---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I know and share the many sorrows a human…"
description: "\"I know and share the many sorrows a human being can experience, but I do not cling to them; they pass through me, like life itself, as a broad eternal ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ba/etty-hillesum-9002_broads_i-know-and-share-the-many-sorrows-a-huma_2846854.jpg"
---

#  I know and share the many sorrows a human being can…

![“I know and share the many sorrows a human being can experience, but I do not cling to them; they pass through me, like life itself, as a broad eternal stream...and life continues...” quote by Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ba/etty-hillesum-9002_broads_i-know-and-share-the-many-sorrows-a-huma_2846854.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ba/etty-hillesum-9002_broads_i-know-and-share-the-many-sorrows-a-huma_2846854.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ba/etty-hillesum-9002_broads_i-know-and-share-the-many-sorrows-a-huma_2846854.jpg)

> “I know and share the many sorrows a human being can experience, but I do not cling to them; they pass through me, like life itself, as a broad eternal stream...and life continues...”

[Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/)

## About This Quote

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

A reflective meditation on experiencing sorrow without attachment, viewing life as a continuous stream.

**In simple terms:** Sorrow passes like a stream; do not cling.

Key Takeaway

Practice non-attachment to pain.

Themes

spirituality mindfulness impermanence

Mood

tranquil introspective

Type

philosophical spiritual

When to use this quote

- meditation
- therapy
- daily journaling
- grief counseling

Key Concepts

existential philosophy psychology of grief

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you observe pain without being overwhelmed?
- What practices foster acceptance?

A Different Perspective

May be difficult to apply during intense trauma.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life itself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-itself/) [Sorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorrow/) [Sorrows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorrows/)

## Related quotes

> [One of the greatest sorrows of human existence is that some people aren't happy merely to be alive but find their happiness only in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/one-of-the-greatest-sorrows-of-human-existence-is-that-some-people/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [Oh, how miserable it is to have no one to share your sorrows and joys, and, when your heart is heavy, to have no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-chopin/oh-how-miserable-it-is-to-have-no-one-to-share-your-sorrows-and-joys/)

[Frederic Chopin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-chopin/)

> [I have had my share of sorrows-more than the common lot, perhaps, but I have borne them ill. I have broken where I should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-had-my-share-of-sorrows-more-than-the-common-lot-perhaps-but-i/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [When you share your sorrows to your close ones, the way you use the words are called heart touching quotes:)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhar-gavi/when-you-share-your-sorrows-to-your-close-ones-the-way-you-use-the/)

[Bhar Gavi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhar-gavi/)

> [“No one, ever, can give the exact measure of his needs, his apprehensions, or his sorrows; and human speech is like a cracked cauldron…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/no-one-ever-can-give-the-exact-measure-of-his-needs-his-apprehensions/)

[Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/)

> [It Is Easy To Enclose The Sea In Drop But, It Is Rather Tough To Control The People's Tongue. Don't Bother About People Who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/it-is-easy-to-enclose-the-sea-in-drop-but-it-is-rather-tough-to/)

Pacifiersucker

> [“Crying had made her want a shoulder on which to rest her head, arms to hold her. She'd wasted too many tears alone in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-alice-eakes/crying-had-made-her-want-a-shoulder-on-which-to-rest-her-head-arms-to/)

[Laurie Alice Eakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-alice-eakes/)

> [God wants us to share in the sorrows of othersInstead of ignoring their pain,we should be sharing in it by earnest prayer,kind words,and loving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariane-corbito/god-wants-us-to-share-in-the-sorrows-of-othersinstead-of-ignoring/)

[Mariane Corbito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariane-corbito/)

> [“For now, do not worry about “proper” praying, just talk to God. Share your hurts, share your sorrows, share your joys—freely and openly. God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-j-foster/for-now-do-not-worry-about-proper-praying-just-talk-to-god-share-your/)

[Richard J. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-j-foster/)

> [“~ Birthing a book is one of my proudest achievements thus far. And, as I keep reminding myself, the best part is that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-ambrosio/birthing-a-book-is-one-of-my-proudest-achievements-thus-far-and-as-i/)

