--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think grief is like a really ugly…" description: "\"I think grief is like a really ugly couch. It never goes away. You can decorate around it; you can slap a doily on top of it; you can push it to the co..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be2/jodi-picoult-45_corners_i-think-grief-is-like-a-really-ugly-couc_2438094.jpg" --- # I think grief is like a really ugly couch. It never goes… ![“I think grief is like a really ugly couch. It never goes away. You can decorate around it; you can slap a doily on top of it; you can push it to the corner of the room-but eventually, you learn to live with it.” quote by Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be2/jodi-picoult-45_corners_i-think-grief-is-like-a-really-ugly-couc_2438094.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be2/jodi-picoult-45_corners_i-think-grief-is-like-a-really-ugly-couc_2438094.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be2/jodi-picoult-45_corners_i-think-grief-is-like-a-really-ugly-couc_2438094.jpg) > “I think grief is like a really ugly couch. It never goes away. You can decorate around it; you can slap a doily on top of it; you can push it to the corner of the room-but eventually, you learn to live with it.” [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Grief remains, but we can adapt around it, eventually learning to coexist with the pain. **In simple terms:** Grief stays, we learn to live with it. Key Takeaway Accept grief and find ways to integrate it. Themes grief acceptance adaptation healing Mood somber hopeful Type emotional inspirational When to use this quote - loss of loved one - divorce - chronic illness - daily routines Key Concepts psychology resilience Questions to Reflect On - What strategies help you cope with lasting grief? - Can you find meaning in the pain? A Different Perspective Grief may dominate if not addressed health. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Corners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corners/) [Couch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/couch/) [Couch Goes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/couch-goes-462128/) [Couches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/couches/) [Doilies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doilies-49162/) [Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) [Grief Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief-like-257433/) [Rooms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rooms/) [Slap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slap/) [Think Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-grief-330481/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Ugly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ugly/) [Ugly Couch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ugly-couch-462127/) ## Related quotes > [Back then, a few doilies and napkins were all that a lot of women had. In the little house where I grew up, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/back-then-a-few-doilies-and-napkins-were-all-that-a-lot-of-women-had/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [Theoretically, we Mennonites do not even know what we look like, since a focus on our personal appearance is vainglorious. Our antipathy to vainglory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhoda-janzen/theoretically-we-mennonites-do-not-even-know-what-we-look-like-since/) [Rhoda Janzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhoda-janzen/) > [She had to give her teachers credit: they were right to insist all pupils carry scissors, handkerchiefs, perfume and hair ribbons at all times.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carriger/she-had-to-give-her-teachers-credit-they-were-right-to-insist-all/) [Gail Carriger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carriger/) > [People who put slipcovers, doilies, plastic protectors, and cellophane on everything good that they own rarely live to see an occasion so good that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-martin/people-who-put-slipcovers-doilies-plastic-protectors-and-cellophane/) [Judith Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-martin/) > [Seems to me we move the furniture, the French come in later and put the doilies on top of it...It's a simple fact they've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-miller/seems-to-me-we-move-the-furniture-the-french-come-in-later-and-put/) [Dennis Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-miller/) > [Don't blather that it is too hard. The action to liberate Baader wasn't crocheting doilies either.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gudrun-ensslin/don-t-blather-that-it-is-too-hard-the-action-to-liberate-baader-wasn/) [Gudrun Ensslin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gudrun-ensslin/) > [I think grief is a huge subject; it's one of the things that everybody is going to confront in one way or another. There's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-darnielle/i-think-grief-is-a-huge-subject-it-s-one-of-the-things-that-everybody/) [John Darnielle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-darnielle/) > [In our culture I think most people think of grief as sadness, and that's certainly part of it, a large part of it, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-rapp/in-our-culture-i-think-most-people-think-of-grief-as-sadness-and-that/) [Anthony Rapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-rapp/) > [I think grief and fear are going to come to him suddenly. They'll be undiluted and words won't work. We're all going to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaui-hart-hemmings/i-think-grief-and-fear-are-going-to-come-to-him-suddenly-they-ll-be/) [Kaui Hart Hemmings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaui-hart-hemmings/) > [“I need to tell about my people in their grief. I don’t think grief is something they get over or get away from. