--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Success and suffering will either darken…" description: "\"Success and suffering will either darken your heart or make you wise, but they won't leave you where you were.\" — Timothy Keller" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1e/timothy-keller-240_darkening_success-and-suffering-will-either-darken_1852087.png" --- # Success and suffering will either darken your heart or… ![“Success and suffering will either darken your heart or make you wise, but they won't leave you where you were.” quote by Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1e/timothy-keller-240_darkening_success-and-suffering-will-either-darken_1852087.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1e/timothy-keller-240_darkening_success-and-suffering-will-either-darken_1852087.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1e/timothy-keller-240_darkening_success-and-suffering-will-either-darken_1852087.png) > “Success and suffering will either darken your heart or make you wise, but they won't leave you where you were.” [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Success and suffering transform hearts, leading to wisdom or bitterness. **In simple terms:** Success and suffering shape character. Key Takeaway Seek wisdom, guard against bitterness. Themes growth suffering wisdom Mood reflective hopeful Type spiritual motivational When to use this quote - counseling - leadership - personal development - spiritual practice Key Concepts theology psychology Questions to Reflect On - How have hardships shaped you? - What practices foster wisdom? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex experiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Human experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-experience/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise/) ## Related quotes > [His grief he will not forget; but it will not darken his heart, it will teach him wisdom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/his-grief-he-will-not-forget-but-it-will-not-darken-his-heart-it-will/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Success and suffering are vitally and organically linked. If you succeed without suffering, it is because someone suffered for you; if you suffer without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-judson/success-and-suffering-are-vitally-and-organically-linked-if-you/) Edward Judson > [“Embrace pain, suffer like you never did before because in the end you will be stronger you will be ground down broken but starving,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/triston-w-lee/embrace-pain-suffer-like-you-never-did-before-because-in-the-end-you/) Triston W Lee > [Because the golden egg gleamed in my basket once, though my childhood became an immense sheet of darkening water I was Noah, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-doty/because-the-golden-egg-gleamed-in-my-basket-once-though-my-childhood/) [Mark Doty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-doty/) > [ He who lights his \[candle\] at mine receives light without darkening me. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/he-who-lights-his-candle-at-mine-receives-light-without-darkening-me/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [I'm not sure I would label it a 'survivor,'" said Iko, her sensor darkening with disgust. "It looks more like a rotting pumpkin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-meyer/i-m-not-sure-i-would-label-it-a-survivor-said-iko-her-sensor/) [Marissa Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-meyer/) > [The sky is darkening like a stain Something is going to fall like rain And it won't be flowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-sky-is-darkening-like-a-stain-something-is-going-to-fall-like/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Thus thought I, as by night I read Of the great army of the dead, The trenches cold and damp, The starved and frozen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/thus-thought-i-as-by-night-i-read-of-the-great-army-of-the-dead-the/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [I shall desire and I shall find The best of my desires; The autumn road, the mellow wind That soothes the darkening shires. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-brooke/i-shall-desire-and-i-shall-find-the-best-of-my-desires-the-autumn/) [Rupert Brooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-brooke/) > [When you go, if you go, And I should want to die, there's nothing I'd be saved by more than the time you fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-morgan/when-you-go-if-you-go-and-i-should-want-to-die-there-s-nothing-i-d-be/) [Edwin Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-morgan/) > [If I were to choose the sights, the sounds, the fragrances I most would want to see and hear and smell--among all the delights…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-way-teale/if-i-were-to-choose-the-sights-the-sounds-the-fragrances-i-most-would/) [Edwin Way Teale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-way-teale/) > [I had become so quiet and so small in the grass by the pond that I was barely noticeable, hardly there. I sat there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brautigan/i-had-become-so-quiet-and-so-small-in-the-grass-by-the-pond-that-i/) [Richard Brautigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brautigan/) > [Colours change: in the morning light, red shines out bright and clear and the blues merge into their surroundings, melting into the greens; but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemary-verey/colours-change-in-the-morning-light-red-shines-out-bright-and-clear/) [Rosemary Verey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemary-verey/) > [These