[Carmen Ambrosio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-ambrosio/)

> [“And so the circle of life, the real circle of life, continues. Birth, life, “death”, then born into a new life, over and over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-l-kline/and-so-the-circle-of-life-the-real-circle-of-life-continues-birth/)

D. L. Kline

> [There was a moth in there, and it still had its wings crumpled up, and it was just starting to pump its wings up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurel-clark/there-was-a-moth-in-there-and-it-still-had-its-wings-crumpled-up-and/)

[Laurel Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurel-clark/)

> [“IN Words… "Life Continues”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deyth-banger/in-words-life-continues/)

Deyth Banger

> [“THREE DAYS BLURRED by in that peculiar way that happens after loss, as though the individual affected stands still on a busy city street…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nesly-clerge/three-days-blurred-by-in-that-peculiar-way-that-happens-after-loss-as/)

[Nesly Clerge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nesly-clerge/)

> [Life continues in lots of places, and life is a magical thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurel-clark/life-continues-in-lots-of-places-and-life-is-a-magical-thing/)

[Laurel Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurel-clark/)

## More by Etty Hillesum

> [A large group of us were crowded into the Gestapo hall, and at that moment the circumstances of all our lives were the same.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/a-large-group-of-us-were-crowded-into-the-gestapo-hall-and-at-that/)

[Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/)

> [Every word born of an inner necessity - writing must never be anything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/every-word-born-of-an-inner-necessity-writing-must-never-be-anything/)

[Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/)

> [That fear of missing out on things makes you miss out on everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/that-fear-of-missing-out-on-things-makes-you-miss-out-on-everything/)

[Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/)

> [There are moments when I feel like giving up or giving in, but I soon rally again and do my duty as I see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/there-are-moments-when-i-feel-like-giving-up-or-giving-in-but-i-soon/)

[Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/)

> [Here, beside this great black surface that is my desk, I feel as though I am on a desert island.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/here-beside-this-great-black-surface-that-is-my-desk-i-feel-as-though/)

[Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/)

> [The externals are simply so many props; everything we need is within us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/the-externals-are-simply-so-many-props-everything-we-need-is-within-us/)

[Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/)

> [If one finds the strength to deal with small things, one finds it to deal with the large ones as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/if-one-finds-the-strength-to-deal-with-small-things-one-finds-it-to/)

[Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/)

> [All disasters stem from us. Why is there a war? Perhaps because now and then I might be inclined to snap at my neighbour.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/all-disasters-stem-from-us-why-is-there-a-war-perhaps-because-now-and/)

[Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/)

> [Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/sometimes-the-most-important-thing-in-a-whole-day-is-the-rest-we-take/)

[Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/)

> [We human beings cause monstrous conditions, but precisely because we cause them we soon learn to adapt ourselves to them. Only if we become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/we-human-beings-cause-monstrous-conditions-but-precisely-because-we/)

[Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/)

> [Despite everything, life is full of beauty and meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/despite-everything-life-is-full-of-beauty-and-meaning/)

[Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/)

> [Sometimes my day is crammed full of people and talk and yet I have the feeling of living in utter peace and quiet. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/sometimes-my-day-is-crammed-full-of-people-and-talk-and-yet-i-have/)

[Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/)

> [To live fully, outwardly and inwardly, not to ignore the external reality for the sake of the inner life, or the reverse, that's quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/to-live-fully-outwardly-and-inwardly-not-to-ignore-the-external/)

[Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/)

> [If one burdens the future with one's worries, it cannot grow organically. I am filled with confidence, not that I shall succeed in worldly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/if-one-burdens-the-future-with-one-s-worries-it-cannot-grow/)

[Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/)

> [We have to fight them daily, like fleas, those many small worries about the morrow, for they sap our energies. We make mental provisions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/we-have-to-fight-them-daily-like-fleas-those-many-small-worries-about/)

[Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/)

[Explore all 62 Etty Hillesum quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/)

## More Broads quotes

> [Thoroughly understand what it is to understand, and not only will you understand the broad lines of all there is to be understood but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-lonergan/thoroughly-understand-what-it-is-to-understand-and-not-only-will-you/)

