Do you ever feel like giving up? Like all the work you’re putting in is for nothing and it’s just too hard? You’re not alone. Check out this compilation of pain quotes to remind yourself that you’re not the only one feeling this way. These entrepreneurs have been there, done that, and came out on top. So can you.

1. Genius is infinite painstaking. — Michelangelo

2. The physical shock took away the pain of being. — Sebastian Faulks, Engleby

3. The struggle of my life created empathy–I could relate to pain, being abandoned, having people not love me. — Oprah Winfrey

4. Pain heals. Chicks dig scars. Glory lasts forever. — Vince McKewin

5. Pain shared, my brother, is pain not doubled but halved. No man is an island — Neil Gaiman

6. Even if times got bad, he would never again deny himself the possibility that the future might be happy even if the present was painful. He would allow himself dreams. — Suzanne Collins

7. I was not out to paint beautiful pictures — even painting good pictures was not important to me. I wanted only to help the truth burst forth.

8. A critic in my house sees some paintings. Greatly perturbed, he asks for my drawings. My drawings? Never! They are my letters, my secrets. — Paul Gauguin

9. Without a high pain threshold, you can’t be a successful President. — William J. Clinton

10. He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man. — Samuel Johnson

11. I was trying to keep God’s pain at arms length. — Mike Weaver

12. Depression can seem absurdly self aggrandizing to those who do not experience it, But that does not make it any less painful to those who do. — Richard Brookhiser

13. Science tells us that love not only diminishes the experience of physical pain but can make us–and our beloveds–healthier. — Sharon Salzberg, Real Love: The Art of Mindful Connection

14. Therein lies the defect of revenge: it’s all in the anticipation; the thing itself is a pain, not a pleasure; at least the pain is the biggest end of it. — Mark Twain

15. The pain of one–sided love, of knowing that I had loved her more than she had loved me — Sierra Simone, Priest

16. Most human beings would have never been pained by the death of a human being if they had never seen a human being or pretending to be pained by that. — Mokokoma Mokhonoana

17. The fact I myself do not understand what my paintings mean while I am painting them does not imply that they are meaningless. — Salvador Dali

18. What good’s a black face if it means I’m just someone else’s property? Why give me these arms and legs just to carry someone else’s load, not my own? — Stacey Lee, Under a Painted Sky

19. Prayer is the best way to face any problem, to crush every fear and to release every pain — Maryum Ahsam

20. Sometimes painfully lost people can teach us lessons that we didn’t think we needed to know, or be reminded of–––the more history changes, the more it stays the same. — Shannon L. Alder

21. The thing was, if I had found a way to escape–even for just a little while–I knew the pain would be there waiting for me when I got back. — Neal Shusterman, Bruiser

22. They paint you red before they sacrifice you. It’s a different religion from ours–I think. — Ringo Starr

23. I was completely and irrevocably in lust — which tends to make a person impassive to others’ pain. Love makes us compassionate. Lust makes us deaf to all but the lover.

24. There was only one way to the other side, and that was through the pain. — Vanessa Diffenbaugh, The Language of Flowers

25. When you think this pain is all you deserve, you are right. You are the only one that can decide how long you will walk in hell. — Shannon L. Alder

26. There’s this unbelievable bias and prejudice against quote–unquote good–looking people, that they can’t be in pain or they can’t have rough lives or be deep or interesting. — Rob Lowe

27. If it is necessary sometimes to lie to others, it is always despicable to lie to oneself. — W. Somerset Maugham, The Painted Veil

28. My business is to paint what I see, not what I know is there. — J.M.W. Turner

29. At the end of the day we’re all reactive personalities. We just don’t know it until we meet the right catalyst. — Michelle Painchaud

30. First love is like hearing your favorite music , regardless of how much you repeat it , every time you will enjoy all the pain. — mahmoud hamdy

31. I have heard of your paIntIngs too, well enough god has gIven you one face, and you make yourselves another. — William Shakespeare

32. Many, many of my paintings have come from the first chapter of Moby Dick. — Robert Indiana

33. I often wonder why I am the one who remember all the pain? — Sherman Alexie, You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me

34. Gratitude magnifies the sweet parts of life and diminishes the painful ones. — Yuval Levin

35. I myself believe that there is in every painter’s life a period of making absurdities. In my case I think that period is already long past. — Vincent Van Gogh

36. When my country, into which I had just set my foot, was set on fire about my ears, it was time to stir. It was time for every man to stir. — Thomas Paine

37. Listen carefully. I’d crush you like a bug for causing my wife one single moment of pain. Believe it. Fear it. — Nora Roberts

38. Nothing can be more painful than the cry of the word which gave us the inspiration to dream of love. — Sorin Cerin, Wisdom Collection: The Book of Wisdom

39. There is no shame in what you are feeling, Harry, ‘ said Dumbledore’s voice. ‘On the contrary… the fact that you can feel pain like this is your greatest strength. — J. K. Rowling

40. Dance with the sufis, celebrate your top ten in the charts of pain. — Tori Amos

41. I can paint you a picture, but to really enjoy what I’m enjoying; you need to be intertwine with me. — Tamike Wright

42. I could paint for a hundred years, a thousand years without stopping and I would still feel as though I knew nothing. — Paul Cezanne

43. The recipe for great work is: very exacting taste, plus the ability to gratify it. — Paul Graham, Hackers & Painters: Big Ideas from the Computer Age

44. I was aware that on my skill as a painter would depend the physical and moral possession of the model. — Paul Gauguin

45. Fortune is painted blind, with a muffler afore her eyes, to signify to you that Fortune is blind. — William Shakespeare

46. I ain’t scared to lend a handI ain’t scared to clench it either — Mie Hansson, Where Pain Thrives

47. The instant formal government is abolished, society begins to act. A general association takes place, and common interest produces common security. — Thomas Paine

48. I often wonder why I am the one who remember all the pain? — Sherman Alexie, You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me

49. He who can preserve gentleness amid pains, and peace amid worry multitude of affairs, is almost perfect. — Saint Francis De Sales

50. … the secret in handling fear is to move yourself from a position of pain to a position of power. — Susan Jeffers, Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway

Pain is a normal part of life, and it’s important to recognize that it can actually help us grow and become stronger. As these quotes remind us, pain can be an opportunity to learn and to appreciate the joys that life has to offer. We can use our pain to move forward and make our lives better. So no matter what kind of pain you’re struggling with, know that you’re not alone and that it can be used to help you create a life that’s more meaningful and fulfilling.