--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Grief,” he said, “is carnivorous. It…" description: "\"“Grief,” he said, “is carnivorous. It feeds whether you’re awake or not, whether you fight it or you don’t. Much like cancer. And one morning you wake ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb9/dennis-lehane-1503_grief_grief-he-said-is-carnivorous-it-feeds-wh_2378917.jpg" --- # Grief,” he said, “is carnivorous. It feeds whether you’re… ![“Grief,” he said, “is carnivorous. It feeds whether you’re awake or not, whether you fight it or you don’t. Much like cancer. And one morning you wake up and all those other emotions—joy, envy, greed, even love—are swallowed by it. And you’re alone with grief, naked to it. And it owns you.” quote by Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb9/dennis-lehane-1503_grief_grief-he-said-is-carnivorous-it-feeds-wh_2378917.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb9/dennis-lehane-1503_grief_grief-he-said-is-carnivorous-it-feeds-wh_2378917.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb9/dennis-lehane-1503_grief_grief-he-said-is-carnivorous-it-feeds-wh_2378917.jpg) > ““Grief,” he said, “is carnivorous. It feeds whether you’re awake or not, whether you fight it or you don’t. Much like cancer. And one morning you wake up and all those other emotions—joy, envy, greed, even love—are swallowed by it. And you’re alone with grief, naked to it. And it owns you.”” [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Grief is an all‑consuming force that dominates emotions and isolates the sufferer, similar to a relentless disease. **In simple terms:** Grief overwhelms and isolates. Key Takeaway Recognize grief’s grip and seek connection. Themes grief isolation emotion vulnerability Mood sad reflective Type personal emotional When to use this quote - therapy sessions - bereavement support - personal reflection - creative writing Key Concepts psychology loss addiction Questions to Reflect On - How does grief change your perception of other emotions? - What practices help you stay present amid grief? A Different Perspective Grief can also motivate growth and empathy if processed healthily. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) ## Related quotes > [Grief, he said, is carnivorous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/grief-he-said-is-carnivorous/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“I thought bravery had deserted me, but it hadn't. It had been swallowed by grief, and now I was slowly emerging from that pool.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-thought-bravery-had-deserted-me-but-it-hadn-t-it-had-been-swallowed/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“You know nothing about my grief", said Anastasia. " So speak nothing of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-legrand/you-know-nothing-about-my-grief-said-anastasia-so-speak-nothing-of-it/) [Claire Legrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-legrand/) > [“You can't fix grief,” said Simon. “A rabbi told me that when my father died. The only thing that fixes grief is time, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/you-can-t-fix-grief-said-simon-a-rabbi-told-me-that-when-my-father/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“I made an attempt to reach him in his grief. I said, "I've had this pain. To tell you it will go away would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-brown/i-made-an-attempt-to-reach-him-in-his-grief-i-said-i-ve-had-this-pain/) [Eli Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-brown/) > [“Stephen Colbert still mourns. “Grief,” he said, “will always accept the invitation to appear. It’s got plenty of time for you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-watson/stephen-colbert-still-mourns-grief-he-said-will-always-accept-the/) [Bruce Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-watson/) > [“It's grief," said Akiva. "It's rage. It makes us into the thing we despise." And he thought, And I was the thing you despised.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/it-s-grief-said-akiva-it-s-rage-it-makes-us-into-the-thing-we-despise/) [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) > [“I am thinking of Achilles’ grief, he said. That famous, terrible, grief. Let me tell you boys something. Such grief can only be told…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-wolff/i-am-thinking-of-achilles-grief-he-said-that-famous-terrible-grief/) [Tobias Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-wolff/) > [The case for meat-eaters - if eating meat is a sin, then why are some plants carnivorous?