“A grief without a pang, void, dark and drear,
A drowsy, stifled, unimpassioned grief,
Which finds no natural outlet or relief,
In word, or sigh, or tear.”

“There is no feeling, except the extremes of fear and grief, that does not find relief in music.”

T.S. Eliot (1888–1965) 20th century English author

“People complain about their griefs and sorrows and how they pray to God but find no relief from pain. But grief itself is a gift from God. It is the symbol of His compassion.”

Sarada Devi (1853–1920) Hindu religious figure, spiritual consort of Ramakrishna

“No worst, there is none. Pitched past pitch of grief,
More pangs will, schooled at forepangs, wilder wring.”

Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844–1889) English poet

“Waste not fresh tears over old griefs.”

Euripidés (-480–-406 BC) ancient Athenian playwright

“Unhappiness is selfish, grief is selfish. For whom are the tears?”

Jeanette Winterson (1959) English writer

“In short, if your body or mind
Or your soul or your purse come to grief,
You need only get drunk, and you'll find
Complete and immediate relief.”

James Kenneth Stephen (1859–1892) English poet, tutor to Prince Albert Victor

“There is a sacredness in tears…. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition and of unspeakable love.”

Washington Irving (1783–1859) writer, historian and diplomat from the United States

“Thus I alone, where all my freedom grew,
In prison pine, with bondage and restraint:
And with remembrance of the greater grief,
To banish the less, I find my chief relief.”

Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey (1516–1547) English Earl

“And let these tears, distilling from mine eyes,
Be proof of my grief and innocency.”

Christopher Marlowe (1564–1593) English dramatist, poet and translator