Books Quote by Zadie Smith
![“For me, George Saunders novel [Lincoln in the Bardo] is about a problem of pain.” quote by Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/10b/zadie-smith-584_books_for-me-george-saunders-novel-lincoln-in_765713.jpg)
“For me, George Saunders novel [Lincoln in the Bardo] is about a problem of pain.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: "The Pain in Lincoln in the Bardo", 2017
The novel examines how pain persists and shapes identity, confronting grief’s lingering presence.
In simple terms: Pain influences who we become.
Key Takeaway
Acknowledge and process lingering pain.
Themes
grief
identity
literature
Mood
reflective
hopeful
Type
literary
psychological
When to use this quote
- acceptance
- personal growth
Key Concepts
psychology of loss
narrative therapy
Questions to Reflect On
- What unresolved pain shapes your actions?
- How can you transform pain into growth?
A Different Perspective
Pain may be overwhelming and paralyzing.
![“I have a natural tendency to feel well about the world, I suppose, one way or another. But then there is the problem of pain. There are things like [Abraham] Lincoln's beloved little boy dying.” quote by Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f1a/zadie-smith-584_abraham_i-have-a-natural-tendency-to-feel-well-a_1356936.jpg)
![“...our role as comforters is not to solve the problem of pain; even less is it to stick up for God. Trying to vindicate God to a person in agonizing pain is like explaining to a crying infant that Mommy is really a well-intentioned person. ... While [Job's friends] remain mired in their…” quote by Ellen F. Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/6aa/ellen-f-davis-25448_pain_our-role-as-comforters-is-not-to-solve-t_332429.jpg)
![“I know a lot of people who read and think: "George [Saunders] is so much fun." There's no denying you're fun to read, but as a writer I think of [George Saunders] as, in fact, not a fun and freewheeling type but really an obsessive control artist.” quote by Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c16/zadie-smith-584_artist_i-know-a-lot-of-people-who-read-and-thin_1065237.jpg)
![“[George Saunders] is very precise about what he is doing. There isn't a thing left to chance.” quote by Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/4e7/zadie-smith-584_chance_george-saunders-is-very-precise-about-wh_704406.jpg)
![“Something in me was changed by Lincoln in the Bardo, and the great sublime/grotesque risk of [George Saunders'] ghosts was a part of it.” quote by Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c50/zadie-smith-584_changed_something-in-me-was-changed-by-lincoln-i_2919261.jpg)
