Marcel Proust Quotes

People in grief need someone to walk with them without judging them.

But there is a discomfort that surrounds grief. It makes even the most well-intentioned people unsure of what to say. And so many of the freshly bereaved end up feeling even more alone.

There's a general impulse to distract the grieving person - as if you could.

In general, I think people are worried about saying the wrong thing to any grieving person. On a very basic level, I think they're frightened of touching off tears or sorrow, as though someone tearing up at the mention of unhappy news would be the mentioner's fault.

When Christopher and Charles passed away, I was completely depressed, I felt rejected and real down, and so Roscoe invited me because he had this spirit of compassion, and we had gone to school together, were friends and everything.

Give me your hand out of the depths sown by your sorrows.

If you have ever lost a loved one, then you know exactly how it feels. And if you have not, then you cannot possibly imagine it.

I am right sorry for your heavinesse.

What do you say? There really are no words for that. There really aren't. Somebody tries to say, 'I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.' People say that to me. There's no language for it. Sorry doesn't do it. I think you should just hug people and mop their floor or something.

Tell them, that, to ease them of their griefs, Their fear of hostile strokes, their aches, losses, Their pangs of love, with other incident throes That nature's fragile vessel doth sustain In life's uncertain voyage, I will some kindness do them.

It's a blessing not to be alone in your grief but it's also painful to see your parents and siblings in pain.

Nothing made you feel so useless as another person's grief.

It's important for us not to lose sight of the fact that this is a family that's grieving and there's been a tremendous loss. And we all have to rally around that piece of it.

I'll always remember when I bumped into Good Morning America's Robin Roberts on a flight to my mother's funeral in 1994, and how kind she was during that difficult time.

I think when you suffer a tremendous loss, everybody needs love and support in tangible ways. And that's what people have done for us.

We should not clap our hands and mourn, for he is out of trouble. You are still in it.

There are widows who long for friendly voices and that spirit of anxious concern which speaks of love.

Going through an illness and then death of a close friend has changed my attitudes to friendship enormously.

My two best friends have gone through break-ups that were really hard, and I remember thinking, 'How could this be so hard and important to them?' Literally for months they were really upset and they couldn't get over it. I had no idea what it was like. And now that I've been through it, I totally understand.

Our own sorrows seem heavy enough, even when lifted by certain long-term joys. But watching others hurt is the breaker of most any heart.

Grief releases love and it also instills a profound sense of connection.

I know when my parents passed away, I wanted all the support I could get.

Grief is like a long valley, a winding valley where any bend may reveal a totally new landscape.

The sympathy of sorrow is stronger than the sympathy of prosperity.

Grieving, like being blind, is a strange business; you have to learn how to do it. We seek company in mourning, but after the early bursts of tears, after the praises have been spoken, and the good days remembered, and the lament cried, and the grave closed, there is no company in grief. It is a burden borne alone.