In "Theory as Liberatory Practice" bell hooks writes that theory comes from pain. She writes that as a child, she "found sanctuary in 'theorizing,' making sense out of what was happening. I found a place where I could imagine possible futures, a place where life could be lived differently. This “lived” experience of critical thinking, of reflection and analysis, became a place where pain can be understood and made to go away" (61).

bell hooks describes pain in terms of "everyday" experiences:

She writes that "theory emerges from the concrete, from...efforts to intervene critically in my life and the lives of others"(70), and that if we create feminist theory and movements that address this everyday pain, "...there will be no gap between feminist resistance and feminist practice" (75).