/) [Tahar Ben Jelloun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahar-ben-jelloun/) > [I don't feel guilty about expressing myself in French; nor do I feel that I am continuing the work of the colonizers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahar-ben-jelloun/i-don-t-feel-guilty-about-expressing-myself-in-french-nor-do-i-feel/) [Tahar Ben Jelloun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahar-ben-jelloun/) > [Real friendship, like real poetry, is extremely rare - and precious as a pearl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahar-ben-jelloun/real-friendship-like-real-poetry-is-extremely-rare-and-precious-as-a/) [Tahar Ben Jelloun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahar-ben-jelloun/) > [Our steps invent the path as we proceed; behind us they leave no trace, only the void. So we shall always look ahead and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahar-ben-jelloun/our-steps-invent-the-path-as-we-proceed-behind-us-they-leave-no-trace/) [Tahar Ben Jelloun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahar-ben-jelloun/) > [“Man is more noble dead than alive, because in returning to the earth he becomes earth, and nothing is nobler than the earth that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahar-ben-jelloun/man-is-more-noble-dead-than-alive-because-in-returning-to-the-earth/) [Tahar ben Jelloun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahar-ben-jelloun/) > [“Our first love is always our last.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahar-ben-jelloun/our-first-love-is-always-our-last/) [Tahar Ben Jelloun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahar-ben-jelloun/) > [There are very few great poets in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahar-ben-jelloun/there-are-very-few-great-poets-in-the-world/) [Tahar Ben Jelloun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahar-ben-jelloun/) > [People must insist on the right to say no, to be alone, to stand out from the herd. Creative artists can say all this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahar-ben-jelloun/people-must-insist-on-the-right-to-say-no-to-be-alone-to-stand-out/) [Tahar Ben Jelloun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahar-ben-jelloun/) > [Egypt has suffered more ordeals than the other countries to get where it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahar-ben-jelloun/egypt-has-suffered-more-ordeals-than-the-other-countries-to-get-where/) [Tahar Ben Jelloun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahar-ben-jelloun/) > [Beauty is first and foremost an emotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahar-ben-jelloun/beauty-is-first-and-foremost-an-emotion/) [Tahar Ben Jelloun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahar-ben-jelloun/) [Explore all 61 Tahar Ben Jelloun quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahar-ben-jelloun/) ## More Depression quotes > [These joys were so trifling as to be as imperceptible as grains of gold among the sand, and in moments of depression she saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/these-joys-were-so-trifling-as-to-be-as-imperceptible-as-grains-of/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“As ofttimes as it rains on my little spot of earth, you'd think I'd grow accustomed to the gloom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/as-ofttimes-as-it-rains-on-my-little-spot-of-earth-you-d-think-i-d/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [There's only so much for a man to take...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-gilchrist/there-s-only-so-much-for-a-man-to-take/) Kirsten Gilchrist > [“my stomach turned and burned with the acid of failure”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-ames/my-stomach-turned-and-burned-with-the-acid-of-failure/) Heidi Ames > [That is the real problem of depression - a condition which will affect an estimated one in five of the population at some point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-andreae/that-is-the-real-problem-of-depression-a-condition-which-will-affect/) [Giles Andreae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-andreae/) > [Im tired, tired of putting more effort than you do. Im tired of always having to start the conversation and if I dont, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-tired-tired-of-putting-more-effort-than-you-do-im-tired-of-always/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Once upon a time, there was a naïve and innocent girl who thought she could tame the beast and live happily ever after. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nenia-campbell/once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-na-ve-and-innocent-girl-who-thought-she/) [Nenia Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nenia-campbell/) > [“Why in depression" "If we are human, why not have the right to smile, Why in depression, young, and beautiful as earth, Why in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanilsa-pena/why-in-depression-if-we-are-human-why-not-have-the-right-to-smile-why/) Yanilsa pena > [“Depression makes me stronger”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shayamalan/depression-makes-me-stronger/) Shayamalan > [“Shorter believes that psychosomatic illnesses (such as leg paralysis at the turn of the twentieth century or multiple personality disorder at the turn of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-watters/shorter-believes-that-psychosomatic-illnesses-such-as-leg-paralysis/) [Ethan Watters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-watters/) > [Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/depression-is-merely-anger-without-enthusiasm/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [Repression will provoke rebellion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-williamson/repression-will-provoke-rebellion/) Hugh Williamson > [I'm certainly not a perfect mother, but I'm trying to be what my mother wasn't for me. My mother's battled depression, so I understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-hamill/i-m-certainly-not-a-perfect-mother-but-i-m-trying-to-be-what-my/) [Dorothy Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-hamill/) > [Every trial endured and weathered in the right spirit makes a soul nobler and stronger than it was before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-buckham-kennedy/every-trial-endured-and-weathered-in-the-right-spirit-makes-a-soul/) James Buckham Kennedy > [Scars by Papa Roach. <3](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophielianne/scars-by-papa-roach-3/) Sophielianne [Browse all 4,965 Depression quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depression/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Pain, too, comes from depths that cannot be revealed. We do not know whether those depths are in ourselves or elsewhere, in a graveyard, in a scarcely dug grave, only recently inhabited by withered flesh. This truth, which is banal enough, unravels time and the face, holds up a mirror to me in which I cannot see myself without being overcome by a profound sadness that undermines one's whole being. The mirror has become the route through which my body reaches that state, in which it is crushed into the ground, digs a temporary grave, and allows itself to be drawn by the living roots that swarm beneath the stones. It is flattened beneath the weight of that immense sadness which few people have the privilege of knowing. So I avoid mirrors.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tahar Ben Jelloun" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahar-ben-jelloun/pain-too-comes-from-depths-that-cannot-be-revealed-we-do-not-know/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Depression" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahar-ben-jelloun/pain-too-comes-from-depths-that-cannot-be-revealed-we-do-not-know/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d55/tahar-ben-jelloun-8798_depression_pain-too-comes-from-depths-that-cannot-b_1216023.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d55/tahar-ben-jelloun-8798_depression_pain-too-comes-from-depths-that-cannot-b_1216023.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d55/tahar-ben-jelloun-8798_depression_pain-too-comes-from-depths-that-cannot-b_1216023.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Pain, too, comes from depths that cannot be revealed. We do not know whether those depths are in ourselves…” — Tahar Ben Jelloun", "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": "Tahar Ben Jelloun", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahar-ben-jelloun/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Pain, too, comes from depths that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahar-ben-jelloun/pain-too-comes-from-depths-that-cannot-be-revealed-we-do-not-know/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahar-ben-jelloun/pain-too-comes-from-depths-that-cannot-be-revealed-we-do-not-know/#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 } } ] } ```