--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Although it seems shocking to say so…" description: "\"“Although it seems shocking to say so, grief is a funny thing. On the one hand, you're numb, yet on the other, something inside is trying desperately t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c5/alan-bradley-1571_grief_although-it-seems-shocking-to-say-so-gri_1325206.jpg" --- # Although it seems shocking to say so, grief is a funny… ![“Although it seems shocking to say so, grief is a funny thing. On the one hand, you're numb, yet on the other, something inside is trying desperately to claw its way back to normal: to pull a funny face, to leap out like a jack-in-the-box, to say "Smile, damn you, smile!” quote by Alan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c5/alan-bradley-1571_grief_although-it-seems-shocking-to-say-so-gri_1325206.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c5/alan-bradley-1571_grief_although-it-seems-shocking-to-say-so-gri_1325206.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c5/alan-bradley-1571_grief_although-it-seems-shocking-to-say-so-gri_1325206.jpg) > ““Although it seems shocking to say so, grief is a funny thing. On the one hand, you're numb, yet on the other, something inside is trying desperately to claw its way back to normal: to pull a funny face, to leap out like a jack-in-the-box, to say "Smile, damn you, smile!”” [Alan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bradley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Grief can be both numbing and oddly humorous, as the mind tries to regain normalcy by forcing laughter. **In simple terms:** Grief mixes numbness with forced humor. Key Takeaway Allow yourself to feel without forcing smiles. Themes grief humor coping psychology dual nature Mood somber thoughtful Type literary psychological When to use this quote - dealing with a loved one’s death - processing trauma - mental health counseling - support groups Key Concepts emotional resilience psychological defense mechanisms human response to loss Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance humor and sorrow? - When does laughter become avoidance? A Different Perspective Humor may mask deeper pain, delaying genuine healing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Damn Smile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/damn-smile-3181243/) [Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) [Grief Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief-funny-1771192/) [Numb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/numb/) [Say Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-grief-1886182/) [Say Smile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-smile-1056449/) ## Related quotes > [“I know I might look like a ball of fluff," she said, "but I'm not. Not even close. And the fact that I get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-shalvis/i-know-i-might-look-like-a-ball-of-fluff-she-said-but-i-m-not-not/) [Jill Shalvis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-shalvis/) > [“Grief is a funny thing because you don't have to carry it with you for the rest of your life. After a bit you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosamunde-pilcher/grief-is-a-funny-thing-because-you-don-t-have-to-carry-it-with-you-2/) [Rosamunde Pilcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosamunde-pilcher/) > [Grief is a funny thing because you don't have to carry it with you for the rest of your life. After a bit you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosamunde-pilcher/grief-is-a-funny-thing-because-you-don-t-have-to-carry-it-with-you/) [Rosamunde Pilcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosamunde-pilcher/) > [“Damn that smile.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandi-lynn/damn-that-smile/) [Sandi Lynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandi-lynn/) > [Happiness does not await us all. One needn't be a prophet to say that there will be more grief and pain than serenity and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/happiness-does-not-await-us-all-one-needn-t-be-a-prophet-to-say-that/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [“They say grief occurs in five stages. First there's denial followed by anger. Then comes bargaining, depression and acceptance. But grief is a merciless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thorne/they-say-grief-occurs-in-five-stages-first-there-s-denial-followed-by/) [Emily Thorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thorne/) > [To say that my grief will be eternal would be ridiculous - nothing is eternal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-bashkirtseff/to-say-that-my-grief-will-be-eternal-would-be-ridiculous-nothing-is/) [Marie Bashkirtseff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-bashkirtseff/) > [“You know, some people say grief is like an ocean,” I said. “I think that’s true. It’s deep and dark and bigger than you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brenda-rothert/you-know-some-people-say-grief-is-like-an-ocean-i-said-i-think-that-s/) [Brenda Rothert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brenda-rothert/) > [It's a truism to say that grief affects people in different ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-newman/it-s-a-truism-to-say-that-grief-affects-people-in-different-ways/) [Cathy Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-newman/) > [They sat quietly together for a few minutes, Joe holding Fiona's hand, Fiona sniffling. No flowery words, no platitudes passed between them. Joe would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-donnelly/they-sat-quietly-together-for-a-few-minutes-joe-holding-fiona-s-hand/) [Jennifer Donnelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-donnelly/) > [DON'T CRY. JUST SAY F\*\*\* Y\*\* and SMILE.