In our nature, however, there is a provision, alike marvelous and merciful, that the sufferer should never know the intensity of what he endures by its present torture, but chiefly by the pang that rankles after it. – Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter

Happiness is beneficial for the body but it is grief that develops the powers of the mind. – Marcel Proust, The Past Recaptured, Remembrance of Things Past