One of the things he had learned in life, and which he hoped he could rely on, was that a greater pain drives out a lesser one. A strained muscle disappears before toothache, toothache disappears before a crushed finger. He hoped - it was his only hope now - that the pain of cancer, the pain of dying , would drive out the pains of love. It did not seem likely. Julian Barnes
About This Quote

This quote best depicts the pain of dying. It talks about how the pain of cancer is greater than the pain of love. To get rid of the pain of cancer, one must ignore the love in his/her life. However, once this drive for pain dies down, true love can be rekindled.

The quote also speaks about how people sometimes miss the value of something they have because they are too focused on something else. Something seemingly trivial can distract them from their goal and prevent them from reaching it.

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More Quotes By Julian Barnes
  1. The principles you know determines what you get

  2. God chose to save you for a purpose

  3. True respect respects all men, it values all people.

  4. The world seems to have certain criteria with which it judges the value of people.

  5. People will rather pass by the weak, the lame, the beggars, the orphans, the tormented, the widows and take their large offerings to church, to the man of God who already has a mansion and jets , what a shallow mindedness.

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