--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Most men, whether men or women, wish…" description: "\"Most men, whether men or women, wish above all else to be comfortable, and thought is a pre-eminently uncomfortable process; it brings to the individua..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1da/vera-brittain-12183_civilised_most-men-whether-men-or-women-wish-above_1868990.png" --- # Most men, whether men or women, wish above all else to be… ![“Most men, whether men or women, wish above all else to be comfortable, and thought is a pre-eminently uncomfortable process; it brings to the individual far more suffering than happiness in a semi-civilised world which still goes to war.” quote by Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1da/vera-brittain-12183_civilised_most-men-whether-men-or-women-wish-above_1868990.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1da/vera-brittain-12183_civilised_most-men-whether-men-or-women-wish-above_1868990.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1da/vera-brittain-12183_civilised_most-men-whether-men-or-women-wish-above_1868990.png) > “Most men, whether men or women, wish above all else to be comfortable, and thought is a pre-eminently uncomfortable process; it brings to the individual far more suffering than happiness in a semi-civilised world which still goes to war.” [Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Comfort is sought above all, yet thinking brings discomfort and suffering, especially in a world still plagued by war. **In simple terms:** Thinking is uncomfortable, comfort is desired. Key Takeaway Accept discomfort to grow. Themes comfort thinking war human condition Mood reflective somber thoughtful Type philosophical political When to use this quote - personal reflection - political activism - education - mental health - conflict resolution Key Concepts existentialism psychology social critique Questions to Reflect On - How does discomfort drive change? - Can comfort coexist with critical thinking? A Different Perspective Comfort can be a distraction from necessary critical thought. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Uncomfortable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uncomfortable/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [When people don't understand that being uncomfortable is part of the process of achievement, they use the discomfort as a reason not to do.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-mcwilliams/when-people-don-t-understand-that-being-uncomfortable-is-part-of-the/) [Peter McWilliams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-mcwilliams/) > [With computer science, I had to go through that uncomfortable process of my brain establishing a hash table, if you will - the coders…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justine-bateman/with-computer-science-i-had-to-go-through-that-uncomfortable-process/) [Justine Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justine-bateman/) > [There would be far less suffering in the world if human beings-God knows why they are made like this-did not use their imaginations so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/there-would-be-far-less-suffering-in-the-world-if-human-beings-god/) [Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [No doubt you are right... there would be far less suffering amongst mankind if men... did not employ their imaginations so assiduously in recalling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/no-doubt-you-are-right-there-would-be-far-less-suffering-amongst/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [How far must suffering and misery go before we see that even in the day of vast cities and powerful machines, the good earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-sears/how-far-must-suffering-and-misery-go-before-we-see-that-even-in-the/) Paul Sears > [“Vielleicht, daß ich durch schwere Berge gehe in harten Adern, wie ein Erz allein; und bin so tief, daß ich kein Ende sehe und…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/vielleicht-da-ich-durch-schwere-berge-gehe-in-harten-adern-wie-ein/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [“It is often simply from lack of creative imagination that we do not go far enough in suffering.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/it-is-often-simply-from-lack-of-creative-imagination-that-we-do-not/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [“But now that I knew that suffering had been my happiness, I asked myself if I wasn't fleeing toward a God because I couldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarice-lispector/but-now-that-i-knew-that-suffering-had-been-my-happiness-i-asked/) [Clarice Lispector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarice-lispector/) > [Happiness and suffering support each other. To be is to inter-be. It's like the left and the right. If the left is not there,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/happiness-and-suffering-support-each-other-to-be-is-to-inter-be-it-s/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [“Without suffering there cannot be happiness. Without mud there cannot be any lotus flowers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/without-suffering-there-cannot-be-happiness-without-mud-there-cannot/) [Thich Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/) > [The basic thing is that everyone wants happiness, no one wants suffering. And happiness mainly comes from our own attitude, rather than from external…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu/the-basic-thing-is-that-everyone-wants-happiness-no-one-wants/) [Ritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu/) > [“There is no true love save in suffering, and in this world we have to choose either love, which is suffering, or happiness. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-unamuno/there-is-no-true-love-save-in-suffering-and-in-this-world-we-have-to/) [Miguel de Unamuno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-unamuno/) > [“Life, U May told her, is a gift full of riddles in which suffering and happiness are inextricably intertwined. Any attempt to have one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-philipp-sendker/life-u-may-told-her-is-a-gift-full-of-riddles-in-which-suffering-and/) [Jan-Philipp Sendker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-philipp-sendker/) > [Your suffering is my suffering and your happiness is my happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/your-suffering-is-my-suffering-and-your-happiness-is-my-happiness/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [“We are, when we love, in an abnormal state, capable of giving at once to the most apparently simple accident, an accident which may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/we-are-when-we-love-in-an-abnormal-state-capable-of-giving-at-once-to/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) ## More by Vera Brittain > [“At this time of the year it seems that everything ought to be creative, not destructive, and that we should encourage things to live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/at-this-time-of-the-year-it-seems-that-everything-ought-to-be/) [Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/) > [“Mother says that people like me just become intellectual old maids,' I told him. 'I don't see why,' he protested. 'Oh, well, it's probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/mother-says-that-people-like-me-just-become-intellectual-old-maids-i/) [Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/) > [“It is quite impossible to understand,’ I commented afterwards, ‘how we can be such strong individualists, so insistent on the rights and claims of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/it-is-quite-impossible-to-understand-i-commented-afterwards-how-we/) [Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/) > [Babies are a nuisance, of course. But so does everything seem to be that is worth while – husbands and books and committees and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/babies-are-a-nuisance-of-course-but-so-does-everything-seem-to-be/) [Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/) > [All that a pacifist can undertake -- but it is a very great deal -- is to refuse to kill, injure or otherwise cause…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/all-that-a-pacifist-can-undertake-but-it-is-a-very-great-deal-is-to/) [Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/) > [An author who waits for the right 'mood' will soon find that 'moods' get fewer and fewer until they cease altogether.