---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had never fully understood our…"
description: "\"“I had never fully understood our tradition- why women wailed so loudly and for so long after someone died. It was only now I realized that women waile..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/854/eucabeth-a-odhiambo-90190_children-s-fiction_i-had-never-fully-understood-our-traditi_1452557.jpg"
---

#  I had never fully understood our tradition- why women…

![“I had never fully understood our tradition- why women wailed so loudly and for so long after someone died. It was only now I realized that women wailed more on account of everything they never had a chance to say. All the questions they never asked. All the times we never really talked about the…” quote by Eucabeth A. Odhiambo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/854/eucabeth-a-odhiambo-90190_children-s-fiction_i-had-never-fully-understood-our-traditi_1452557.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/854/eucabeth-a-odhiambo-90190_children-s-fiction_i-had-never-fully-understood-our-traditi_1452557.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/854/eucabeth-a-odhiambo-90190_children-s-fiction_i-had-never-fully-understood-our-traditi_1452557.jpg)

> ““I had never fully understood our tradition- why women wailed so loudly and for so long after someone died. It was only now I realized that women wailed more on account of everything they never had a chance to say. All the questions they never asked. All the times we never really talked about the things that mattered most. It was the one time that women could be angry. Be loud. Say anything. Yell. Purge the soul. And no one thought less of them. Everyone expected it.””

Eucabeth A. Odhiambo

## About This Quote

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

Women’s loud mourning expresses unspoken grief and suppressed voices, offering a cathartic release.

**In simple terms:** Loud mourning releases unspoken grief.

Key Takeaway

Create spaces for honest emotional expression.

Themes

grief voice gender catharsis silence

Mood

empathetic reflective

Type

cultural psychological

When to use this quote

- family rituals
- cultural mourning
- mental health counseling

Key Concepts

psychology of mourning feminist studies emotional health

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do we suppress emotions?
- How can we honor all grieving styles?

A Different Perspective

Not all cultures value loud grieving; may be misinterpreted.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Children-s-fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children-s-fiction/)

## Related quotes

> [She had wailed loudly enough to wake the dead and make them call the cops.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/she-had-wailed-loudly-enough-to-wake-the-dead-and-make-them-call-the/)

[Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/)

> [Say it Loud and say it Proud, 'Metal Will Never Die!'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronnie-james-dio/say-it-loud-and-say-it-proud-metal-will-never-die/)

[Ronnie James Dio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronnie-james-dio/)

> [I don't know anything!' Tim(Caleb) wailed. He'd never spoken a truer word in his life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/i-don-t-know-anything-tim-caleb-wailed-he-d-never-spoken-a-truer-word/)

[Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/)

> [No evil lost is wailed when it is gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/no-evil-lost-is-wailed-when-it-is-gone/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [“Oh, God, is this like Silence of the Lambs?" Tears flowed down her face. "I don't want to go down the hole! I won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alanea-alder/oh-god-is-this-like-silence-of-the-lambs-tears-flowed-down-her-face-i/)

[Alanea Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alanea-alder/)

> [“The crying wailed, somewhere beneath the planks. Several sweeps of the light showed that the cellar was otherwise deserted. Though the face mouthed behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramsey-campbell/the-crying-wailed-somewhere-beneath-the-planks-several-sweeps-of-the/)

[Ramsey Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramsey-campbell/)

> [“For a while we talked about things I've forgotten now. Or maybe we were silent for a while, me sitting at the foot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-bola-o/for-a-while-we-talked-about-things-i-ve-forgotten-now-or-maybe-we/)

[Roberto Bolaño](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-bola-o/)

> [My own kids were with me in Berlin when Germany was reunited, and they were with me in Moscow when the Soviet Union collapsed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serge-schmemann/my-own-kids-were-with-me-in-berlin-when-germany-was-reunited-and-they/)

[Serge Schmemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serge-schmemann/)

> [ She \[Eva Braun\] was always complaining later on, "I know nothing that's going on." They \[with Adolf Hitler\] talked about other things: dogs, movies,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/she-eva-braun-was-always-complaining-later-on-i-know-nothing-that-s/)

[Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/)

> [“People so rarely talked about themselves accurately. They either made too much or too little out of everything. It seemed to Rose that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-woodroof/people-so-rarely-talked-about-themselves-accurately-they-either-made/)

Martha Woodroof

> [“I don't like being talked into things by ungraceful people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-salzman/i-don-t-like-being-talked-into-things-by-ungraceful-people/)

[Mark Salzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-salzman/)

> [I thought we talked things out!' 'Yes, and you listened very carefully to every word you had to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-kerr/i-thought-we-talked-things-out-yes-and-you-listened-very-carefully-to/)

[Jean Kerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-kerr/)

> [When I was a minister I only went on about things I was going to make happen. I very rarely talked about things I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-adonis-baron-adonis/when-i-was-a-minister-i-only-went-on-about-things-i-was-going-to-make/)

[Andrew Adonis, Baron Adonis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-adonis-baron-adonis/)

> [I'm not really gonna stop. We've got so much stuff to do, so many songs we talked about, so many things to record.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-inglish/i-m-not-really-gonna-stop-we-ve-got-so-much-stuff-to-do-so-many-songs/)

[Chuck Inglish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-inglish/)