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa/don-t-cry-just-say-f-y-and-smile/) [ALYSSA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyssa/) > [I don't like it when people on the street say "smile" or "cheer up." It's a real cheap line. I'm feeling good. I'm feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-cage/i-don-t-like-it-when-people-on-the-street-say-smile-or-cheer-up-it-s/) [Nicolas Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-cage/) > [It was the first smile of my life. Of course, that is a ridiculous thing to say; I had been smiled at often, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-birch/it-was-the-first-smile-of-my-life-of-course-that-is-a-ridiculous/) [Carol Birch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-birch/) > [“I addressed a remark to him which he acknowledged simply by closing and opening his eyes, making me feel that, the next time I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-powell/i-addressed-a-remark-to-him-which-he-acknowledged-simply-by-closing/) [Anthony Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-powell/) > [Are you in love with me, Camryn Bennett?” … “Not yet,” I say with a smile in my voice, “but I’m getting there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-redmerski/are-you-in-love-with-me-camryn-bennett-not-yet-i-say-with-a-smile-in/) [J.A. Redmerski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-redmerski/) ## More by Alan Bradley > [“…it is a well-known fact that more than two men shut up together in an enclosed space for more than an hour constitute a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bradley/it-is-a-well-known-fact-that-more-than-two-men-shut-up-together-in-an/) [Alan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bradley/) > [“You see, Flavia, silence is sometimes the most costly of commodities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bradley/you-see-flavia-silence-is-sometimes-the-most-costly-of-commodities/) [Alan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bradley/) > [“If there is a thing I truly despise, it is being addressed as "dearie." When I write my magnum opus, A Treatise Upon All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bradley/if-there-is-a-thing-i-truly-despise-it-is-being-addressed-as-dearie/) [Alan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bradley/) > [“The sweater didn't fit me, of course. Even with the sleeves rolled up I looked like a baggy monkey picking bananas. But to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bradley/the-sweater-didn-t-fit-me-of-course-even-with-the-sleeves-rolled-up-i/) [Alan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bradley/) > [“If there is anything more delicious than a sausage roasted over an open Bunsen burner, I can't image what it might be--Porcelain and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bradley/if-there-is-anything-more-delicious-than-a-sausage-roasted-over-an/) [Alan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bradley/) > [“No point in wasting time with false vanity when you possess the real thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bradley/no-point-in-wasting-time-with-false-vanity-when-you-possess-the-real/) [Alan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bradley/) > [“Die, witch," I managed, making a cross of my forefingers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bradley/die-witch-i-managed-making-a-cross-of-my-forefingers/) [Alan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bradley/) > [“There was no way out; not, at least, in this direction. I was like a hamster that had climbed to the top of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bradley/there-was-no-way-out-not-at-least-in-this-direction-i-was-like-a/) [Alan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bradley/) > [I am often thought of as being remarkably bright, and yet my brains, more often than not, are busily devising new and interesting ways…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bradley/i-am-often-thought-of-as-being-remarkably-bright-and-yet-my-brains/) [Alan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bradley/) > [“To my mind, if Nature had wanted us to have bright red fingertips, She would have caused us to be born with our blood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bradley/to-my-mind-if-nature-had-wanted-us-to-have-bright-red-fingertips-she/) [Alan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bradley/) > [“Had I been too cruel to that horror, Miss Mountjoy? Too vindictive? Wasn't she, after all, just a harmless and lonely old spinster? Would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bradley/had-i-been-too-cruel-to-that-horror-miss-mountjoy-too-vindictive-wasn/) [Alan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bradley/) > [“This was an interesting thought; it had never occurred to me that one's name could be a compass.