"Imaginary pains are by far the most real we suffer, since we feel a constant need for them and invent them because there is no way of doing without them"
- Emile M. Cioran
About this Quote
This quote by Emile M. Cioran speaks with the power of our own imaginations and how they can form our reality. He suggests that the discomforts we create in our minds are frequently more real than those we experience in the real world. This is due to the fact that we have a need to feel pain, and so we create it in our minds when it is not offered in our lives. This can be seen in the way we typically ponder on past occasions or fret about the future, producing a sense of suffering even when there is no real cause for it. Cioran's quote highlights the power of our own minds to develop our own suffering, and how this can be more effective than any physical discomfort.