--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's a great comfort to some people to…" description: "\"It's a great comfort to some people to groan over their imaginary ills.\" — William Makepeace Thackeray" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/443/william-makepeace-thackeray-74_comfort_it-s-a-great-comfort-to-some-people-to-g_2151303.jpg" --- # It's a great comfort to some people to groan over their… ![“It's a great comfort to some people to groan over their imaginary ills.” quote by William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/443/william-makepeace-thackeray-74_comfort_it-s-a-great-comfort-to-some-people-to-g_2151303.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/443/william-makepeace-thackeray-74_comfort_it-s-a-great-comfort-to-some-people-to-g_2151303.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/443/william-makepeace-thackeray-74_comfort_it-s-a-great-comfort-to-some-people-to-g_2151303.jpg) > “It's a great comfort to some people to groan over their imaginary ills.” [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Some find comfort in complaining about imagined problems, using imagined suffering as a coping mechanism. **In simple terms:** People comfort themselves by complaining about imagined . Key Takeaway Recognize and address real issues instead. Themes comfort complaint imaginary suffering coping Mood satirical observational Type literary social commentary When to use this quote - stress relief - self‑reflection - therapy sessions Key Concepts psychology social behavior literature Questions to Reflect On - Why do we create imaginary ills? - How can we shift to constructive action? A Different Perspective May normalize avoidance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comfort/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [When the righteous rule, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-paterson/when-the-righteous-rule-the-people-rejoice-when-the-wicked-rule-the/) [William Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-paterson/) > [The incurable ills are the imaginary ills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/the-incurable-ills-are-the-imaginary-ills/) [Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/) > [Real pain can alone cure us of imaginary ills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-edwards/real-pain-can-alone-cure-us-of-imaginary-ills/) [Jonathan Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-edwards/) > [Nothing is so costly as the pursuit of a cure for imaginary ills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-fenelon/nothing-is-so-costly-as-the-pursuit-of-a-cure-for-imaginary-ills/) [Francois Fenelon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-fenelon/) > [The level of comfort that people feel with me has taken some getting used to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tituss-burgess/the-level-of-comfort-that-people-feel-with-me-has-taken-some-getting/) [Tituss Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tituss-burgess/) > [You can comfort more people by lending an ear than a dollar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-f-shubnell-2/you-can-comfort-more-people-by-lending-an-ear-than-a-dollar/) [Thomas F Shubnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-f-shubnell-2/) > [“Prosperity and comfort are what people seek, but the costs to character are often terrifying”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-yan/prosperity-and-comfort-are-what-people-seek-but-the-costs-to/) [Mo Yan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-yan/) > [“Its a cold comfort to have people pity you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-davis/its-a-cold-comfort-to-have-people-pity-you/) [Heather Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-davis/) > [Writing is a great comfort to people like me, who are unsure of themselves and have trouble expressing themselves properly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/writing-is-a-great-comfort-to-people-like-me-who-are-unsure-of/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) > [A King and Queen can comfort the people in times of grief, and provide a nationalist camaraderie. 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Some lives more than others. 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Dare and the world yields,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/let-a-man-who-has-to-make-his-fortune-in-life-remember-this-maxim/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [As nature made every man with a nose and eyes of his own, she gave him a character of his own, too; and yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/as-nature-made-every-man-with-a-nose-and-eyes-of-his-own-she-gave-him/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [It is best to love wisely, no doubt; but to love foolishly is better than not to be able to love at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/it-is-best-to-love-wisely-no-doubt-but-to-love-foolishly-is-better/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [Diffidence is a sort of false modesty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/diffidence-is-a-sort-of-false-modesty/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [Our great thoughts, our great affections, the truths of our life, never leave us. 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The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [Don't take too much comfort in the fact that you're successful today because tomorrow could bring failure. There's no surety in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-savage/don-t-take-too-much-comfort-in-the-fact-that-you-re-successful-today/) [Michael Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-savage/) > [For many, the call to be a Christian can seem demanding, even overwhelming. But we need not be afraid or feel inadequate. The Savior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-hales/for-many-the-call-to-be-a-christian-can-seem-demanding-even/) [Robert D. Hales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-hales/) > [This is no time for ease and comfort. 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That said, I really love Naple-style pizza.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-zakarian/comfort-food-is-really-anything-you-want-at-that-time-that-said-i/) [Geoffrey Zakarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-zakarian/) > [I actually like getting out of my comfort zone. It shakes me up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/i-actually-like-getting-out-of-my-comfort-zone-it-shakes-me-up/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [A time will come when the science of destruction shall bend before the arts of peace; when the genius which multiplies our powers, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-arago/a-time-will-come-when-the-science-of-destruction-shall-bend-before/) [Francois Arago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-arago/) > [Throughout human history, as our species has faced the frightening, terrorizing fact that we do not know who we are, or where we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-leary/throughout-human-history-as-our-species-has-faced-the-frightening/) [Timothy Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-leary/) > [Worship is not about personality, temperament, personal limitations, church background, or comfort. It is about God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wimber/worship-is-not-about-personality-temperament-personal-limitations/) [John Wimber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wimber/) > [May God bless each of us in our calls to serve. May our faith strengthen as we serve in righteousness, faithfully keeping the commandments.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-tom-perry/may-god-bless-each-of-us-in-our-calls-to-serve-may-our-faith/) [L. Tom Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-tom-perry/) > [Maybe that was why she couldn't cry, she realized, staring dry-eyed at the ceiling. 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