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bradley/this-was-an-interesting-thought-it-had-never-occurred-to-me-that-one/) [Alan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bradley/) > [“While you've been gadding about the countryside, we've held a meeting, and we've all of us decided that you must go.' In short, we've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bradley/while-you-ve-been-gadding-about-the-countryside-we-ve-held-a-meeting/) [Alan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bradley/) > [“For all practical purposes, Feely's enthusiasms stopped where her skin ended.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bradley/for-all-practical-purposes-feely-s-enthusiasms-stopped-where-her-skin/) [Alan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bradley/) > [“Then I remembered that silence can sometimes do more damage than words.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bradley/then-i-remembered-that-silence-can-sometimes-do-more-damage-than-words/) [Alan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bradley/) [Explore all 226 Alan Bradley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bradley/) ## More Grief quotes > [“...they had lived, they'd lived intensely. But no matter how deeply you live, it comes to this in the end: one of you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-morton/they-had-lived-they-d-lived-intensely-but-no-matter-how-deeply-you/) [Brian Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-morton/) > [“You must understand the pain and grief of losing someone is nothing more than a function of survival.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-cooper/you-must-understand-the-pain-and-grief-of-losing-someone-is-nothing/) [Steven Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-cooper/) > [You felt a deep sorrow, the kind of melancholy you feel when you're in a beautiful place and the sun is going down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thrity-umrigar/you-felt-a-deep-sorrow-the-kind-of-melancholy-you-feel-when-you-re-in/) [Thrity Umrigar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thrity-umrigar/) > [... how much of our inner substance is it good for us to give to public griefs? The whole modern tendency to agonize over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-bogan/how-much-of-our-inner-substance-is-it-good-for-us-to-give-to-public/) [Louise Bogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-bogan/) > [You dont choose your life; it chooses you. Theres no point asking why life has reserved certain joys or griefs, you just accept them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-dont-choose-your-life-it-chooses-you-theres-no-point-asking-why/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“When we learn to attribute meaning to the events in our lives, we connect with our Higher Purpose, Higher Wisdom, or Source; we become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-barbara-apollon/when-we-learn-to-attribute-meaning-to-the-events-in-our-lives-we/) [Susan Barbara Apollon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-barbara-apollon/) > [Only to have a grief equal to all these tears!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/only-to-have-a-grief-equal-to-all-these-tears/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [Nowadays most people wear black most of the time anyway: go to a literary party and one would imagine everyone there was in perpetual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/nowadays-most-people-wear-black-most-of-the-time-anyway-go-to-a/) [Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/) > [Suppressed grief suffocates, it rages within the breast, and is forced to multiply its strength.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/suppressed-grief-suffocates-it-rages-within-the-breast-and-is-forced/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [That Woman is in love with her own grief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/that-woman-is-in-love-with-her-own-grief/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [Short time seems long in sorrow's sharp sustaining.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/short-time-seems-long-in-sorrow-s-sharp-sustaining/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [These days grief seems like walking on a frozen river; most of the time he feels safe enough, but there is always that danger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/these-days-grief-seems-like-walking-on-a-frozen-river-most-of-the/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [“You've been my beacon of light in my storm of grief, and I don't know if I could live without you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-ashley/you-ve-been-my-beacon-of-light-in-my-storm-of-grief-and-i-don-t-know/) [Katie Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-ashley/) > [Ancient eyes had stared at me, filled with ancient grief. And something more. Something so alien and unexpected that I'd almost burst into tears.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/ancient-eyes-had-stared-at-me-filled-with-ancient-grief-and-something/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [Meanwhile, the trees were just as green as before; the birds sang and the sun shone as clearly now as ever. The familiar surroundings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/meanwhile-the-trees-were-just-as-green-as-before-the-birds-sang-and/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) [Browse all 8,012 Grief quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Although it seems shocking to say so, grief is a funny thing. 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