[Bernard Lonergan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-lonergan/)

> [We'll walk together holding hands, and kiss in broad daylight, and love each other as much as we want to, and no one will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/we-ll-walk-together-holding-hands-and-kiss-in-broad-daylight-and-love/)

[Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/)

> [There was only the broad square with the scattered dim moons of the street lamps and with the monumental stone arch which receded into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-maria-remarque/there-was-only-the-broad-square-with-the-scattered-dim-moons-of-the/)

[Erich Maria Remarque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-maria-remarque/)

> [We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character--that is the goal of true education. The complete education gives one not only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/we-must-remember-that-intelligence-is-not-enough-intelligence-plus/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [The "family" has clearly emerged anew in the late 1970s as a central subject for discussion, debate, research and writing in bothscholarly and popular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-kamerman/the-family-has-clearly-emerged-anew-in-the-late-1970s-as-a-central/)

Sheila Kamerman

> [I am formally accountable to the steering board of the PIC, and I meet with nine ambassadors from the PIC every week. I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-ashdown/i-am-formally-accountable-to-the-steering-board-of-the-pic-and-i-meet/)

[Paddy Ashdown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-ashdown/)

> [If you know the differences between an oak and a poplar, a spruce and a pine, down to the needles... you are able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-allen-lawson/if-you-know-the-differences-between-an-oak-and-a-poplar-a-spruce-and/)

[T. Allen Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-allen-lawson/)

> [Particularly the broad masses of the people can be moved only by the power of speech.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/particularly-the-broad-masses-of-the-people-can-be-moved-only-by-the/)

[Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/)

> [My life shall be free and broad and great, and I will not be the slave to the sense delights which chained my ancient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/my-life-shall-be-free-and-broad-and-great-and-i-will-not-be-the-slave/)

[Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/)

> [So the first thing I learned about how to get superior performance is not to buy stocks that are near their lows, but to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-neil/so-the-first-thing-i-learned-about-how-to-get-superior-performance-is/)

[William O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-neil/)

> [Broad-based, inclusive growth is what we need in America, not more advantages for people at the very top.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/broad-based-inclusive-growth-is-what-we-need-in-america-not-more/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [The trees are white with dust, that o'er their sleep Wave their broad curtains in the south-wind's breath, While underneath such leafy tents they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/the-trees-are-white-with-dust-that-o-er-their-sleep-wave-their-broad/)

[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/)

> [A top World War II ace once said that fighter pilots fall into two broad categories: those who go out to kill and those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-top-world-war-ii-ace-once-said-that-fighter-pilots-fall-into-two/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Jubilee 2000 is a broad coalition which has moved the earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/jubilee-2000-is-a-broad-coalition-which-has-moved-the-earth/)

[Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/)

> [As science is more and more subject to grave misuse as well as to use for human benefit it has also become the scientist's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-science-is-more-and-more-subject-to-grave-misuse-as-well-as-to-use/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

Browse all 956 Broads quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I know and share the many sorrows a human being can experience, but I do not cling to them; they pass through me, like life itself, as a broad eternal stream...and life continues...",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Etty Hillesum"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/i-know-and-share-the-many-sorrows-a-human-being-can-experience-but-i/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Broads"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/i-know-and-share-the-many-sorrows-a-human-being-can-experience-but-i/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ba/etty-hillesum-9002_broads_i-know-and-share-the-many-sorrows-a-huma_2846854.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ba/etty-hillesum-9002_broads_i-know-and-share-the-many-sorrows-a-huma_2846854.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ba/etty-hillesum-9002_broads_i-know-and-share-the-many-sorrows-a-huma_2846854.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I know and share the many sorrows a human being can experience, but I do not cling to them; they pass…” — Etty Hillesum",
                "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": "Etty Hillesum",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I know and share the many...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/i-know-and-share-the-many-sorrows-a-human-being-can-experience-but-i/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/i-know-and-share-the-many-sorrows-a-human-being-can-experience-but-i/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