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/i-need-to-tell-about-my-people-in-their-grief-i-don-t-think-grief-is/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [I think grief teaches us a lot. Once you've really experienced grief for the first time, everything kicks into perspective. You stop stressing about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-faist/i-think-grief-teaches-us-a-lot-once-you-ve-really-experienced-grief/) [Mike Faist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-faist/) > [I think that grief is a profound spiritual, metaphysical, and - oddly - physical reckoning with death, which we don't understand well. It's both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meghan-o-rourke/i-think-that-grief-is-a-profound-spiritual-metaphysical-and-oddly/) [Meghan O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meghan-o-rourke/) > [by and by, the cause of my disease Gives me a pang that inwardly doth sting, When that I think what grief it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-howard-earl-of-surrey/by-and-by-the-cause-of-my-disease-gives-me-a-pang-that-inwardly-doth/) [Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-howard-earl-of-surrey/) > [I don't think grief of grief in a medical way at all. I think that I and many of my colleagues, are very concerned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/i-don-t-think-grief-of-grief-in-a-medical-way-at-all-i-think-that-i/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [“Let’s reframe what you’re going through, Maggie,” he said. “I’d like you to think of it as grief.” “For the people who died?” “No.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-chamberlain/let-s-reframe-what-you-re-going-through-maggie-he-said-i-d-like-you/) [Diane Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-chamberlain/) ## More by Jodi Picoult > [You get through it, you just never get over it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/you-get-through-it-you-just-never-get-over-it/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Let me guess," Eric says, "You never meant for it to happen." "Hell, yes, I did. I've wanted her since you two started dating."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/let-me-guess-eric-says-you-never-meant-for-it-to-happen-hell-yes-i/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“It’s the difference between dancing along the eggshell crust of acquaintance and diving into the messy center of a relationship.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/it-s-the-difference-between-dancing-along-the-eggshell-crust-of/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Because hate's just the flip side of love. Like heads and tails on a dime. If you don't know what it feels like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/because-hate-s-just-the-flip-side-of-love-like-heads-and-tails-on-a/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Some women are meant to change the world, while others are meant to hold it together. And then there are those of us who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/some-women-are-meant-to-change-the-world-while-others-are-meant-to/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [I love feeling loved. I don't love knowing that I will always come in second place. I love the fact that at least sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/i-love-feeling-loved-i-don-t-love-knowing-that-i-will-always-come-in/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Music is the language of memory”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/music-is-the-language-of-memory/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [But there is a different between mending someone who's broken and finding someone who makes you complete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/but-there-is-a-different-between-mending-someone-who-s-broken-and/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“sometimes words are not big enough to contain all the feelings you are trying to pour into them. My”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/sometimes-words-are-not-big-enough-to-contain-all-the-feelings-you/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“The age wasn't as important as the milestones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/the-age-wasn-t-as-important-as-the-milestones/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [The night is falling down around us. Meteors rain like fireworks, quick rips in the seam of the dark... Every second, another streak of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/the-night-is-falling-down-around-us-meteors-rain-like-fireworks-quick/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“When she had packed all the artifacts that made up their personal history into liquor store boxes, the house became strictly a feminine place.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/when-she-had-packed-all-the-artifacts-that-made-up-their-personal/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Maybe who we are isn't so much about what we do, but rather what we're capable of when we least expect it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/maybe-who-we-are-isn-t-so-much-about-what-we-do-but-rather-what-we-re/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Here's what I hadn't realized : the mother you haven't seen for almost 36 years isn't your mother. She is a stranger. Sharing DNA…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/here-s-what-i-hadn-t-realized-the-mother-you-haven-t-seen-for-almost/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [My brother believed in all sorts of mythical creatures: pixies, dragons, werewolves, honest men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/my-brother-believed-in-all-sorts-of-mythical-creatures-pixies-dragons/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) [Explore all 2,062 Jodi Picoult quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) ## More Corners quotes > [On the McLaughlin Report, August 26, 1990: 'There are only two groups that are beating the drums for war in the middle East, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/on-the-mclaughlin-report-august-26-1990-there-are-only-two-groups/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [I