The more research you do, the more at ease you are in the world you're writing about. It doesn't encumber you, it makes you free.
A. S. ByattRead
Pain hardens, and great pain hardens greatly, whatever the comforters say, and suffering does not ennoble, though it may occasionally lend a certain rigid dignity of manner to the suffering frame.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Pain can make individuals emotionally hardened rather than noble, despite what others might claim.
In this quote, A. S. Byatt reflects on the nature of suffering and its impact on the human condition. She suggests that while pain can create a certain dignified demeanor, it fundamentally does not elevate one's moral character or transform suffering into nobility. Instead, it often leads to emotional desensitization, which challenges the romanticized views of suffering often expressed by those who seek to comfort others.
Themes
PainSufferingHardshipDignityEmotions
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about overcoming personal struggles, one might use this quote to illustrate the harsh reality of pain.
More from A. S. Byatt
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Why do we take pleasure in gruesome death, neatly packaged as a puzzle to which we may find a satisfactory solution through clues - or if we are not clever enough, have it revealed by the all-powerful tale-teller at the end of the book? It is something to do with being reduced to, and comforted by, playing by the rules.
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Never stop paying attention to things. Never make your mind up finally. Do not hold beliefs.
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I am a creature of my pen. My pen is the best of me.
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