“Only when he has suffered does the fool learn.”

“A person is a fool to become a writer. His only compensation is absolute freedom. He has no master except his own soul and that, I am sure, is why he does it.”

Roald Dahl (1916–1990) British novelist, short story writer, poet, fighter pilot and screenwriter

“He that is taught only by himself has a fool for a master.”

Hunter S. Thompson (1937–2005) American journalist and author

“The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing, and becomes nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn and feel and change and grow and love and live.”

Leo Buscaglia (1924–1998) Motivational speaker, writer

“I made such a fool of myself,” she lamented.
“Love does not make you a fool.”
“He didn’t love me back.”
“That does not make you a fool, either.”
“Just tell me …” Her voice cracked. “When does it stop hurting?”
“Sometimes never.”

Mitch Albom (1958) American author

“When another person makes you suffer, it is because he suffers deeply within himself, and his suffering is spilling over. He does not need punishment; he needs help. That's the message he is sending.”

Thich Nhat Hanh (1926) Religious leader and peace activist

“Man has to suffer. When he has no real afflictions, he invents some.”

José Martí (1853–1895) Poet, writer, Cuban nationalist leader

“He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever.”

Mark Twain (1835–1910) American author and humorist

“Only a fool has no regrets and I'm not a fool.”

George Galloway (1954) British politician, broadcaster, and writer

“Tell me then, does love make one a fool or do only fools fall in love?”

Orhan Pamuk (1952) Turkish novelist, screenwriter, and Nobel Prize in Literature recipient