wrinkles are nothing These gray hairs are nothing, This stomach which sags with old food, these bruised and swollen ankles, my darkening brain,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-strand/these-wrinkles-are-nothing-these-gray-hairs-are-nothing-this-stomach/) [Mark Strand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-strand/) > [Yet high over the city our line of yellow windows must have contributed their share of human secrecy to the casual watcher in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/yet-high-over-the-city-our-line-of-yellow-windows-must-have/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) ## More by Timothy Keller > [If you are trying to live a life in accordance with the Bible, the concept and call to justice are inescapable. We do justice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/if-you-are-trying-to-live-a-life-in-accordance-with-the-bible-the/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [The more you rejoice in your own forgiveness, the quicker you will be to forgive others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/the-more-you-rejoice-in-your-own-forgiveness-the-quicker-you-will-be/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [“Evangelism will come organically in friendship if we don’t let our pride, fears, and pessimism cause us to hide our faith and heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/evangelism-will-come-organically-in-friendship-if-we-don-t-let-our/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [“The coming of the messianic King occurs in two stages. At his first coming, he saved us from the penalty of sin and gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/the-coming-of-the-messianic-king-occurs-in-two-stages-at-his-first/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [ “24 A few pages later, Delbanco writes the following: \[Alexis de\] Tocqueville’s detection of a “strange melancholy in the midst of abundance” has a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/24-a-few-pages-later-delbanco-writes-the-following-alexis-de/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [“To stay away from Christianity because part of the Bible's teaching is offensive to you assumes that if there is a God he wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/to-stay-away-from-christianity-because-part-of-the-bible-s-teaching/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [If the preaching of our ministers and the practice of our parishioners do not have the same effect on people that Jesus had, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/if-the-preaching-of-our-ministers-and-the-practice-of-our/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [“of temple, presence, and sacrifice; of covenant and faithfulness; of kingdom and victory. When we seek to communicate the gospel to a particular culture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/of-temple-presence-and-sacrifice-of-covenant-and-faithfulness-of/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [“Finally, you are ready to launch your church. Begin by developing action steps and goals that can be used as benchmarks to track your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/finally-you-are-ready-to-launch-your-church-begin-by-developing/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [If you are a child of God, you don’t lose your status if you have a bad week.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/if-you-are-a-child-of-god-you-don-t-lose-your-status-if-you-have-a/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [God's salvation does not come in response to a changed life. A changed life comes in response to the salvation, offered as a free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/god-s-salvation-does-not-come-in-response-to-a-changed-life-a-changed/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [“When anything in life is an absolute requirement for your happiness and self-worth, it is essentially an ‘idol,’ something you are actually worshiping. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/when-anything-in-life-is-an-absolute-requirement-for-your-happiness/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [Suffering is the stripping of our hope in finite things, therefore we do not put our ultimate hope in anything finite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/suffering-is-the-stripping-of-our-hope-in-finite-things-therefore-we/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [Christ will do everything for you or nothing. He's either all of your righteousness or none.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/christ-will-do-everything-for-you-or-nothing-he-s-either-all-of-your/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [If we give God things in hope that they'll earn us blessings, we're really not doing anything for him. It's for ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/if-we-give-god-things-in-hope-that-they-ll-earn-us-blessings-we-re/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) [Explore all 843 Timothy Keller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) ## More Darkening quotes > [Yet high over the city our line of yellow windows must have contributed their share of human secrecy to the casual watcher in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/yet-high-over-the-city-our-line-of-yellow-windows-must-have/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [These wrinkles are nothing These gray hairs are nothing, This stomach which sags with old food, these bruised and swollen ankles, my darkening brain,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-strand/these-wrinkles-are-nothing-these-gray-hairs-are-nothing-this-stomach/) [Mark