---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If we do not suffer a loss all the way to…"
description: "\"If we do not suffer a loss all the way to the end, it will wait for us. It won’t just dissipate and disappear. Rather, it will fester, and we will expe..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40b/elizabeth-lesser-1683_death_if-we-do-not-suffer-a-loss-all-the-way-t_1325903.png"
---

#  If we do not suffer a loss all the way to the end, it will…

![“If we do not suffer a loss all the way to the end, it will wait for us. It won’t just dissipate and disappear. Rather, it will fester, and we will experience its sorrow later, in stranger forms.” quote by Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40b/elizabeth-lesser-1683_death_if-we-do-not-suffer-a-loss-all-the-way-t_1325903.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40b/elizabeth-lesser-1683_death_if-we-do-not-suffer-a-loss-all-the-way-t_1325903.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40b/elizabeth-lesser-1683_death_if-we-do-not-suffer-a-loss-all-the-way-t_1325903.png)

> “If we do not suffer a loss all the way to the end, it will wait for us. It won’t just dissipate and disappear. Rather, it will fester, and we will experience its sorrow later, in stranger forms.”

[Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Unresolved loss lingers and reappears later in unexpected ways, causing prolonged suffering.

**In simple terms:** Ignored loss returns later.

Key Takeaway

Address loss early.

Themes

grief healing psychology

Mood

reflective somber

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- personal relationships
- therapy
- workplace conflict
- financial setbacks

Key Concepts

attachment emotional processing

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you recognize hidden grief?
- What steps can prevent future sorrow?

A Different Perspective

If the loss is minor, confronting it may cause immediate pain.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) [Loss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loss/) [Sorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorrow/) [Stranger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stranger/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/)

## Related quotes

> [“What Elzy had learned in the war was this: Sometimes your life depended upon having to do an awful thing, and the only way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-larnerd/what-elzy-had-learned-in-the-war-was-this-sometimes-your-life/)

Frank Larnerd

> [Sometimes good allowed us to experience sorrow and pains while walking with Him but let's still be thankful and let them draw us closer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/innah-delos-angeles/sometimes-good-allowed-us-to-experience-sorrow-and-pains-while/)

[Innah Delos Angeles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/innah-delos-angeles/)

> [“To appreciate pleasure some had to experience pain; to appreciate joy some had to experience sorrow; to appreciate love some had to experience heartache;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/to-appreciate-pleasure-some-had-to-experience-pain-to-appreciate-joy/)

[Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/)

> [“We want to get behind the beauty, but it is only a surface. It is like a mirror that reflects to us our own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/we-want-to-get-behind-the-beauty-but-it-is-only-a-surface-it-is-like/)

[Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/)

> [“The dial on the wheel of sorrow eventually points to each of us. At one time or another, everyone must experience sorrow. No one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-b-wirthlin/the-dial-on-the-wheel-of-sorrow-eventually-points-to-each-of-us-at/)

[Joseph B. Wirthlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-b-wirthlin/)

> [“When I went to the sage Aravana adigal I was heartbroken and distraught. The words he gave me then were these: "Know these —…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lakshmi-holmstrom/when-i-went-to-the-sage-aravana-adigal-i-was-heartbroken-and/)

[Lakshmi Holmstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lakshmi-holmstrom/)

> [Animals too experience sorrow, love, anger and other emotions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/animals-too-experience-sorrow-love-anger-and-other-emotions/)

[Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/)

> [“To appreciate pleasure, someone had to experience pain; to appreciate joy, some had to experience sorrow; to appreciate love, some had to experience heartache;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/to-appreciate-pleasure-someone-had-to-experience-pain-to-appreciate/)

[Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/)

> [“Achieve a goal and suffer its loss.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/achieve-a-goal-and-suffer-its-loss/)

[Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/)

> [“Why is it we must suffer the loss of something so dear before we realize what a treasure we had? Why must the sun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-goodrich/why-is-it-we-must-suffer-the-loss-of-something-so-dear-before-we/)

[Richelle Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-goodrich/)

> [“Why did he always have to be the one left behind? Why did he always have to be the one to gather the broken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ais/why-did-he-always-have-to-be-the-one-left-behind-why-did-he-always/)

[Ais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ais/)

> [Consider it: every person you have ever met, every person will suffer the loss of his friends and family. All are going to lose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/consider-it-every-person-you-have-ever-met-every-person-will-suffer/)

[Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/)

> [“The end of something, that specific mid-century American upper-middle-class WASP East Coast thing, the mercantile remnant of the Puritans, the ruling class tossed up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-bromell/the-end-of-something-that-specific-mid-century-american-upper-middle/)

[Henry Bromell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-bromell/)

> [When you suffer a loss, there is before the death and after the death - those become your two existences and your two realities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophia-bush/when-you-suffer-a-loss-there-is-before-the-death-and-after-the-death/)

[Sophia Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophia-bush/)

> [A fundamental and unfortunate part of being alive is to suffer loss and to suffer grief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-knight/a-fundamental-and-unfortunate-part-of-being-alive-is-to-suffer-loss/)

[Travis Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-knight/)

## More by Elizabeth Lesser

> [“too—I realized that my only hope was to give up the life that had been, in order to make room for the life that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/too-i-realized-that-my-only-hope-was-to-give-up-the-life-that-had/)

[Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/)

> [“logotherapy,” which, in a nutshell, is about searching for the meaning packed in one’s baggage, something”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/logotherapy-which-in-a-nutshell-is-about-searching-for-the-meaning/)

[Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/)

> [“He was training people to become “sacred warriors”—not so that they could do battle with others but so that they could develop the kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/he-was-training-people-to-become-sacred-warriors-not-so-that-they/)

[Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/)

