Grief Quote by Diane Ackerman
““Our days flowed around well-charted, often traveled courses, and yet, the underlying sense of falling out of time, out of the trajectory of one's life, not by choice, but by subtraction, was frequent and disquieting. Then I grieved for him, for the lost and previous Paul. He grieved for that man too. Both our griefs were mainly private, internal, unuttered. Return was impossible, and there was only one direction open ; and so we kept our compass pointed forward. [p. 286]””
About This Quote
Source Essay: “The Unseen Clock” in The Book of Hours, 2015
Life can feel out of sync, with grief and loss pulling us backward, yet we must keep moving forward despite the impossibility of reclaiming what’s gone.
In simple terms: Grief disrupts time, but we must keep moving forward.
Key Takeaway
Accept loss, keep progressing.
Themes
grief
time
loss
resilience
forward motion
Mood
melancholy
hopeful
Type
reflective
philosophical
When to use this quote
- bereavement counseling
- personal healing
- creative writing
- mindfulness practice
- career transitions
Key Concepts
existentialism
psychology
philosophy
Questions to Reflect On
- What does “forward” mean to you in grief?
- How can you honor loss while progressing?
A Different Perspective
Some may find forward focus ignores necessary mourning.
![“What remained would gradually acquire its own shape and dimension, but many of our favorite things, my favorite ways of being a couple, had vanished and it was no use pretending, hoping, wishing that he would return to his old self, and me to mine. [p. 156]” quote by Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/786/diane-ackerman-1035_favorite-thing_what-remained-would-gradually-acquire-it_2572419.jpg)
![“I understood the therapists were trying to rebuild Paul's vocabulary, beginning wit the rudiments, but Paul found it taxing, boring, and disturbingly condescending. His loss of language didn't mean he was any less a grown-up with adult feelings, experiences, worries, and problems. [p. 144]” quote by Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e55/diane-ackerman-1035_language_i-understood-the-therapists-were-trying_2065315.jpg)
![“I do feel responsible. He used to be able to look after himself. Now he can't. That's so different, so strange. The big question is: Is more improvement really possible, or should I stop pushing him?' [p. 153]” quote by Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b7a/diane-ackerman-1035_stroke_i-do-feel-responsible-he-used-to-be-able_2240338.jpg)
![“Symbolic of life, hair bolts from our head[s]. Like the earth, it can be harvested, but it will rise again. We can change its color and texture when the mood strikes us, but in time it will return to its original form, just as Nature will in time turn our precisely laid-out cities into a weed-way.” quote by Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/707/diane-ackerman-1035_cities_symbolic-of-life-hair-bolts-from-our-hea_194991.jpg)