Strand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-strand/) > [Colours change: in the morning light, red shines out bright and clear and the blues merge into their surroundings, melting into the greens; but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemary-verey/colours-change-in-the-morning-light-red-shines-out-bright-and-clear/) [Rosemary Verey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemary-verey/) > [I had become so quiet and so small in the grass by the pond that I was barely noticeable, hardly there. I sat there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brautigan/i-had-become-so-quiet-and-so-small-in-the-grass-by-the-pond-that-i/) [Richard Brautigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brautigan/) > [If I were to choose the sights, the sounds, the fragrances I most would want to see and hear and smell--among all the delights…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-way-teale/if-i-were-to-choose-the-sights-the-sounds-the-fragrances-i-most-would/) [Edwin Way Teale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-way-teale/) > [When you go, if you go, And I should want to die, there's nothing I'd be saved by more than the time you fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-morgan/when-you-go-if-you-go-and-i-should-want-to-die-there-s-nothing-i-d-be/) [Edwin Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-morgan/) > [I shall desire and I shall find The best of my desires; The autumn road, the mellow wind That soothes the darkening shires. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-brooke/i-shall-desire-and-i-shall-find-the-best-of-my-desires-the-autumn/) [Rupert Brooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-brooke/) > [Thus thought I, as by night I read Of the great army of the dead, The trenches cold and damp, The starved and frozen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/thus-thought-i-as-by-night-i-read-of-the-great-army-of-the-dead-the/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [The sky is darkening like a stain Something is going to fall like rain And it won't be flowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-sky-is-darkening-like-a-stain-something-is-going-to-fall-like/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm not sure I would label it a 'survivor,'" said Iko, her sensor darkening with disgust. "It looks more like a rotting pumpkin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-meyer/i-m-not-sure-i-would-label-it-a-survivor-said-iko-her-sensor/) [Marissa Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-meyer/) > [ He who lights his \[candle\] at mine receives light without darkening me. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/he-who-lights-his-candle-at-mine-receives-light-without-darkening-me/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Because the golden egg gleamed in my basket once, though my childhood became an immense sheet of darkening water I was Noah, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-doty/because-the-golden-egg-gleamed-in-my-basket-once-though-my-childhood/) [Mark Doty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-doty/) > [Light is important to us humans. It influences our moods, our perceptions, our energy levels. A face glimpsed among trees, dappled by the shadows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-marsden/light-is-important-to-us-humans-it-influences-our-moods-our/) [John Marsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-marsden/) > [And one rose in a tent of sea and gave A darkening shudder; water fell away; The whale stood shining, and then sank in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvor-winters/and-one-rose-in-a-tent-of-sea-and-gave-a-darkening-shudder-water-fell/) [Yvor Winters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvor-winters/) > [I hate and fear 'science' because of my conviction that, for long to come if not for ever, it will be the remorseless enemy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-gissing/i-hate-and-fear-science-because-of-my-conviction-that-for-long-to/) [George Gissing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-gissing/) Browse all 41 Darkening quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Success and suffering will either darken your heart or make you wise, but they won't leave you where you were.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Timothy Keller" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/success-and-suffering-will-either-darken-your-heart-or-make-you-wise/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Darkening" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/success-and-suffering-will-either-darken-your-heart-or-make-you-wise/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1e/timothy-keller-240_darkening_success-and-suffering-will-either-darken_1852087.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1e/timothy-keller-240_darkening_success-and-suffering-will-either-darken_1852087.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1e/timothy-keller-240_darkening_success-and-suffering-will-either-darken_1852087.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Success and suffering will either darken your heart or make you wise, but they won't leave you where you were.” — Timothy Keller", "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": "Timothy Keller", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Success and suffering will either darken...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/success-and-suffering-will-either-darken-your-heart-or-make-you-wise/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/success-and-suffering-will-either-darken-your-heart-or-make-you-wise/#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 } } ] } ```