Susan Cheever Quotes

If a man is terrified, it's up to me to dispel that terror.

It's extraordinary to hear from people who are bereaved, or gone through a divorce, and they still take the time to tell me how a certain track or album helped them through tough times, or kept them sane.

The comments I most appreciate come from ordinary readers who've happened on one of my books at some time of stress in their lives, and who actually credit the book with helping them through a bad time. It's happened a few times in forty years.

I have this one little saying, when things get too heavy just call me helium, the lightest known gas to man.

There's no text that can replace a loving touch when someone we love is hurting.

You're always going to survive the pain of loss. I can live with that confidence inside of me.

Every single day, I get letters - very moving, overwhelming letters - testifying how much my books have meant to people in times of crisis in their lives, when they were very ill, say. If I ever doubted that writing could play an important part in people's lives, I don't doubt that now.

If you live through the death of your child, you should be able to talk about it and let other people know it's OK to go on.

First of all, a lot of people, a lot of women and men, have lost their children. I'm not the only one. But I happen to be blessed that my son gave me all these things to work with so that I get to work out my grief in a way that other people are not able to. So I can't possibly be downtrodden about that.

There's always something good to come out of disappointment: Comfort.

You can hold on to me for as long as you want. Let go of the pain, Sookie". - Eric, Club dead.

You pick me up and brush me off and tell me I'm okay, sometimes that's just what we need to get us through the day.

Explanations don't comfort. You won't feel better if you know why. It won't hurt any less.

In the midst of the sense of tragedy or loss, sometimes laughter is not only healing, it's a way of experiencing the person that you've lost again.

I wanted to escape so badly. But of course I knew I couldn't just give up and leave school. It was only when I heard my mom's voice that I came out of my hiding place.

Dr. Rice went well beyond offering a helping hand - she went so far as to shed tears and share hugs with those who, in a matter of just a few hours, had lost everything to the rising floodwaters.

My assignment is to take my situation and to use it to help others who feel hopeless and/or helpless because of loss.

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

Sarcasm helps me overcome the harshness of the reality we live, eases the pain of scars and makes people smile.

Being able to sing all these years has helped me handle life's tragedies.

Words of comfort, skillfully administered, are the oldest therapy known to man.

I could only try to comfort the women that I came face-to-face with. I was really moved by how much they wanted to talk, how much they needed to be comforted, and how happy they were that we were there.

My heart was broken when I realized my daughter had a problem. I pray every day for her.

When we are dealing with death we are constantly being dragged down by the event: Humor diverts our attention and lifts our sagging spirits.

The best music, you can seek some shelter in it momentarily, but it's essentially there to provide you something to face the world with.