For many people the death of a loved one, friend, or acquaintance is a sad occasion. Words can't describe the pain, emptiness, and feelings of loss after a death, but these quotes capture those emotions with precision and empathy.
Family Member Sad Death Quotes
The loss of a grandparent, parent, spouse, child, or sibling is often the saddest death you can experience because of the close bonds that come with these family relationships. Sayings about the death of a loved one help give definition to your feelings and express to others what is happening inside you as you grieve.
Death of a Parent
When a parent dies, children are left with a hole in their heart and life, as parents are among the few people present from birth. In his book For One More Day, Mitch Albom captures this feeling in such a profound way when he says, "But she wasn't around, and that's the thing when your parents die, you feel like instead of going in to every fight with backup, you are going into every fight alone." The loss of this intrinsic support system provided by parents can be devastating.
Loss of a Child
One of the saddest deaths a person can experience is the loss of their child. The death of a child leaves parents scrambling to find new meaning in their life and get through every day, one minute at a time. Wayne Loder captures this sentiment in the phrase, "When your child dies you find your life is forever divided into 'before' and 'after'." An unknown author adds the similar message, "When you have a child in Heaven you live in limbo between 'here' and 'there'."
Sibling Loss
In his book Where Things Come Back, author John Corey Whaley describes what it's like to be the brother of a missing boy. He says, "...a part of my very being had gone with him. Stories about us could, from them on, be told from only one perspective."
When you lose a sibling or friend you've shared memories with, it's sad to realize you can't ever hear how they experienced those memories again. In her book My Sister's Keeper, Jodi Picoult expresses the confusion that comes after losing a sister when she writes, "If you have a sister and she dies, do you stop saying you have one?" There are words to describe wives who lose husbands, but not siblings who lose siblings.
Sad Quotes About Death
A death is one of the greatest losses any person can experience. Words like these capture the magnitude of this feeling.
- John Dryden writes, "Death, in itself, is nothing; but we fear, to be we know not what, we know not where," in his work Aureng-Zebe. For many, death is something to fear all during life.
- "Even the best of friends cannot attend each other's funeral," says author Kehlog Albran in sharing the deep sadness felt at even the thought of a friend's death.
- In a short story, George Eliot suggests, "Our dead are never dead to us until we have forgotten them." This sad reminder shares that eventually all who die are forgotten despite the best of intentions.
- "Death is the solution to all problems. No man - no problem," is the depressing viewpoint expressed by oppressive leader Joseph Stalin. It's incredibly sad many historical dictators and leaders have held this same idea.
- In her story Pale Horse, Pale Rider, Katherine Anne Porter speaks of how death is a shared experience for the deceased and those left behind. "Death always leaves one singer to mourn."
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"If people thought you were dying, they gave you their full attention," says Chuck Palahniuk in his novel Fight Club. This unhappy truth captures the idea people are a lot more purposeful in their interactions with others who appear close to death than those living vibrantly.
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In her book The Song of Achilles, Madeline Miller writes, "When he died, all things soft and beautiful and bright would be buried with him," to show what a dark time death can produce.
- In his poem Maud Muller, John Greenleaf Whittier writes, "For of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: 'It might have been!'" The not knowing what could have been in your relationship with the deceased can be just as sad as the loss.
Sayings About Suicide
Death by suicide is one of the most tragic ways to lose a loved one as many feel it could have been prevented or avoided. Often, it is those left behind who suffer the most sadness in these scenarios.
From the Deceased's Perspective
Emilie Autumn explains in a quote on mentalhealthdaily.com how a suicidal person's thoughts might sound and the stigma that comes after a failed attempt. "Nothing in my life has ever made me want to commit suicide more than people's reaction to my trying to commit suicide." These ideations are a vicious cycle of negative self-thought that can't be reversed by the good intentions of others. An anonymous saying adds, "Suicide doesn't end the chances of life getting worse, it eliminates the possibility of it ever getting any better."
For Those Left Behind
Loved ones left behind after someone commits suicide are left with endless questions, grief, and sadness because they can't understand why this would happen. Jeannette Walls shares, "When people kill themselves, they think they're ending the pain, but all they're doing is passing it on to those they leave behind." The person who dies no longer feels sadness and despair, but as Clark shares, "The person who completes suicide dies once. Those left behind die a thousand deaths, trying to relive those terrible moments and understand...Why?"
Respecting Sadness
Feelings of sadness after a death are a normal part of the human experience. Acknowledge and respect those feelings with quotes like these to help you move through the emotion.
