Where does this quote come from - pale into insignificance?

Answer 1

it is related to the phrase "beyond the pale" (nowadays meaning outside of normal behaviour or expectations). The phrase "beyond the pale" relates to areas that were fenced off in Russia, by Catherine the Great.. the fence being made out of stakes (pales) which marked out regions on which you could live, beyond which was "beyond the pale". You can further understand the word "pale" from words like "impaling" something... by sticking it on a stake, such as Vlad the Impaler, who had a habit of killing people by lowering them onto a sharp stake or pale. So, back to the "pale into insignificance", relates to the area beyond the pales or stakes, therefore the area is of no use or indeed is not an area you can enter/live in, therefore this land/area "pales into insignificance"

Answer 2

The phrase "pale into insignificance" means that something seems unimportant or trivial when compared to something else. It is a commonly used expression in the English language to highlight the lack of significance of one thing when compared to another.