> [I've never been convinced that everything in a relationship needs to be talked about. Some things can't be fixed by a conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/i-ve-never-been-convinced-that-everything-in-a-relationship-needs-to/)

[Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/)

## More by Eucabeth A. Odhiambo

> [“I won't let you down, Mama. I won't let myself down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eucabeth-a-odhiambo/i-won-t-let-you-down-mama-i-won-t-let-myself-down/)

Eucabeth A. Odhiambo

Explore all 2 Eucabeth A. Odhiambo quotes

## More Children-s-fiction quotes

> [“Basset Hounds never get scared. We’re fearless, resolute and know how to season a good lamb chop.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elias-zapple/basset-hounds-never-get-scared-we-re-fearless-resolute-and-know-how/)

Elias Zapple

> [“A happy childhood can fortify one against the ravages of life, and part of that happiness is found in books, which become our constant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-davies/a-happy-childhood-can-fortify-one-against-the-ravages-of-life-and/)

[Suzy Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-davies/)

> [“Not the shoes on her feet, or the clothes that she wears, but the abundant joy she shares everywhere.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-brough/not-the-shoes-on-her-feet-or-the-clothes-that-she-wears-but-the/)

[Karen Brough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-brough/)

> [“Before you were born but not before you were made, from the time when the moon and the sun shone as one, the Trefoil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-h-garbutt/before-you-were-born-but-not-before-you-were-made-from-the-time-when/)

C.H. Garbutt

> [“I WANNA CONQUER THE WORLD... or at least the tri-state area.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/disney-s-phineas-and-ferb/i-wanna-conquer-the-world-or-at-least-the-tri-state-area/)

Disney's Phineas and Ferb

> [“They must be looking everywhere for you," said Tawny, stretching out her wings to their full span - which was very far indeed! It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-davies/they-must-be-looking-everywhere-for-you-said-tawny-stretching-out-her/)

[Suzy Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-davies/)

> [“Themes that are "too large for adult fiction can only be dealt with adequately in a children's book" - Philip Pullman (Hunt and Lenz,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/themes-that-are-too-large-for-adult-fiction-can-only-be-dealt-with/)

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

> [“Bookworms aren't people who love to read. They are people who treat books as treasures. Anonymous”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/bookworms-aren-t-people-who-love-to-read-they-are-people-who-treat/)

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

> [“Everything is inspiration. If you look at the world as the incredible place it is, then each moment is a feast.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-means/everything-is-inspiration-if-you-look-at-the-world-as-the-incredible/)

J.D. Means

> [“A book is like a treasure chest, waiting to be opened and discovered.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kitty-paw/a-book-is-like-a-treasure-chest-waiting-to-be-opened-and-discovered/)

Kitty Paw

> [“Angie carries her joy, wherever she goes. You see, the secret of Angie, is something few know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-brough/angie-carries-her-joy-wherever-she-goes-you-see-the-secret-of-angie/)

[Karen Brough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-brough/)

> [“(Text Message) Lillay/Me Being Held Hostage Mer Dude Does Not No A Thing About Texting”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-h-garbutt/text-message-lillay-me-being-held-hostage-mer-dude-does-not-no-a/)

C.H. Garbutt

> [“He's a unique dog, Mr. Bell had said. There is no other in the world that looks or acts just like him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-mckiever/he-s-a-unique-dog-mr-bell-had-said-there-is-no-other-in-the-world/)

Martha McKiever

> [“You can tie them, Yes you can. Just take those laces in both hands. Loop and swoop and tie them off. You can show…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sybrina-durant/you-can-tie-them-yes-you-can-just-take-those-laces-in-both-hands-loop/)

[Sybrina Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sybrina-durant/)

> [“Each day is a gift, a day like never before.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-brough/each-day-is-a-gift-a-day-like-never-before/)

[Karen Brough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-brough/)

[Browse all 21 Children-s-fiction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children-s-fiction/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“I had never fully understood our tradition- why women wailed so loudly and for so long after someone died. It was only now I realized that women wailed more on account of everything they never had a chance to say. All the questions they never asked. All the times we never really talked about the things that mattered most. It was the one time that women could be angry. Be loud. Say anything. Yell. Purge the soul. And no one thought less of them. Everyone expected it.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Eucabeth A. Odhiambo"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eucabeth-a-odhiambo/i-had-never-fully-understood-our-tradition-why-women-wailed-so-loudly/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Children-s-fiction"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eucabeth-a-odhiambo/i-had-never-fully-understood-our-tradition-why-women-wailed-so-loudly/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/854/eucabeth-a-odhiambo-90190_children-s-fiction_i-had-never-fully-understood-our-traditi_1452557.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/854/eucabeth-a-odhiambo-90190_children-s-fiction_i-had-never-fully-understood-our-traditi_1452557.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/854/eucabeth-a-odhiambo-90190_children-s-fiction_i-had-never-fully-understood-our-traditi_1452557.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I had never fully understood our tradition- why women wailed so loudly and for so long after someone died…” — Eucabeth A. Odhiambo",
                "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": "Eucabeth A. Odhiambo",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eucabeth-a-odhiambo/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“I had never fully understood our...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eucabeth-a-odhiambo/i-had-never-fully-understood-our-tradition-why-women-wailed-so-loudly/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eucabeth-a-odhiambo/i-had-never-fully-understood-our-tradition-why-women-wailed-so-loudly/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
