---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I hold it true, whatever befall; I feel…"
description: "\"I hold it true, whatever befall; I feel it, when I sorrow most; 'tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.\" — Lord Alfred Tenn..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9d/lord-alfred-tennyson-54633_love_i-hold-it-true-whatever-befall-i-feel-it_1170977.jpg"
---

#  I hold it true, whatever befall; I feel it, when I sorrow…

![“I hold it true, whatever befall; I feel it, when I sorrow most; 'tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” quote by Lord Alfred Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9d/lord-alfred-tennyson-54633_love_i-hold-it-true-whatever-befall-i-feel-it_1170977.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9d/lord-alfred-tennyson-54633_love_i-hold-it-true-whatever-befall-i-feel-it_1170977.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9d/lord-alfred-tennyson-54633_love_i-hold-it-true-whatever-befall-i-feel-it_1170977.jpg)

> “I hold it true, whatever befall; I feel it, when I sorrow most; 'tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.”

[Lord Alfred Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-alfred-tennyson/)

## About This Quote

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

Love’s loss feels profound, yet the experience of loving outweighs the pain of loss.

**In simple terms:** Love is better than never loving.

Key Takeaway

Cherish love despite potential loss.

Themes

love loss philosophy

Mood

melancholic hopeful

Type

poetic philosophical

When to use this quote

- grief counseling
- relationship advice
- personal reflection

Key Concepts

existential emotional resilience human experience

Questions to Reflect On

- What does love teach you about vulnerability?
- How can you honor loss while moving forward?

A Different Perspective

May romanticize suffering.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Better To Have Loved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-to-have-loved/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Loved and lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loved-and-lost/) [Sorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorrow/)

## Related quotes

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> [“It is better to have loved and lost, than to have paid for it and not liked it" UNKNOWN”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-westbrook/it-is-better-to-have-loved-and-lost-than-to-have-paid-for-it-and-not/)

Bill Westbrook

> [“Whoever said it was better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all was smoking crack.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kait-nolan/whoever-said-it-was-better-to-have-loved-and-lost-than-never-to-have/)

Kait Nolan

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[Vironika Tugaleva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vironika-tugaleva/)

> [“Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.' In other words, love is a dominant strategy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avinash-k-dixit/tis-better-to-have-loved-and-lost-than-never-to-have-loved-at-all-in/)

Avinash K. Dixit

> [The really important questions in human life are hardly touched upon by psychologists. Do liars come to believe their own lies? Is pleasure the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-standen/the-really-important-questions-in-human-life-are-hardly-touched-upon/)

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> [“It's better to have loved and lost, than to live with a psycho for the rest of your life”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-wilson/it-s-better-to-have-loved-and-lost-than-to-live-with-a-psycho-for-the/)

[Debra Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-wilson/)

> [Its better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemis-khan/its-better-to-have-loved-and-lost-than-never-to-have-loved-at-all/)

[Kemis Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemis-khan/)

> [“Whoever said it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved was full of crap.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-vincent/whoever-said-it-is-better-to-have-loved-and-lost-than-never-to-have/)

[Rachel Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-vincent/)

> [Better to have loved and lost than to live with regret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-pun/better-to-have-loved-and-lost-than-to-live-with-regret/)

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## More by Lord Alfred Tennyson

> [“I wither slowly in thine arms; here at the quiet limit of the world, a white hair'd shadow roaming like a dream.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-alfred-tennyson/i-wither-slowly-in-thine-arms-here-at-the-quiet-limit-of-the-world-a/)

[Lord Alfred Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-alfred-tennyson/)

> [Deep as first love, and wild with all regret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-alfred-tennyson/deep-as-first-love-and-wild-with-all-regret/)

[Lord Alfred Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-alfred-tennyson/)

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[Lord Alfred Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-alfred-tennyson/)

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[Explore all 6 Lord Alfred Tennyson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-alfred-tennyson/)

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Browse all 26,675 Feel quotes

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