Once I wanted total happiness—now I will settle for a little less pain.

—Ashleigh Brilliant

happiness compromise suffering

About Ashleigh Brilliant

Portrait of Ashleigh Brilliant

Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant (December 9, 1933 – September 24, 2025) was a British and American epigrammatist and cartoonist. He was best known for his "Pot-Shots", single-panel illustrations with one-line humorous remarks, which began syndication in the United States in 1975.

More quotations from Ashleigh Brilliant

Strangely enough, this is the past that somebody in the future is longing to go back to.

—Ashleigh Brilliant

future past perspective

Why does life keep teaching me lessons I have no desire to learn?

—Ashleigh Brilliant

Words are a wonderful form of communication, but they will never replace kisses and punches.

—Ashleigh Brilliant

words communication fighting kisses punches

It's hopeless! Tomorrow there'll be even more books I should have read than there are today.

—Ashleigh Brilliant

reading books infinity

Be kind to unkind people. They need it the most.

—Ashleigh Brilliant

More quotations tagged with “suffering”

The function of socialism is to raise suffering to a higher level.

—Norman Mailer

For, as wolves and tigers gorge themselves with flesh and lick their gory chops, so do nations gorge themselves with human victims, not in detail, but in masses, by wholesale.

—Henry C. Wright

war suffering viciousness gore

The man who fears suffering is already suffering from what he fears.

—Michel de Montaigne

My father… used to say, "I need my anger. It obliges me to take action." I think my father was partly right. Anger arises, naturally, to signal disturbing situations that might require action. But actions initiated in anger perpetuate suffering. The most effective actions are those conceived in the wisdom of clarity.

—Sylvia Boorstein

action wisdom suffering anger clarity

Knowing he was suffering pained me. That's the way love tangles you up. I couldn't stop loving him, and couldn't shut off the feelings of wanting to care for him—but I also didn't have to run to answer his letters. I was hurting, too, and no one was running to me.

—Paula McLain in The Paris Wife

love suffering care

History

4 Nov 2022 Added
26 Oct 2026 Wording changed

Previous wording

Once I wanted total happiness – now I will settle for a little less pain.