feel excited about getting older as an actress, too. I think there are some amazing opportunities around the corner and I don't need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sutton-foster/i-feel-excited-about-getting-older-as-an-actress-too-i-think-there/) [Sutton Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sutton-foster/) > [You will not find a soulmate in the quiet of your room. You must go to a noisy place and look in the quiet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/you-will-not-find-a-soulmate-in-the-quiet-of-your-room-you-must-go-to/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [I was so shy. Instead of waiting in line with other kids at lunch, I'd go to a corner and buy a pretzel and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-facinelli/i-was-so-shy-instead-of-waiting-in-line-with-other-kids-at-lunch-i-d/) [Peter Facinelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-facinelli/) > [Curiosity is the essence of human existence. 'Who are we? Where are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going?'... I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/curiosity-is-the-essence-of-human-existence-who-are-we-where-are-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Curiously, the righteous Pharisees had little historical impact, save for a brief time in a remote corner of the Roman Empire. But Jesus' disciples…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/curiously-the-righteous-pharisees-had-little-historical-impact-save/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [...As the disparity between the rich and the poor grows, the fight to corner resources is intensifying. To push through their "sweetheart deals," to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/as-the-disparity-between-the-rich-and-the-poor-grows-the-fight-to/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [If we could imagine such a man, that is a man who could invent the fly and send him out on his mission and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-we-could-imagine-such-a-man-that-is-a-man-who-could-invent-the-fly/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Self-respect,--the corner-stone of all virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-herschel/self-respect-the-corner-stone-of-all-virtue/) [John Herschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-herschel/) > [My first big mistake was made when, in a moment of weakness, I consented to learn the game; for a man who can frankly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-benchley/my-first-big-mistake-was-made-when-in-a-moment-of-weakness-i/) [Robert Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-benchley/) > [Guys standing around and talking about Spanish fly: 'You know anything about Spanish fly?' 'No, tell me about it.' Well there's this girl Crazy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/guys-standing-around-and-talking-about-spanish-fly-you-know-anything/) [Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) > [If I had to pick favourite parts of Interlagos, I would say the first and last corners. The first corner is really technical and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romain-grosjean/if-i-had-to-pick-favourite-parts-of-interlagos-i-would-say-the-first/) [Romain Grosjean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romain-grosjean/) > [With the great people that you work with, it's that they're never giving up and they're never thinking something's finished until they've really, really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-price/with-the-great-people-that-you-work-with-it-s-that-they-re-never/) [Steven Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-price/) > [What curious little corners of folly are to be found in even the sanest brain!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-of-romania/what-curious-little-corners-of-folly-are-to-be-found-in-even-the/) [Marie of Romania](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-of-romania/) > [I liked the taste of beer, its live, white lather, its brass-bright depths, the sudden world through the wet-brown walls of the glass, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-thomas/i-liked-the-taste-of-beer-its-live-white-lather-its-brass-bright/) [Dylan Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-thomas/) [Browse all 1,329 Corners quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corners/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think grief is like a really ugly couch. It never goes away. You can decorate around it; you can slap a doily on top of it; you can push it to the corner of the room-but eventually, you learn to live with it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jodi Picoult" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/i-think-grief-is-like-a-really-ugly-couch-it-never-goes-away-you-can/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Corners" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/i-think-grief-is-like-a-really-ugly-couch-it-never-goes-away-you-can/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be2/jodi-picoult-45_corners_i-think-grief-is-like-a-really-ugly-couc_2438094.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be2/jodi-picoult-45_corners_i-think-grief-is-like-a-really-ugly-couc_2438094.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be2/jodi-picoult-45_corners_i-think-grief-is-like-a-really-ugly-couc_2438094.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think grief is like a really ugly couch. It never goes away. You can decorate around it; you can slap a…” — Jodi Picoult", "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": "Jodi Picoult", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think grief is like a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/i-think-grief-is-like-a-really-ugly-couch-it-never-goes-away-you-can/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/i-think-grief-is-like-a-really-ugly-couch-it-never-goes-away-you-can/#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 } } ] } ```