--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If it was in Grief, it was philosophy, if…" description: "\"“If it was in Grief, it was philosophy, if in joy, it was madness. Just the way a philandering flame could be for warmth, or for arson. My hands clutch..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/851/kirthi-jayakumar-35361_grief_if-it-was-in-grief-it-was-philosophy-if_137316.jpg" --- # If it was in Grief, it was philosophy, if in joy, it was… ![“If it was in Grief, it was philosophy, if in joy, it was madness. Just the way a philandering flame could be for warmth, or for arson. My hands clutch my stomach, as wave after wave kicked my feet.” quote by Kirthi Jayakumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/851/kirthi-jayakumar-35361_grief_if-it-was-in-grief-it-was-philosophy-if_137316.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/851/kirthi-jayakumar-35361_grief_if-it-was-in-grief-it-was-philosophy-if_137316.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/851/kirthi-jayakumar-35361_grief_if-it-was-in-grief-it-was-philosophy-if_137316.jpg) > ““If it was in Grief, it was philosophy, if in joy, it was madness. Just the way a philandering flame could be for warmth, or for arson. My hands clutch my stomach, as wave after wave kicked my feet.”” [Kirthi Jayakumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirthi-jayakumar/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Grief feels philosophical, joy feels mad; emotions can be both warming and destructive. **In simple terms:** Emotions swing between calm and chaos. Key Takeaway Balance emotional extremes. Themes emotion philosophy madness Mood introspective passionate Type creative psychological When to use this quote - writing - therapy - artistic creation Key Concepts dual nature of feeling psychology creative expression Questions to Reflect On - When do emotions enhance creativity? - How to channel intense feelings product? A Different Perspective Extreme emotions may impair judgment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) [Grief Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief-philosophy-1560744/) [Philandering Flame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philandering-flame-1560745/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Philosophy Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-joy-1560746/) [Warmth Arson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warmth-arson-1560747/) ## Related quotes > [“...they had lived, they'd lived intensely. But no matter how deeply you live, it comes to this in the end: one of you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-morton/they-had-lived-they-d-lived-intensely-but-no-matter-how-deeply-you/) [Brian Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-morton/) > [Ancient eyes had stared at me, filled with ancient grief. And something more. Something so alien and unexpected that I'd almost burst into tears.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/ancient-eyes-had-stared-at-me-filled-with-ancient-grief-and-something/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [“You've been my beacon of light in my storm of grief, and I don't know if I could live without you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-ashley/you-ve-been-my-beacon-of-light-in-my-storm-of-grief-and-i-don-t-know/) [Katie Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-ashley/) > [These days grief seems like walking on a frozen river; most of the time he feels safe enough, but there is always that danger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/these-days-grief-seems-like-walking-on-a-frozen-river-most-of-the/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [Short time seems long in sorrow's sharp sustaining.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/short-time-seems-long-in-sorrow-s-sharp-sustaining/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [That Woman is in love with her own grief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/that-woman-is-in-love-with-her-own-grief/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [Suppressed grief suffocates, it rages within the breast, and is forced to multiply its strength.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/suppressed-grief-suffocates-it-rages-within-the-breast-and-is-forced/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [Nowadays most people wear black most of the time anyway: go to a literary party and one would imagine everyone there was in perpetual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/nowadays-most-people-wear-black-most-of-the-time-anyway-go-to-a/) [Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/) > [Only to have a grief equal to all these tears!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/only-to-have-a-grief-equal-to-all-these-tears/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [“When we learn to attribute meaning to the events in our lives, we connect with our Higher Purpose, Higher Wisdom, or Source; we become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-barbara-apollon/when-we-learn-to-attribute-meaning-to-the-events-in-our-lives-we/) [Susan Barbara Apollon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-barbara-apollon/) > [You dont choose your life; it chooses you. Theres no point asking why life has reserved certain joys or griefs, you just accept them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-dont-choose-your-life-it-chooses-you-theres-no-point-asking-why/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [... how much of our inner substance is it good for us to give to public griefs? The whole modern tendency to agonize over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-bogan/how-much-of-our-inner-substance-is-it-good-for-us-to-give-to-public/) [Louise Bogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-bogan/) > [You felt a deep sorrow, the kind of melancholy you feel when you're in a beautiful place and the sun is going down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thrity-umrigar/you-felt-a-deep-sorrow-the-kind-of-melancholy-you-feel-when-you-re-in/) [Thrity Umrigar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thrity-umrigar/) > [“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/) > [Meanwhile, the trees were just as green as before; the birds sang and the sun shone as clearly now as ever. The familiar surroundings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/meanwhile-the-trees-were-just-as-green-as-before-the-birds-sang-and/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) ## More by Kirthi Jayakumar > [“She walked up to the window. It was raining. The heavens were grieving, too.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirthi-jayakumar/she-walked-up-to-the-window-it-was-raining-the-heavens-were-grieving/) [Kirthi Jayakumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirthi-jayakumar/) > [“Death normally has a stealthy way about it. It creeps up behind you and takes you over when you least expect it. But waiting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirthi-jayakumar/death-normally-has-a-stealthy-way-about-it-it-creeps-up-behind-you/) [Kirthi Jayakumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirthi-jayakumar/) > [“And maybe, just maybe, there is hope, after all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirthi-jayakumar/and-maybe-just-maybe-there-is-hope-after-all/) [Kirthi Jayakumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirthi-jayakumar/) > [“Wounds have a way of settling, even if only enough to let you function and move on with life. Nothing changed in the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirthi-jayakumar/wounds-have-a-way-of-settling-even-if-only-enough-to-let-you-function/) [Kirthi Jayakumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirthi-jayakumar/) > [“Days rolled into weeks, weeks into months. Our realities were one. We tried, though. We tried to brave it through. Why, I don’t know.