“Avoidance is never the answer. Yes, life is all about pain and trouble and frustration and anger, but it's also about love and friendship and good days and sunshine. You can't have one without the other. If you avoid pain, you avoid living.”

“There are odd things in life, and one of them is pain. The odd thing about pain is this: you can't avoid it. You just can't. Maybe if you lived in a sealed room your whole life you could, but that would be lonely and cause you emotional pain, and it might mean you've been kidnapped, so...just don't live sealed rooms. Also...you can't avoid pain.”

“It's all well and good saying you avoid pain by avoiding relationships, but what about the wonderful things you're avoiding as well? What about the joy and the intimacy and the trust that come with finding someone you love?”

“The point of life isn't to avoid pain. The point of life is to be alive! To feel things. That means the good and the bad. There'll be pain. But also joy, and friendship and love. And it's worth it, believe me.”

“It is possible to avoid pain? Yes, but you'll never learn anything. Is it possible to know something without ever having experiencing it? Yes, but it will never truly be part of you.”

“You can't avoid pain, but you can choose to overcome it.”