Grief Quotes to Help Grievers Understand and Heal Grief
6 Minute Read
Quotes are important and potentially powerful in helping comfort, inspire, understand, and normalize the feelings and belief of the readers of quotes. This couldn’t be more true for those who are grieving the death of a loved one. A quote can provide an “Aha!” moment in which it becomes obvious to the reader that they are not the only ones holding their sentiments.
Quotes help explain grief through the perspectives of others who have endured grief, and those who are experts on the topic. They allow us to access the thoughts of renowned people whom we may admire, and also, access to people like us who have something to share that resonates with us.
I, and the clients in my grief counseling practice so often find quotes that resonate with us and help us understand our experience of grief. I’m sharing some of them here with you, in the hopes that at least a few of them will strike a chord within you, providing the help you may need at that moment.
And if some of them make your eyes tear up, remember that crying is okay and healthy.
Here are a few well-known quotes from authors, poets, and others.
“Grief is like the ocean; It comes in waves; ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the water is calm, and sometimes it is overwhelming. All we can do is learn to swim. “ --- Vicki Harrison
“Sometimes all you can do is lie in bed and hope to fall asleep before you fall apart.” --- William C. Hannan
“Anything that’s human is mentionable, and anything that is mentionable, can be more manageable. When we can talk about our feelings, they become less overwhelming, less upsetting, and less scary. The people we trust with that important talk can help us know that we are not alone.” --- Fred Rogers
“It’s possible to go on, no matter how impossible it seems, and that in time, the grief … lessens. It may not go away completely, but after a while, it’s not so overwhelming.” ---Nicholas Spark
“Grief is not a disorder, a disease, or a sign of weakness. It is an emotional, spiritual and physical necessity, the price you pay for love. The only cure for grief is to grieve.” --- Earl Grollman
“Grief is the last act of love we can give to those we loved. Where there is deep grief, there was great love." --- Anonymous
“There is a sacredness in tears. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition and of unspeakable love.” --- Washington Irving
“Moving on, as a concept, is for stupid people. Because any sensible person knows grief is a long-term project. I refuse to rush. Let no man slow, speed, or fix.” --- Max Porter
“The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing … not healing, not curing… that is a friend who cares”. --- Henri Nouwen
"No matter how long it's been, there are times when it suddenly becomes harder to breathe." --- Anonymous
“Grief, I've learned, is just love. It's all the love you want to give but cannot. All of that unspent love gathers up in the corners of your eyes, the lump in your throat, and in that hollow part of your chest. Grief is just love with no place to go.” --- Anonymous
“We all want to do something to mitigate the pain of loss or to turn grief into something positive, to find a silver lining in the clouds. But I believe there is real value in just standing there, being still, being sad.”--- John Green
“Tears are the silent language of grief." --- Voltaire
“I have learned now that while those who speak about one’s miseries usually hurt, those who keep silence hurt more.” --- C.S. Lewis
"Guilt is perhaps the most painful companion to death." --- Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
“Do not apologize for crying. Without this emotion, we are only robots.” --- Elizabeth Gilbert
“We think that the point is to pass the test or overcome the problem, but the truth is that things don’t really get solved. They come together and they fall apart. Then they come together again and fall apart again. It’s just like that. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy.” --- Pema Chodron
“Grief is never something you get over. You don’t wake up one morning and say, “I’ve conquered that: now I’m moving on” It’s something that walks beside you every day. And if you can learn how to manage it and honor the person that you miss, you can take something that is incredibly sad and have some form of positivity.” --- Terri Erwin
If you are having difficulty with grief, download my free resource guide. My goal is to help people start the healing process after experiencing the death of a loved one.
Grief is hard. I’m here to help.
