proverb · Words worth keeping
Pain is forgotten where gain follows.
Pain is forgotten where gain follows.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
A favourable result may change how someone remembers the effort or discomfort that preceded it. The saying recognises that shift, while benefit does not erase harm, make every sacrifice justified or oblige someone to describe a difficult experience positively.
Example
A gardener enjoys a finished community planting bed but still suggests lighter tools and more helpers for the next session after finding the preparation exhausting.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The contrast places pain before gain and imagines the later result pushing the earlier difficulty out of attention. In a useful reading, an achievement can make the effort behind it feel more worthwhile. Yet forgotten is too absolute for every experience. Some costs remain important even when the outcome is welcome, and a person can value the result while wishing the process had been fairer or less demanding. The proverb should not encourage imposing hardship because a reward might follow. It describes a possible change in perspective, not a measure of whether someone suffered enough or a promise that a successful ending repairs everything.
When to use it
Use it when reflecting on how a welcome result has changed the significance of earlier effort.
Keep in mind
Benefit does not erase injury or unfairness; improvement of the process can still be necessary.
An interpretation of the words, not a claim about their earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Date unknown
- Culture
- English