Ivo Andrić quotes
1892 – 1975 · Bosnia and Herzegovina, 20th century · novelist, short-story writer, poet, diplomat
About Ivo Andrić
Born 9 October 1892 in Dolac (near Travnik), died 13 March 1975 in Belgrade. Andrić combined a diplomatic career with literary work; he earned a doctorate at the University of Graz (1924) and wrote key novels during wartime Belgrade. Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1961 for his overall achievement.
Works: Ex Ponto (1918), Na Drini ćuprija (The Bridge on the Drina), Travnička hronika (Bosnian Chronicle), Prokleta avlija (The Damned Yard)
Quotes
“What doesn't hurt - is not life; what doesn't pass - is not happiness.”
Source: no specific work is documented · Check the source
Disputed attributionWhat we know
- What is documented
- The sentence is commonly attributed to Ivo Andrić and exists in South Slavic form in quotation collections, but no primary source has been located.
- What remains uncertain
- Attribution is disputed: researchers have not identified an original work, date, or translator for the English form; the exact origin remains unknown.
The line suggests that pain and transience are part of being alive: they don't undermine life or happiness but mark them as real. It echoes themes found in works linked to Ivo Andrić. Still, the sentence is commonly attributed to him without a verified primary source.