--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But when someone is grieving, a genuine…" description: "\"“But when someone is grieving, a genuine smile is a small victory in the big battle.”\" — Adam Silvera" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27a/adam-silvera-2264_war_but-when-someone-is-grieving-a-genuine-s_1611893.jpg" --- # But when someone is grieving, a genuine smile is a small… ![“But when someone is grieving, a genuine smile is a small victory in the big battle.” quote by Adam Silvera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27a/adam-silvera-2264_war_but-when-someone-is-grieving-a-genuine-s_1611893.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27a/adam-silvera-2264_war_but-when-someone-is-grieving-a-genuine-s_1611893.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27a/adam-silvera-2264_war_but-when-someone-is-grieving-a-genuine-s_1611893.jpg) > ““But when someone is grieving, a genuine smile is a small victory in the big battle.”” [Adam Silvera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-silvera/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When grieving, a genuine smile represents a small triumph amid overwhelming sorrow. **In simple terms:** A smile can be a brief victory over grief. Key Takeaway Allow moments of joy even when mourning. Themes grief hope small victories Mood empathetic thoughtful Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - funeral services - personal loss - support groups - daily coping Key Concepts Psychology of mourning emotional resilience human connection Questions to Reflect On - How can we support those who smile while grieving? - What does a smile signify in the context of loss? A Different Perspective Smiles may mask deeper pain if not addressed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Genuine Smile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genuine-smile-963274/) [Grieving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grieving/) [Grieving Genuine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grieving-genuine-6147706/) [Small Victory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-victory-3062537/) [Smile Small](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smile-small-5200523/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [They might not need me; but they might. I'll let my head be just in sight; a smile as small as mine might be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/they-might-not-need-me-but-they-might-i-ll-let-my-head-be-just-in/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [“A small victory, he thought, but sweet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/a-small-victory-he-thought-but-sweet/) [George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/) > [“The victories may be small, but one small victory to a defeated mind is a big victory.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-guise/the-victories-may-be-small-but-one-small-victory-to-a-defeated-mind/) [Stephen Guise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-guise/) > [It's a big deal for me as a Korean American and an unspeakable act of joy to be able to show my freckles. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-lee/it-s-a-big-deal-for-me-as-a-korean-american-and-an-unspeakable-act-of/) [Greta Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-lee/) > [“Seeing Malich dead was suddenly a very small victory. The satisfaction trickled away, like his blood across the floor. His death only gave me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-e-pearson/seeing-malich-dead-was-suddenly-a-very-small-victory-the-satisfaction/) [Mary E. Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-e-pearson/) > [Just take one small victory at a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamman-rucker/just-take-one-small-victory-at-a-time/) [Lamman Rucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamman-rucker/) > [“Indeed, there was a difference, one that any Thai person could spot instantly but not most foreigners. What the Thais know instinctively is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/indeed-there-was-a-difference-one-that-any-thai-person-could-spot/) [Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/) > [Sometimes just a single genuine smile or compliment can lift a persons spirits to new heights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senora-roy/sometimes-just-a-single-genuine-smile-or-compliment-can-lift-a/) [Senora Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senora-roy/) > [A genuine smile can warm a heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pajani/a-genuine-smile-can-warm-a-heart/) [Pajani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pajani/) > [“Smiling and Expressions of Emotion. A genuine smile is inviting, contagious, and encouraging. People do read a book by its cover and your expressions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/smiling-and-expressions-of-emotion-a-genuine-smile-is-inviting/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [Everyone likes the sight of a genuine smile. Think about how you feel when a complete stranger looks into your eyes and smiles. Suddenly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/everyone-likes-the-sight-of-a-genuine-smile-think-about-how-you-feel/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [“A genuine smile is one of the world’s rarest treasures.