> [“Rumi tells us that moment we accept what troubles we’ve been given, the door will open.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/rumi-tells-us-that-moment-we-accept-what-troubles-we-ve-been-given/)

[Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/)

> [If I pull from places of faith, joy and gratitude, then I have the wind of creativity behind me. And, my work in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/if-i-pull-from-places-of-faith-joy-and-gratitude-then-i-have-the-wind/)

[Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/)

> [I think as women and men become more conscious, the terms "woman/man" begin to lose meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/i-think-as-women-and-men-become-more-conscious-the-terms-woman-man/)

[Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/)

> [I actually don't think we're more divided than we were. I think it's more evident. It's more evident because of the internet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/i-actually-don-t-think-we-re-more-divided-than-we-were-i-think-it-s/)

[Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/)

> [We think that maybe feminism isn't appropriate anymore, since Western women have really made enormous strides. But check out the rest of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/we-think-that-maybe-feminism-isn-t-appropriate-anymore-since-western/)

[Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/)

> [Life is like a school; one can learn, one can graduate, one can skip a grade or stay behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/life-is-like-a-school-one-can-learn-one-can-graduate-one-can-skip-a/)

[Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/)

> [We must pay attention to the voice that calls us out of the safety zone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/we-must-pay-attention-to-the-voice-that-calls-us-out-of-the-safety/)

[Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/)

> [When we descend all the way down to the bottom of loss, and dwell patiently, with an open heart, in the darkness and pain,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/when-we-descend-all-the-way-down-to-the-bottom-of-loss-and-dwell/)

[Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/)

> [The great loneliness- like the loneliness a caterpillar endures when she wraps herself in a silky shroud and begins the long transformation from chrysalis…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/the-great-loneliness-like-the-loneliness-a-caterpillar-endures-when/)

[Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/)

> [“I accept now that the point of life is not to reach perfection but to befriend the fact that human beings are works in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/i-accept-now-that-the-point-of-life-is-not-to-reach-perfection-but-to/)

[Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/)

> [When women hear each other's stories, told from the heart, it gives us inspiration to keep on going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/when-women-hear-each-other-s-stories-told-from-the-heart-it-gives-us/)

[Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/)

> [“Patience is a hard discipline. It is not just waiting until something happens over which we have no control: the arrival of the bus,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/patience-is-a-hard-discipline-it-is-not-just-waiting-until-something/)

[Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/)

[Explore all 216 Elizabeth Lesser quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/)

## More Death quotes

> [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/)

[Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/)

> [I do not want to live at the cost of the life even of a snake. I should let him bite me to death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-not-want-to-live-at-the-cost-of-the-life-even-of-a-snake-i/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [“It was beautiful. He thought he had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life; that, having seen it, he could die content,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/it-was-beautiful-he-thought-he-had-never-seen-anything-so-beautiful/)

[Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/)

> [Retirement? You're talking about death, right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-altman/retirement-you-re-talking-about-death-right/)

[Robert Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-altman/)

> [With multiplayer, permanent death, and an ever-changing world to explore and conquer, 'A Valley Without Wind' might be the place you're looking for if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-manuel/with-multiplayer-permanent-death-and-an-ever-changing-world-to/)

[Rob Manuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-manuel/)

> [“What did you see?” she asked gently. His brow furrowed, as if he could not understand the question. Then his eyes turned to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-anthony-torino/what-did-you-see-she-asked-gently-his-brow-furrowed-as-if-he-could/)

J. Anthony Torino

> [Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/those-whose-life-is-long-still-strive-for-gain-and-for-all-mortals/)

[Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/)

> [“I practice Dying--every night-- But have not learned to, still-- Though Talented--by Mortal bones-- For such a common Skill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-powers/i-practice-dying-every-night-but-have-not-learned-to-still-though/)

Alan W. Powers

> [“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/)

> [I am not a depressive person at all, but I reflect a lot on my life, and life in general, from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-am-not-a-depressive-person-at-all-but-i-reflect-a-lot-on-my-life/)

[Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/)

> [“Death is a reality that calls the rest of life and all of our assorted strivings into sharp relief.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/death-is-a-reality-that-calls-the-rest-of-life-and-all-of-our/)

[Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/)

> [I love life. I love life to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuelle-riva/i-love-life-i-love-life-to-death/)

[Emmanuelle Riva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuelle-riva/)

> [I think when you’re dying you start looking for important things in the corners. You can’t let anything that seems even semi-important pass, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/i-think-when-you-re-dying-you-start-looking-for-important-things-in/)

[Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/)

[Browse all 39,127 Death quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "If we do not suffer a loss all the way to the end, it will wait for us. It won’t just dissipate and disappear. Rather, it will fester, and we will experience its sorrow later, in stranger forms.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Elizabeth Lesser"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/if-we-do-not-suffer-a-loss-all-the-way-to-the-end-it-will-wait-for-us/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Death"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/if-we-do-not-suffer-a-loss-all-the-way-to-the-end-it-will-wait-for-us/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40b/elizabeth-lesser-1683_death_if-we-do-not-suffer-a-loss-all-the-way-t_1325903.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40b/elizabeth-lesser-1683_death_if-we-do-not-suffer-a-loss-all-the-way-t_1325903.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40b/elizabeth-lesser-1683_death_if-we-do-not-suffer-a-loss-all-the-way-t_1325903.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If we do not suffer a loss all the way to the end, it will wait for us. It won’t just dissipate and…” — Elizabeth Lesser",
                "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": "Elizabeth Lesser",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "If we do not suffer a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/if-we-do-not-suffer-a-loss-all-the-way-to-the-end-it-will-wait-for-us/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/if-we-do-not-suffer-a-loss-all-the-way-to-the-end-it-will-wait-for-us/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