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/an-author-who-waits-for-the-right-mood-will-soon-find-that-moods-get/) [Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/) > [ “\[I\] wondered if he was looking up at that same moon, far away, and thinking of me as I was thinking of him.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/i-wondered-if-he-was-looking-up-at-that-same-moon-far-away-and/) [Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/) > [Why, I wonder, do people who at one time or another have all been young themselves, and who ought therefore to know better, generalize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/why-i-wonder-do-people-who-at-one-time-or-another-have-all-been-young/) [Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/) > [Venice is all sea and sculpture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/venice-is-all-sea-and-sculpture/) [Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/) > [We should never be at the mercy of Providence if only we understood that we ourselves are Providence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/we-should-never-be-at-the-mercy-of-providence-if-only-we-understood/) [Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/) > [I wish those people who write so glibly about this being a holy war and the orators who talk so much about going on,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/i-wish-those-people-who-write-so-glibly-about-this-being-a-holy-war/) [Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/) > [College is a secluded life of scholastic vegetation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/college-is-a-secluded-life-of-scholastic-vegetation/) [Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/) > [Meek wifehood is no part of my profession; / I am your friend, but never your possession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/meek-wifehood-is-no-part-of-my-profession-i-am-your-friend-but-never/) [Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/) > [“Could I write an autobiographical novel, I wonder? Can one make a book out of the very essence of one's self? Perhaps so, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/could-i-write-an-autobiographical-novel-i-wonder-can-one-make-a-book/) [Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/) > [most of us have to be self-righteous before we can be righteous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/most-of-us-have-to-be-self-righteous-before-we-can-be-righteous/) [Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/) [Explore all 56 Vera Brittain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/) ## More Civilised quotes > [Even today to be civilised is held to be synonymous with being westernised. 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Of iron.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/this-extraordinary-metal-the-soul-of-every-manufacture-and-the/) [Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) > [The civilised cultures are the most cruel. It's the same with education - often it breeds sadistic forms of cruelty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-mckay/the-civilised-cultures-are-the-most-cruel-it-s-the-same-with/) [Nellie McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-mckay/) > [This generation may either be the last to exist in any semblance of a civilised world or that it will be the first to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-st-barbe-baker/this-generation-may-either-be-the-last-to-exist-in-any-semblance-of-a/) [Richard St. Barbe Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-st-barbe-baker/) > [Bombing is not especially inhumane. War itself is inhumane and the bombing plane, which is used to paralyse industry and transport, is a relatively…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/bombing-is-not-especially-inhumane-war-itself-is-inhumane-and-the/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [I suffered most inconvenience from the difficulty of getting news from the civilised world down river, from the irregularity of receipt of letters, parcels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-walter-bates/i-suffered-most-inconvenience-from-the-difficulty-of-getting-news/) [Henry Walter Bates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-walter-bates/) > [Architecture, sculpture, painting, music, and poetry, may truly be called the efflorescence of civilised life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/architecture-sculpture-painting-music-and-poetry-may-truly-be-called/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [You get the feeling that many of my guests feel that the French language gives them entry into a more cultivated, more intelligent world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-pivot/you-get-the-feeling-that-many-of-my-guests-feel-that-the-french/) [Bernard Pivot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-pivot/) > [All civilised countries should unite in the fight against international terrorism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/all-civilised-countries-should-unite-in-the-fight-against/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [The true savage is a slave, and is always talking about what he must do; the true civilised man is a free man, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-true-savage-is-a-slave-and-is-always-talking-about-what-he-must/) [Gilbert K. 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It might be the primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-koerfer/sex-is-probably-one-of-the-last-forms-of-human-expression-to-enjoy/) [Thomas Koerfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-koerfer/) Browse all 122 Civilised quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Most men, whether men or women, wish above all else to be comfortable, and thought is a pre-eminently uncomfortable process; it brings to the individual far more suffering than happiness in a semi-civilised world which still goes to war.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Vera Brittain" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/most-men-whether-men-or-women-wish-above-all-else-to-be-comfortable/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Civilised" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/most-men-whether-men-or-women-wish-above-all-else-to-be-comfortable/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1da/vera-brittain-12183_civilised_most-men-whether-men-or-women-wish-above_1868990.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1da/vera-brittain-12183_civilised_most-men-whether-men-or-women-wish-above_1868990.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1da/vera-brittain-12183_civilised_most-men-whether-men-or-women-wish-above_1868990.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Most men, whether men or women, wish above all else to be comfortable, and thought is a pre-eminently…” — Vera Brittain", "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": "Vera Brittain", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Most men, whether men or women,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/most-men-whether-men-or-women-wish-above-all-else-to-be-comfortable/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/most-men-whether-men-or-women-wish-above-all-else-to-be-comfortable/#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 } } ] } ```