---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think its a sickness to grieve too much…"
description: "\"I think its a sickness to grieve too much for those who never cared a fig for you.\" — Larry McMurtry"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3b/larry-mcmurtry-2540_figs_i-think-its-a-sickness-to-grieve-too-muc_1829099.jpg"
---

#  I think its a sickness to grieve too much for those who…

![“I think its a sickness to grieve too much for those who never cared a fig for you.” quote by Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3b/larry-mcmurtry-2540_figs_i-think-its-a-sickness-to-grieve-too-muc_1829099.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3b/larry-mcmurtry-2540_figs_i-think-its-a-sickness-to-grieve-too-muc_1829099.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3b/larry-mcmurtry-2540_figs_i-think-its-a-sickness-to-grieve-too-muc_1829099.jpg)

> “I think its a sickness to grieve too much for those who never cared a fig for you.”

[Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/)

## About This Quote

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

He suggests that grieving excessively for indifferent people is unhealthy, implying one should focus emotional energy elsewhere.

**In simple terms:** Don’t waste grief on those who don’t care.

Key Takeaway

Redirect emotions toward supportive relationships.

Themes

emotional health relationships self‑respect

Mood

reflective cautionary

Type

philosophical advice

When to use this quote

- personal loss
- relationship dynamics
- mental well‑being

Key Concepts

grief indifference boundaries

Questions to Reflect On

- Who truly deserves your emotional investment?
- How can you set healthy emotional boundaries?

A Different Perspective

Might overlook genuine empathy needed.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Grieving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grieving/) [Sickness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sickness/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

## Related quotes

> [When you are strong and healthy, You never think of sickness coming, But it descends with sudden force, Like a stroke of lightning. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milarepa/when-you-are-strong-and-healthy-you-never-think-of-sickness-coming/)

[Milarepa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milarepa/)

> [The fallen hazel-nuts, Stripped late of their green sheaths, The grapes, red-purple, Their berries Dripping with wine, Pomegranates already broken, And shrunken fig, And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilda-doolittle/the-fallen-hazel-nuts-stripped-late-of-their-green-sheaths-the-grapes/)

[Hilda Doolittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilda-doolittle/)

> [Your constitution guarantees to every citizen, even the humblest, the enjoyment of life, liberty, and property. It promises to all, religious freedom, the right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-smith-jr/your-constitution-guarantees-to-every-citizen-even-the-humblest-the/)

[Joseph Smith, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-smith-jr/)

> [First, I emptied the closets of your clothes, threw out the bowl of fruit, bruised from your touch, left empty the jars you bought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-trethewey/first-i-emptied-the-closets-of-your-clothes-threw-out-the-bowl-of/)

[Natasha Trethewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-trethewey/)

> [To eat figs off the tree in the very early morning, when they have been barely touched by the sun, is one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-david/to-eat-figs-off-the-tree-in-the-very-early-morning-when-they-have/)

[Elizabeth David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-david/)

> [Democracy is the fig leaf of elitism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-king/democracy-is-the-fig-leaf-of-elitism/)

[Florence King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-king/)

> [The man who is ostentatious of his modesty is twin to the statue that wears a fig-leaf.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-man-who-is-ostentatious-of-his-modesty-is-twin-to-the-statue-that/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [“This year, of course, being 1936, there would be no figs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-furst/this-year-of-course-being-1936-there-would-be-no-figs/)

[Alan Furst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-furst/)

> [Here is a rural fellow that will not be denied your Highness' presence: he brings you figs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/here-is-a-rural-fellow-that-will-not-be-denied-your-highness-presence/)

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

> [I am once more seated under my own vine and fig tree ... and hope to spend the remainder of my days in peaceful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/i-am-once-more-seated-under-my-own-vine-and-fig-tree-and-hope-to/)

[George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/)

> [Shebna scraped the tablet clean and began drawing circles in the soft clay. "Suppose you had six figs and you ate two. How many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-austin/shebna-scraped-the-tablet-clean-and-began-drawing-circles-in-the-soft/)

[Lynn Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-austin/)

