--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That's the paradox: the only time most…" description: "\"That's the paradox: the only time most people feel alive is when they're suffering, when something overwhelms their ordinary, careful armour, and the n..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab9/ted-hughes-8662_alive_that-s-the-paradox-the-only-time-most-pe_3177567.jpg" --- # That's the paradox: the only time most people feel alive… ![“That's the paradox: the only time most people feel alive is when they're suffering, when something overwhelms their ordinary, careful armour, and the naked child is flung out onto the world. That's why the things that are worst to undergo are best to remember. But when that child gets buried away…” quote by Ted Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab9/ted-hughes-8662_alive_that-s-the-paradox-the-only-time-most-pe_3177567.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab9/ted-hughes-8662_alive_that-s-the-paradox-the-only-time-most-pe_3177567.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab9/ted-hughes-8662_alive_that-s-the-paradox-the-only-time-most-pe_3177567.jpg) > “That's the paradox: the only time most people feel alive is when they're suffering, when something overwhelms their ordinary, careful armour, and the naked child is flung out onto the world. That's why the things that are worst to undergo are best to remember. But when that child gets buried away under their adaptive and protective shells—he becomes one of the walking dead, a monster.” [Ted Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-hughes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Suffering can make us feel most alive, while protective defenses numb us, turning us into unfeeling beings. **In simple terms:** Pain awakens life; defenses can deaden it. Key Takeaway Embrace challenges to stay alive. Themes suffering awakening defense identity growth Mood reflective intense Type philosophical psychological When to use this quote - crisis - personal growth - overcoming trauma - self‑discovery Key Concepts existential psychological Questions to Reflect On - How does pain shape your sense of self? - When do defenses protect versus imprison? A Different Perspective Not all suffering is constructive; some harm can be lasting. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Monsters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monsters/) [Paradox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paradox/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Walking dead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walking-dead/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“That’s the paradox: the only time most people feel alive is when they’re suffering, when something overwhelms their ordinary, careful armour, and the naked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-hughes/that-s-the-paradox-the-only-time-most-people-feel-alive-is-when-they/) [Ted Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-hughes/) > [“Everybody tries to protect this vulnerable two three four five six seven eight year old inside, and to acquire skills and aptitudes for dealing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-hughes/everybody-tries-to-protect-this-vulnerable-two-three-four-five-six/) [Ted Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-hughes/) > [Today I accidentally stepped on a snail on the sidewalk in front of our house. And I thought, I too am like that snail.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/today-i-accidentally-stepped-on-a-snail-on-the-sidewalk-in-front-of/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [Walnuts have a shell, and they have a kernel. Religions are the same. They have an essence, but then they have a protective coating.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huston-smith/walnuts-have-a-shell-and-they-have-a-kernel-religions-are-the-same/) [Huston Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huston-smith/) > [“If we are not apt to steer our life and engineer our individuality, we become preys of the pecking order or panting cardboard characters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/if-we-are-not-apt-to-steer-our-life-and-engineer-our-individuality-we/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [I like to work in films, but I'd love to work in the technical side of film. I'd love to work with, say, Greg…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-pegg/i-like-to-work-in-films-but-i-d-love-to-work-in-the-technical-side-of/) [Simon Pegg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-pegg/) > [Things it is not polite to discuss at the dinner table: politics, religion, and the walking dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/things-it-is-not-polite-to-discuss-at-the-dinner-table-politics/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [Those unmindful when they hear, for all they make of their intelligence, may be regarded as the walking dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heraclitus/those-unmindful-when-they-hear-for-all-they-make-of-their/) [Heraclitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heraclitus/) > [“Sometimes, there was no getting over it. Sometimes, you lived with the empty place inside of you until you imploded on it, loss as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-kittredge/sometimes-there-was-no-getting-over-it-sometimes-you-lived-with-the/) [Caitlin Kittredge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-kittredge/) > [“ You really know how to stir up the hornets’ nest with the women, do you not? Mikhail demanded, even though he understood Gregori…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-feehan/you-really-know-how-to-stir-up-the-hornets-nest-with-the-women-do-you/) [Christine Feehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-feehan/) > [“Mother Fuckers. They're going to feel pretty stupid when they find out. They're fucking with the wrong people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kirkman/mother-fuckers-they-re-going-to-feel-pretty-stupid-when-they-find-out/) [Robert Kirkman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kirkman/) > [I'm not really a zombie genre guy; I'm not particularly versed in it. Doing 'The Walking Dead' sort of turned me on to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-emmerich/i-m-not-really-a-zombie-genre-guy-i-m-not-particularly-versed-in-it/) [Noah Emmerich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-emmerich/) > [It's easy for the board to say, 'Well, add makeover shows.' The No. 1 show for women in the United States is 'The Walking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-dubuc/it-s-easy-for-the-board-to-say-well-add-makeover-shows-the-no-1-show/) [Nancy Dubuc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-dubuc/) > [Suddenly all those careful preparations disintegrated as predators far more dangerous than the walking dead proved what all wise killers already knew: that nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-maberry/suddenly-all-those-careful-preparations-disintegrated-as-predators/) [Jonathan Maberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-maberry/) > [It's a really dark, emotionally wrenching world that we've created on 'The Walking Dead.