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/a-genuine-smile-is-one-of-the-world-s-rarest-treasures/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [A genuine smile touches something fundamental in us: our natural appreciation of kindness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/a-genuine-smile-touches-something-fundamental-in-us-our-natural/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [Today kick start your day with a big broad genuine smile. Come on, show life how optimistic you can be! Have an excellent morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/today-kick-start-your-day-with-a-big-broad-genuine-smile-come-on-show/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“A genuine smile is your best fashion accessory and the most important thing you can wear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/a-genuine-smile-is-your-best-fashion-accessory-and-the-most-important/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) ## More by Adam Silvera > [“I’m more happy than not. Don’t forget me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-silvera/i-m-more-happy-than-not-don-t-forget-me/) [Adam Silvera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-silvera/) > [“Getting up means leaving,” I say. “Yeah,” Rufus says. “Leaving means dying,” I say. “Nah. Leaving means living before you die. Let’s bounce.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-silvera/getting-up-means-leaving-i-say-yeah-rufus-says-leaving-means-dying-i/) [Adam Silvera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-silvera/) > [“I always wanted to stumble into someone like you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-silvera/i-always-wanted-to-stumble-into-someone-like-you/) [Adam Silvera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-silvera/) > [Whereas Books of Wonder excels with children's literature, McNally Jackson is where I go for my adult new releases, and no, it has nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-silvera/whereas-books-of-wonder-excels-with-children-s-literature-mcnally/) [Adam Silvera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-silvera/) > [“I only care about the people who wanna be in my life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-silvera/i-only-care-about-the-people-who-wanna-be-in-my-life/) [Adam Silvera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-silvera/) > [“I call Theo and it goes to voice mail. “Hey, Theo, it’s Griff. I sort of need to talk to you about something big.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-silvera/i-call-theo-and-it-goes-to-voice-mail-hey-theo-it-s-griff-i-sort-of/) [Adam Silvera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-silvera/) > [All my books center around death in some way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-silvera/all-my-books-center-around-death-in-some-way/) [Adam Silvera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-silvera/) > [“Leaving means living before you die”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-silvera/leaving-means-living-before-you-die/) [Adam Silvera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-silvera/) > [“Someone knowing me is supposed to be a beautiful thing and not something that prevents him from being open, right?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-silvera/someone-knowing-me-is-supposed-to-be-a-beautiful-thing-and-not/) [Adam Silvera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-silvera/) > [“A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for. —John A. Shedd”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-silvera/a-ship-in-harbor-is-safe-but-that-is-not-what-ships-are-built-for/) [Adam Silvera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-silvera/) > [“I kiss the guy who brought me to life on the day we’re going to die.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-silvera/i-kiss-the-guy-who-brought-me-to-life-on-the-day-we-re-going-to-die/) [Adam Silvera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-silvera/) > [“Love shouldn’t only count when there’s victory.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-silvera/love-shouldn-t-only-count-when-there-s-victory/) [Adam Silvera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-silvera/) > [“I’ve spent a lot of the past year waiting—mostly for you. Here’s hoping Jackson actually shows up. I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-silvera/i-ve-spent-a-lot-of-the-past-year-waiting-mostly-for-you-here-s/) [Adam Silvera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-silvera/) > [“I’m happy for you, but mad jealous, too. And if that isn’t enough to get you out, I need you. I need a friend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-silvera/i-m-happy-for-you-but-mad-jealous-too-and-if-that-isn-t-enough-to-get/) [Adam Silvera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-silvera/) > [“He doesn’t know that I know all of this. You taught him something personal to me. You taught him a routine I had with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-silvera/he-doesn-t-know-that-i-know-all-of-this-you-taught-him-something/) [Adam Silvera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-silvera/) [Explore all 174 Adam Silvera quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-silvera/) ## More Grieving quotes > [This is a proof of a well-trained mind, to rejoice in what is good and to grieve at the opposite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/this-is-a-proof-of-a-well-trained-mind-to-rejoice-in-what-is-good-and/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [Certainly, it is. Love is love, and loss is loss. We all love, and we all die, and everyone suffers the pain of grieving.