“We see in tragedy the noblest men, after a long conflict and suffering, finally renounce forever all the pleasure of life and the aims till then pursued so keenly, or cheerfully and willingly give up life itself.”

“The tragedy of life is not so much what
men suffer, but rather what they miss.”

Thomas Carlyle (1795–1881) Scottish philosopher, satirical writer, essayist, historian and teacher

“So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.”

William Shakespeare book Shakespeare's Sonnets

“To live a life of truth one has to suffer, but must suffer cheerfully”

Morarji Desai (1896–1995) Former Indian Finance Minister, Freedom Fighters, Former prime minister

“Tragedy occurs when a human soul awakes and seeks, in suffering and pain, to free itself from crime, violence, infamy, even at the cost of life. The struggle is the tragedy - not defeat or death. That is why the spectacle of tragedy has always filled men, not with despair, but with a sense of hope and exaltation.”

Whittaker Chambers Witness

“Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot.”

Charlie Chaplin (1889–1977) British comic actor and filmmaker

“Our way through life should not be difficult — but it is. The fact is that our lives are filled mostly with picking and choosing. "I want this, but not that." And because things are not anything other than the way they really are, we suffer. Nowhere is this more apparent and painful than when we are trying to find life after death. We so desperately want things to be the way they were. But they are not. So the longing itself becomes an additional source of suffering.”

Richard Carlson (1961–2006) Author, psychotherapist and motivational speaker

“In order not to suffer, you had to renounce love. It was like putting out your own eyes in order not to see the bad things in life.”

Paulo Coelho book Brida

“Whether we call it ikigai or sense of purpose, when we pursue what we believe gives life meaning, it gives us life.”

Warren Farrell (1943) author, spokesperson, expert witness, political candidate

“Don't ever give up on life. Life can be so beautiful, especially after you've spent a lot of time with it.”

Yoko Ono (1933) Japanese artist, author, and peace activist