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-holden/it-s-a-really-dark-emotionally-wrenching-world-that-we-ve-created-on/) [Laurie Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-holden/) ## More by Ted Hughes > [The only calibration that counts is how much heart people invest, how much they ignore their fears of being hurt or caught out or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-hughes/the-only-calibration-that-counts-is-how-much-heart-people-invest-how/) [Ted Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-hughes/) > [The inmost spirit of poetry, in other words, is at bottom, in every recorded case, the voice of pain – and the physical body,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-hughes/the-inmost-spirit-of-poetry-in-other-words-is-at-bottom-in-every/) [Ted Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-hughes/) > [“I sit in the top of the wood, my eyes closed. Inaction, no falsifying dream Between my hooked head and hooked feet: Or in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-hughes/i-sit-in-the-top-of-the-wood-my-eyes-closed-inaction-no-falsifying/) [Ted Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-hughes/) > [The world rolls under the long thrust of his heel. Over the cage floor the horizons come.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-hughes/the-world-rolls-under-the-long-thrust-of-his-heel-over-the-cage-floor/) [Ted Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-hughes/) > [But who is stronger than death? Me , evidently .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-hughes/but-who-is-stronger-than-death-me-evidently/) [Ted Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-hughes/) > [You are who you choose to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-hughes/you-are-who-you-choose-to-be/) [Ted Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-hughes/) > [Applause is the beginning of abuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-hughes/applause-is-the-beginning-of-abuse/) [Ted Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-hughes/) > [Stilled legendary depth: It was as deep as England. It held Pike too immense to stir, so immense and old That past nightfall I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-hughes/stilled-legendary-depth-it-was-as-deep-as-england-it-held-pike-too/) [Ted Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-hughes/) > [As Popa penetrates deeper into his life, with book after book, it begins to look like a Universe passing through a Universe. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-hughes/as-popa-penetrates-deeper-into-his-life-with-book-after-book-it/) [Ted Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-hughes/) > [“I had let it all grow. I had supposed It was all OK. Your life Was a liner I voyaged in. Costly education had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-hughes/i-had-let-it-all-grow-i-had-supposed-it-was-all-ok-your-life-was-a/) [Ted Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-hughes/) > [He could not stand. It was not That he could not thrive, he was born With everything but the will – That can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-hughes/he-could-not-stand-it-was-not-that-he-could-not-thrive-he-was-born/) [Ted Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-hughes/) > [“If you're all so peaceful up there, how did you get such greedy and cruel ideas?" The dragon was silent for a long time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-hughes/if-you-re-all-so-peaceful-up-there-how-did-you-get-such-greedy-and/) [Ted Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-hughes/) > [Do as you like with me. I'm your parcel. I have only our address on me. Open me, or readdress me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-hughes/do-as-you-like-with-me-i-m-your-parcel-i-have-only-our-address-on-me/) [Ted Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-hughes/) > [The real mystery is this strange need. Why can't we just hide it and shut up? Why do we have to blab? Why do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-hughes/the-real-mystery-is-this-strange-need-why-can-t-we-just-hide-it-and/) [Ted Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-hughes/) > [With a sudden sharp hot stink of fox, It enters the dark hole of the head. The window is starless still; the clock ticks,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-hughes/with-a-sudden-sharp-hot-stink-of-fox-it-enters-the-dark-hole-of-the/) [Ted Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-hughes/) [Explore all 79 Ted Hughes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-hughes/) ## More Alive quotes > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/) Adam Ant > [I don't crave applause. I'm not one of those guys who comes alive on stage. I'm much more alive at home, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-don-t-crave-applause-i-m-not-one-of-those-guys-who-comes-alive-on/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [We must master our egoism, and through this mastery, step outside ourselves and educate ourselves in giving. Fasting requires that we rediscover all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/we-must-master-our-egoism-and-through-this-mastery-step-outside/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [I can't say that there are 'things' that make me come alive. There are thoughts that make me come alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-can-t-say-that-there-are-things-that-make-me-come-alive-there-are/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [We're like the wicked witch. We promise gingerbread, then eat the little brats alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-re-like-the-wicked-witch-we-promise-gingerbread-then-eat-the/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [If Jovan Belcher didn't possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-costas/if-jovan-belcher-didn-t-possess-a-gun-he-and-kasandra-perkins-would/) [Bob Costas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-costas/) > [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [I think adoption becomes complicated whenever the biological parents are alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-haven/i-think-adoption-becomes-complicated-whenever-the-biological-parents/) [James Haven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-haven/) > [The pain of love is the pain of being alive. It is a perpetual wound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/the-pain-of-love-is-the-pain-of-being-alive-it-is-a-perpetual-wound/) [Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/) > [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [If Melanchthon were alive today, he might not weep because of controversies that surround the Lord's Supper, but he might well sorrow because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-w-lutzer/if-melanchthon-were-alive-today-he-might-not-weep-because-of/) [Erwin W. Lutzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-w-lutzer/) > [If you’re alive, don’t move, if you’re dead, don’t worry about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/if-you-re-alive-don-t-move-if-you-re-dead-don-t-worry-about-it/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [Here Greek and Roman find themselves alive along these crowded shelves; and Shakespeare treads again his stage, and Chaucer paints anew his age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/here-greek-and-roman-find-themselves-alive-along-these-crowded/) [John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) > [You're alive!" Fezzik cried. The man in black sat immobile, like a ventriloquist's dummy, just his mouth moving. "That is perhaps the most childishly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/you-re-alive-fezzik-cried-the-man-in-black-sat-immobile-like-a/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) [Browse all 7,282 Alive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "That's the paradox: the only time most people feel alive is when they're suffering, when something overwhelms their ordinary, careful armour, and the naked child is flung out onto the world. That's why the things that are worst to undergo are best to remember. 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