His crush went from exciting to depressing, as if he'd gone from the first blush of infatuation to the terminal nostalgia of a former lover without even the temporary relief of an actual relationship in between.
Lev GrossmanRead
Most people carry that pain around inside them their whole lives, until they kill the pain by other means, or until it kills them. But you, my friends, you found another way: a way to use the pain. To burn it as fuel, for light and warmth. You have learned to break the world that has tried to break you.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Pain can be a burden, but it can also be transformed into strength and resilience.
This quote highlights the struggle many face with internal pain, suggesting that while most may succumb to it or try to numb it, there exists a powerful alternative. It emphasizes the idea that pain can be harnessed as a source of motivation and energy, allowing individuals to overcome adversity and transform their struggles into tools for personal growth and empowerment.
Themes
PainResilienceStrengthGrowthTransformation
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about personal growth, one could use this quote to inspire the audience.
More from Lev Grossman
All quotes →She still had her bad days, no question, when the black dog of depression sniffed her out and settled its crushing weight on her chest and breathed its pungent dog breath in her face. On those days she called in sick to the IT shop where, most days, she untangled tangled networks for a song. On those days she pulled down the shades and ran dark for twelve or twenty-four or seventy-two hours, however long it took for the black dog to go on home to its dark master.
Lev GrossmanRead
Magic: it was what happened when the mind met the world, and the mind won for a change.
Lev GrossmanRead
Fanfiction is what literature might look like if it were reinvented from scratch after a nuclear apocalypse by a band of brilliant pop-culture junkies trapped in a sealed bunker. They don't do it for money. That's not what it's about. The writers write it and put it up online just for the satisfaction. They're fans, but they're not silent, couchbound consumers of media. The culture talks to them, and they talk back to the culture in its own language.
Lev GrossmanRead
More than fantasy or even science fiction, Ray Bradbury wrote horror, and like so many great horror writers he was himself utterly without fear, of anything. He wasn't afraid of looking uncool - he wasn't scared to openly love innocence, or to be optimistic, or to write sentimentally when he felt that way.
Lev GrossmanRead
It didn’t matter where you were, if you were in a room full of books you were at least halfway home.
Lev GrossmanRead
Similar quotes
You may be pretty or plain, heavy or thin, gay or straight, poor or rich. But remember this: In an election, every voice is equally powerful -- don't underestimate your vote. Voting is the great equalizer.
Maya AngelouRead
Dealing with bullies when I was in sixth and seventh grade has made me a better football player, believe it or not. You have to come to a point when you're like, 'I've had enough, and I'm not going to be kicked around and pushed around anymore.'
Tony GonzalezRead
She asked if we were calm enough for her to take off the cuffs, and McMurphy nodded. He had slumped over with his head hung and his elbows between his knees and looked completely exhausted--it hadn't occurred to me that it was just as hard for him to stand straight as it was for me.
Ken KeseyRead
There are no pleasures in a fight but some of my fights have been a pleasure to win.
Muhammad AliRead
If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.
Harry S. TrumanRead
There is one good thing about reaching the bottom. When you get there, there's nothing left to do but fight your way back up or die.
Eddie GuerreroRead