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynsay-sands/certainly-it-is-love-is-love-and-loss-is-loss-we-all-love-and-we-all/) [Lynsay Sands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynsay-sands/) > [“...what happens when you return and find nothing but a hollowed shell, shingles and floor, walls and echoes and the light that lead you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kellie-elmore/what-happens-when-you-return-and-find-nothing-but-a-hollowed-shell/) [Kellie Elmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kellie-elmore/) > [When we don't get what we want, there's a legitimate grieving, and then the spiritual journey truly begins, because not getting what we want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/when-we-don-t-get-what-we-want-there-s-a-legitimate-grieving-and-then/) [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) > [... I think we grieve forever, but that goes for love too, fortunately for us all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-k-fisher/i-think-we-grieve-forever-but-that-goes-for-love-too-fortunately-for/) [M. F. K. Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-k-fisher/) > [These are the intensities that one cannot live with, that he has to outgrow if he wants to survive. But who can help grieving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/these-are-the-intensities-that-one-cannot-live-with-that-he-has-to/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [Birth, life, death is a cycle. And they're all beautiful, you celebrate all of them. Animals do grieve, but they move on. That's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-millan/birth-life-death-is-a-cycle-and-they-re-all-beautiful-you-celebrate/) [Cesar Millan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-millan/) > [The longer I live, the more it grieves me to see man, who occupies his supreme place for the very purpose of imposing his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/the-longer-i-live-the-more-it-grieves-me-to-see-man-who-occupies-his/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [“There's always a last time. If you could remember every last time, you'd never stop grieving.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-tropper/there-s-always-a-last-time-if-you-could-remember-every-last-time-you/) [Jonathan Tropper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-tropper/) > [I never could keep a promise. I do not blame myself for this weakness, because the fault must lie in my physical organization. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-never-could-keep-a-promise-i-do-not-blame-myself-for-this-weakness/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [In general satire, every man perceives A slight attack, yet neither fears nor grieves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-crabbe/in-general-satire-every-man-perceives-a-slight-attack-yet-neither/) [George Crabbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-crabbe/) > [Those who grieve frequently find themselves alone. Missed is the laughter of children, the commotion of teenagers, and the tender, loving concern of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-s-monson/those-who-grieve-frequently-find-themselves-alone-missed-is-the/) [Thomas S. Monson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-s-monson/) > [Or maybe a person is just made up of a lot of peopleMaybe we’re accumulating these new selves all the time. Hauling them in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/or-maybe-a-person-is-just-made-up-of-a-lot-of-peoplemaybe-we-re/) [Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/) > [Any kind of grieving that is not allowed causes a break. In our culture, grieving in public is not encouraged, but in other cultures,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-ripley/any-kind-of-grieving-that-is-not-allowed-causes-a-break-in-our/) [Alice Ripley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-ripley/) > [It always grieves me to contemplate the initiation of children into the ways of life when they are scarcely more than infants. It checks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/it-always-grieves-me-to-contemplate-the-initiation-of-children-into/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) [Browse all 1,021 Grieving quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grieving/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But when someone is grieving, a genuine smile is a small victory in the big battle.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Adam Silvera" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-silvera/but-when-someone-is-grieving-a-genuine-smile-is-a-small-victory-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Grieving" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-silvera/but-when-someone-is-grieving-a-genuine-smile-is-a-small-victory-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27a/adam-silvera-2264_war_but-when-someone-is-grieving-a-genuine-s_1611893.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27a/adam-silvera-2264_war_but-when-someone-is-grieving-a-genuine-s_1611893.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27a/adam-silvera-2264_war_but-when-someone-is-grieving-a-genuine-s_1611893.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But when someone is grieving, a genuine smile is a small victory in the big battle.” — Adam Silvera", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Adam Silvera", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-silvera/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“But when someone is grieving, a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-silvera/but-when-someone-is-grieving-a-genuine-smile-is-a-small-victory-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-silvera/but-when-someone-is-grieving-a-genuine-smile-is-a-small-victory-in/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```