“Suffering cheerfully endured ceases to be suffering and is transmuted into an ineffable joy. The man who flies from suffering is the victim of endless tribulation before it has come to him and is half dead when it does come. But one who is cheerfully ready for anything and everything that comes escapes all pain, his cheerfulness acts as an anaesthetic.”
Share this quote
Probable attribution
This saying is widely associated with Mahatma Gandhi, but the attribution is not supported by a reliable primary source.
Likely origin: Gandhi's writings (Young India); compiled in The Essential Gandhi anthology of his writings.
About this quote
Most of the ache in hardship comes from bracing against it. Dread it in advance and you suffer the thing many times before it lands; meet it instead with a ready, unbothered spirit and much of the sting drains away. Fighting the unavoidable is what turns discomfort into torment.
When to use it
- Someone who spends weeks dreading a dentist visit that turns out to last ten minutes.
- A runner who stops resisting the burn of a hard mile and finds it easier to hold pace.
- A worker facing a dull, unavoidable task who just starts it instead of stewing all morning.