> [I eat Fig Newtons by the sleeve!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-regan/i-eat-fig-newtons-by-the-sleeve/)

[Brian Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-regan/)

> [And never since harvests were ripened, / Or laborers born, / Have men gathered figs of the thistle, / Or grapes of the thorn!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-cary/and-never-since-harvests-were-ripened-or-laborers-born-have-men/)

[Phoebe Cary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-cary/)

> [In all lands, sailors form a race apart. They profess a congenital contempt for landlubbers. As for the tradesman, he understands nothing of sailors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/in-all-lands-sailors-form-a-race-apart-they-profess-a-congenital/)

[Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/)

> [When you get honest with God, you can exchange the fig leaves you used to cover your sin with the righteousness of Jesus Christ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-hunt/when-you-get-honest-with-god-you-can-exchange-the-fig-leaves-you-used/)

[Johnny Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-hunt/)

## More by Larry McMurtry

> [“if you repeat a temporary answer often enough, it acquires a degree of permanency.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/if-you-repeat-a-temporary-answer-often-enough-it-acquires-a-degree-of/)

[Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/)

> [“The first difference Newt noticed about being grown up was that time didn't pass as slow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/the-first-difference-newt-noticed-about-being-grown-up-was-that-time/)

[Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/)

> [-she remembered them kindly, for there was a sweetness in boys that didn't last long, once they became men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/she-remembered-them-kindly-for-there-was-a-sweetness-in-boys-that/)

[Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/)

> [A man who wouldn't cheat for a poke don't want one bad enough. --Augustus "Gus" McCrae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/a-man-who-wouldn-t-cheat-for-a-poke-don-t-want-one-bad-enough/)

[Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/)

> [“Ride with an outlaw, die with him," he added. "I admit it's a harsh code. But you rode on the other side long enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/ride-with-an-outlaw-die-with-him-he-added-i-admit-it-s-a-harsh-code/)

[Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/)

> [WHEN AUGUSTUS CAME OUT on the porch the blue pigs were eating a rattlesnake—not a very big one. It had probably just been crawling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/when-augustus-came-out-on-the-porch-the-blue-pigs-were-eating-a/)

[Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/)

> [Books can accommodate the proximity of computers but it doesn't seem to work the other way around. Computers now literally drive out books from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/books-can-accommodate-the-proximity-of-computers-but-it-doesn-t-seem/)

[Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/)

> [The reason men are so awful is because some woman has spoiled them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/the-reason-men-are-so-awful-is-because-some-woman-has-spoiled-them/)

[Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/)

> [“Sometimes Sonny felt like he was the only human creature in the town. It was a bad feeling, and it usually came on him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/sometimes-sonny-felt-like-he-was-the-only-human-creature-in-the-town/)

[Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/)

> [“. . . he had learned in his years of tracking Indians that things which seemed impossible often weren't. They only became so if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/he-had-learned-in-his-years-of-tracking-indians-that-things-which/)

[Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/)

> [It's a fine world, though rich in hardships at times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/it-s-a-fine-world-though-rich-in-hardships-at-times/)

[Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/)

> [Nobody run off with her,” Roscoe said. "She just run off with herself, I guess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/nobody-run-off-with-her-roscoe-said-she-just-run-off-with-herself-i/)

[Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/)

> [Americans' lack of passion for history is well known. History may not quite be bunk, as Henry Ford suggested, but there's no denying that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/americans-lack-of-passion-for-history-is-well-known-history-may-not/)

[Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/)

> [I never met a soul in this world as normal as me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/i-never-met-a-soul-in-this-world-as-normal-as-me/)

[Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/)

> [“I figured out something, Lorie,” he said. “I figured out why you and me get along so well. You know more than you say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/i-figured-out-something-lorie-he-said-i-figured-out-why-you-and-me/)

[Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/)

[Explore all 162 Larry McMurtry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/)

## More Figs quotes

> [When you get honest with God, you can exchange the fig leaves you used to cover your sin with the righteousness of Jesus Christ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-hunt/when-you-get-honest-with-god-you-can-exchange-the-fig-leaves-you-used/)

[Johnny Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-hunt/)

