Solitude vs. Loneliness

Language... has created the word "loneliness"
to express the pain of being alone.
And it has created the word "solitude"
to express the glory of being alone.
- Paul Tillich

I have never found a companion that was so companionable as solitude.
We are for the most part more lonely when we go abroad among men
than when we stay in our chambers.
- Henry David Thoreau

When you are lonely you are thinking of the other,
you are missing the other.
Loneliness is a negative state...
Aloneness is the presence of oneself.
Aloneness is very positive.
- Osho

If you are lonely when you're alone, you are in bad company.
- Jean-Paul Sartre

Loneliness is not what it seems.
One does not feel lonely because one is alone,
but because of a feeling of lack -
a feeling that something is missing.
Loneliness is essentially independent
of how many other humans are around.
It has much more to do with one's self-esteem -
one's sense of inherent worth.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: Feeling Discouraged?

Feeling Sorry for Yourself?

Solitude vs. Feeling Lonely

Feeling Alone
    

Solitude as a Cure for Loneliness

Language... has created the word "loneliness"
to express the pain of being alone.
And it has created the word "solitude"
to express the glory of being alone.
- Paul Tillich

When you are lonely you are thinking of the other,
you are missing the other.
Loneliness is a negative state...
Aloneness is the presence of oneself.
Aloneness is very positive.
- Osho

The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy
is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet,
alone with the heavens, nature and God.
Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be.
- Anne Frank

I have never found a companion that was so companionable as solitude.
We are for the most part more lonely when we go abroad among men
than when we stay in our chambers.
- Henry David Thoreau

If you are lonely when you're alone, you are in bad company.
- Jean-Paul Sartre

Further reading: Feeling Lonely and Depressed?

Feeling Alone

Filled with Love Inside

Being Alone

You have not been abandoned.

Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty. Mother Teresa

Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty.
- Mother Teresa

I have never found a companion that was so companionable as solitude. We are for the most part more lonely when we go abroad among men than when we stay in our chambers.
- Henry David Thoreau

If you are lonely when you're alone, you are in bad company.
- Jean-Paul Sartre

If I am a legend, then why am I so lonely?
- Judy Garland

Loneliness is not what it seems. One does not feel lonely because one is alone, but because of a feeling of lack - a feeling that something is missing. Loneliness is essentially independent of how many other humans are around. It has much more to do with one's self-esteem - one's sense of inherent worth.

How can people like Henry David Thoreau happily spend months in solitude while Judy Garland and many other famous people feel lonely in the midst of adoring crowds? A good part of the answer lies in how much you like yourself and how confident you feel.

Further reading: Paul Tillich: Language... has created the word "loneliness" to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word "solitude" to express the