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirthi-jayakumar/days-rolled-into-weeks-weeks-into-months-our-realities-were-one-we/) [Kirthi Jayakumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirthi-jayakumar/) > [“Death to the attacker was a yardstick of success, to the media person and the government, was a mere statistic. But to her, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirthi-jayakumar/death-to-the-attacker-was-a-yardstick-of-success-to-the-media-person/) [Kirthi Jayakumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirthi-jayakumar/) > [“13) Have you had your own, personal earthquake? Here is what it feels like. Your insides feel like they are stretched, ready to explode.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirthi-jayakumar/13-have-you-had-your-own-personal-earthquake-here-is-what-it-feels/) [Kirthi Jayakumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirthi-jayakumar/) > [“She felt no pain, the men in surgical scrubs said, but how could they know? Did they realize that another heart bled as she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirthi-jayakumar/she-felt-no-pain-the-men-in-surgical-scrubs-said-but-how-could-they/) [Kirthi Jayakumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirthi-jayakumar/) > [“She held his hand tightly, as the life support system was removed. Her stomach contracted, she felt like she was being squeezed in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirthi-jayakumar/she-held-his-hand-tightly-as-the-life-support-system-was-removed-her/) [Kirthi Jayakumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirthi-jayakumar/) > [“An hour was all that it needed to put out the fire in your apartment, but I needed a lifetime or more to put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirthi-jayakumar/an-hour-was-all-that-it-needed-to-put-out-the-fire-in-your-apartment/) [Kirthi Jayakumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirthi-jayakumar/) > [“When hope crashes, almost immediately, a future smashes into smithereens- into a thousand broken mirror pieces, while you're left with your pallid, hopeless eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirthi-jayakumar/when-hope-crashes-almost-immediately-a-future-smashes-into/) [Kirthi Jayakumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirthi-jayakumar/) > [“But those moments I spent with her on the terrace... I will never forget them. We played like little girls. We saw colours come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirthi-jayakumar/but-those-moments-i-spent-with-her-on-the-terrace-i-will-never-forget/) [Kirthi Jayakumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirthi-jayakumar/) [Explore all 13 Kirthi Jayakumar quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirthi-jayakumar/) ## More Grief quotes > [“...they had lived, they'd lived intensely. But no matter how deeply you live, it comes to this in the end: one of you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-morton/they-had-lived-they-d-lived-intensely-but-no-matter-how-deeply-you/) [Brian Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-morton/) > [“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/) > [You felt a deep sorrow, the kind of melancholy you feel when you're in a beautiful place and the sun is going down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thrity-umrigar/you-felt-a-deep-sorrow-the-kind-of-melancholy-you-feel-when-you-re-in/) [Thrity Umrigar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thrity-umrigar/) > [... how much of our inner substance is it good for us to give to public griefs? The whole modern tendency to agonize over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-bogan/how-much-of-our-inner-substance-is-it-good-for-us-to-give-to-public/) [Louise Bogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-bogan/) > [You dont choose your life; it chooses you. Theres no point asking why life has reserved certain joys or griefs, you just accept them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-dont-choose-your-life-it-chooses-you-theres-no-point-asking-why/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“When we learn to attribute meaning to the events in our lives, we connect with our Higher Purpose, Higher Wisdom, or Source; we become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-barbara-apollon/when-we-learn-to-attribute-meaning-to-the-events-in-our-lives-we/) [Susan Barbara Apollon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-barbara-apollon/) > [Only to have a grief equal to all these tears!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/only-to-have-a-grief-equal-to-all-these-tears/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [Nowadays most people wear black most of the time anyway: go to a literary party and one would imagine everyone there was in perpetual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/nowadays-most-people-wear-black-most-of-the-time-anyway-go-to-a/) [Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/) > [Suppressed grief suffocates, it rages within the breast, and is forced to multiply its strength.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/suppressed-grief-suffocates-it-rages-within-the-breast-and-is-forced/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [That Woman is in love with her own grief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/that-woman-is-in-love-with-her-own-grief/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [Short time seems long in sorrow's sharp sustaining.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/short-time-seems-long-in-sorrow-s-sharp-sustaining/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [These days grief seems like walking on a frozen river; most of the time he feels safe enough, but there is always that danger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/these-days-grief-seems-like-walking-on-a-frozen-river-most-of-the/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [“You've been my beacon of light in my storm of grief, and I don't know if I could live without you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-ashley/you-ve-been-my-beacon-of-light-in-my-storm-of-grief-and-i-don-t-know/) [Katie Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-ashley/) > [Ancient eyes had stared at me, filled with ancient grief. And something more. Something so alien and unexpected that I'd almost burst into tears.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/ancient-eyes-had-stared-at-me-filled-with-ancient-grief-and-something/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [Meanwhile, the trees were just as green as before; the birds sang and the sun shone as clearly now as ever. The familiar surroundings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/meanwhile-the-trees-were-just-as-green-as-before-the-birds-sang-and/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) [Browse all 8,012 Grief quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“If it was in Grief, it was philosophy, if in joy, it was madness. Just the way a philandering flame could be for warmth, or for arson. 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