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddharth-katragadda/the-case-for-meat-eaters-if-eating-meat-is-a-sin-then-why-are-some/) [Siddharth Katragadda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddharth-katragadda/) > [There is no doubt, that man is not built to be a carnivorous animal. What a sweet, pleasing and innocent sight is the spectacle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ray/there-is-no-doubt-that-man-is-not-built-to-be-a-carnivorous-animal/) [John Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ray/) > [Had I managed to fall into some sort of carnivorous plant? Yeah, bleed on the man-eating plant. Always a good plan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-rowland/had-i-managed-to-fall-into-some-sort-of-carnivorous-plant-yeah-bleed/) [Diana Rowland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-rowland/) > [“Is it not a reproach that man is a carnivorous animal? True, he can and does live, in a great measure, by preying on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/is-it-not-a-reproach-that-man-is-a-carnivorous-animal-true-he-can-and/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“We generally accept that it's natural for carnivorous wild animals to kill other animals in order to live. But people don't often think (or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-bekoff/we-generally-accept-that-it-s-natural-for-carnivorous-wild-animals-to/) [Marc Bekoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-bekoff/) > [Man is a carnivorous production, And must have meals, at least one meal a day; He cannot live, like woodcocks, upon suction, But, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/man-is-a-carnivorous-production-and-must-have-meals-at-least-one-meal/) [Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/) > [Lions and other carnivorous animals do a lot of things besides eat meat. They live outdoors, not in houses; they don't wear clothes or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-gannon/lions-and-other-carnivorous-animals-do-a-lot-of-things-besides-eat/) [Sharon Gannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-gannon/) ## More by Dennis Lehane > [He wondered if this was what clinical depression felt like, a total numbness, a weary lack of hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/he-wondered-if-this-was-what-clinical-depression-felt-like-a-total/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [I held her, he wanted to say, and if I knew for certain that all it would take to hold her again would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/i-held-her-he-wanted-to-say-and-if-i-knew-for-certain-that-all-it/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“Everyone I know lies, breaks their word, and has perfectly legitimate excuses for why they do. Except you. Haven't you ever noticed that? 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She doesn't advertise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/i-once-again-felt-an-odd-flush-of-admiration-for-my-partner-s-faith/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“And she was-definitely-a woman who did not shrink from gauntlets, but stepped up to them, and said, Okay, bring it. Bring your worst. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/and-she-was-definitely-a-woman-who-did-not-shrink-from-gauntlets-but/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“Jimmy looked back over at his wife, and Celeste could feel the tenderest of aches in the look. She could feel another teardrop piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/jimmy-looked-back-over-at-his-wife-and-celeste-could-feel-the/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“She told him that he had the most beautiful voice she'd ever heard, that it sounded like whiskey and wood smoke.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/she-told-him-that-he-had-the-most-beautiful-voice-she-d-ever-heard/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [My daughter squealed again and both Bubba and I winced. It’s not an attractive sound, that. It’s high-pitched and it enters your ear canals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/my-daughter-squealed-again-and-both-bubba-and-i-winced-it-s-not-an/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“It’s been a complicated decade for me.” She”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/it-s-been-a-complicated-decade-for-me-she/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“The only people who ask questions like ‘Did he want to be something besides a bartender?’ are people who can become whatever they want.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/the-only-people-who-ask-questions-like-did-he-want-to-be-something/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“Love, impossible, yet there was no mistaking it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/love-impossible-yet-there-was-no-mistaking-it/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“She blew a stream of smoke up at the empty clotheslines. 'These silly dreams you have when you're young. I mean, what, Katie and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/she-blew-a-stream-of-smoke-up-at-the-empty-clotheslines-these-silly/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“He looked back at the page, got one last glimpse before the match blew itself out. Going to find you today, Andrew. If I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/he-looked-back-at-the-page-got-one-last-glimpse-before-the-match-blew/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) [Explore all 231 Dennis Lehane quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) ## 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": "“Grief,” he said, “is carnivorous. It feeds whether you’re awake or not, whether you fight it or you don’t. Much like cancer. 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