> [In all lands, sailors form a race apart. They profess a congenital contempt for landlubbers. As for the tradesman, he understands nothing of sailors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/in-all-lands-sailors-form-a-race-apart-they-profess-a-congenital/)

[Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/)

> [And never since harvests were ripened, / Or laborers born, / Have men gathered figs of the thistle, / Or grapes of the thorn!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-cary/and-never-since-harvests-were-ripened-or-laborers-born-have-men/)

[Phoebe Cary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-cary/)

> [I eat Fig Newtons by the sleeve!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-regan/i-eat-fig-newtons-by-the-sleeve/)

[Brian Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-regan/)

> [Shebna scraped the tablet clean and began drawing circles in the soft clay. "Suppose you had six figs and you ate two. How many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-austin/shebna-scraped-the-tablet-clean-and-began-drawing-circles-in-the-soft/)

[Lynn Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-austin/)

> [I am once more seated under my own vine and fig tree ... and hope to spend the remainder of my days in peaceful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/i-am-once-more-seated-under-my-own-vine-and-fig-tree-and-hope-to/)

[George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/)

> [Here is a rural fellow that will not be denied your Highness' presence: he brings you figs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/here-is-a-rural-fellow-that-will-not-be-denied-your-highness-presence/)

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

> [“This year, of course, being 1936, there would be no figs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-furst/this-year-of-course-being-1936-there-would-be-no-figs/)

[Alan Furst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-furst/)

> [The man who is ostentatious of his modesty is twin to the statue that wears a fig-leaf.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-man-who-is-ostentatious-of-his-modesty-is-twin-to-the-statue-that/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [Democracy is the fig leaf of elitism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-king/democracy-is-the-fig-leaf-of-elitism/)

[Florence King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-king/)

> [To eat figs off the tree in the very early morning, when they have been barely touched by the sun, is one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-david/to-eat-figs-off-the-tree-in-the-very-early-morning-when-they-have/)

[Elizabeth David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-david/)

> [First, I emptied the closets of your clothes, threw out the bowl of fruit, bruised from your touch, left empty the jars you bought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-trethewey/first-i-emptied-the-closets-of-your-clothes-threw-out-the-bowl-of/)

[Natasha Trethewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-trethewey/)

> [Your constitution guarantees to every citizen, even the humblest, the enjoyment of life, liberty, and property. It promises to all, religious freedom, the right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-smith-jr/your-constitution-guarantees-to-every-citizen-even-the-humblest-the/)

[Joseph Smith, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-smith-jr/)

> [The fallen hazel-nuts, Stripped late of their green sheaths, The grapes, red-purple, Their berries Dripping with wine, Pomegranates already broken, And shrunken fig, And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilda-doolittle/the-fallen-hazel-nuts-stripped-late-of-their-green-sheaths-the-grapes/)

[Hilda Doolittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilda-doolittle/)

> [Close to the Gates a spacious Garden lies, From the Storms defended and inclement Skies; Four Acres was the allotted Space of Ground, Fenc'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/close-to-the-gates-a-spacious-garden-lies-from-the-storms-defended/)

[Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/)

Browse all 108 Figs quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I think its a sickness to grieve too much for those who never cared a fig for you.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Larry McMurtry"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/i-think-its-a-sickness-to-grieve-too-much-for-those-who-never-cared-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Figs"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/i-think-its-a-sickness-to-grieve-too-much-for-those-who-never-cared-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3b/larry-mcmurtry-2540_figs_i-think-its-a-sickness-to-grieve-too-muc_1829099.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3b/larry-mcmurtry-2540_figs_i-think-its-a-sickness-to-grieve-too-muc_1829099.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3b/larry-mcmurtry-2540_figs_i-think-its-a-sickness-to-grieve-too-muc_1829099.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I think its a sickness to grieve too much for those who never cared a fig for you.” — Larry McMurtry",
                "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": "Larry McMurtry",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I think its a sickness to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/i-think-its-a-sickness-to-grieve-too-much-for-those-who-never-cared-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/i-think-its-a-sickness-to-grieve-too-much-for-those-who-never-cared-a/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
