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Crying Quote by Colleen Hoover

“Tonight is different. This night is the first night in three weeks when she’s not crying. I hold her anyway. I want to be happy that she’s not crying, but it scares me. Her tears mean she feels something. Even if that something is devastation, it’s still something. There aren’t any tears tonight…” quote by Colleen Hoover
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““Tonight is different. This night is the first night in three weeks when she’s not crying. I hold her anyway. I want to be happy that she’s not crying, but it scares me. Her tears mean she feels something. Even if that something is devastation, it’s still something. There aren’t any tears tonight. I hold her anyway. I tell her I’m sorry again. She never tells me it’s okay. She never tells me it’s not my fault. She never tells me she forgives me.””

Colleen Hoover

About This Quote

Source Novel: It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover, 2016

The narrator grapples with fear and guilt while holding a child who is not crying, recognizing that tears signal feeling, even painful ones, and yearning for forgiveness and reassurance.

In simple terms: Holding a child without tears still feels scary because it shows she feels something, and the narrator seeks forgiveness.

Key Takeaway

Acknowledge fear, seek reassurance, and accept that feeling is better than numbness.

Themes

guilt parenting emotional awareness forgiveness fear

Mood

anxious hopeful reflective

Type

personal emotional narrative

When to use this quote

  • parenting a newborn
  • comforting a child after trauma
  • processing guilt
  • seeking forgiveness
  • building emotional resilience

Key Concepts

attachment theory emotional regulation psychology

Questions to Reflect On

  • How can we recognize emotional signals beyond crying?
  • What does it mean to forgive ourselves?
A Different Perspective

The narrator assumes tears are the only sign of feeling, overlooking other expressions of emotion.

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