--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And quickly. If you let it, grief could…" description: "\"“And quickly. If you let it, grief could swallow you whole.”\" — Mary Alice Monroe" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6b/mary-alice-monroe-17431_death_and-quickly-if-you-let-it-grief-could-sw_694728.jpg" --- # And quickly. If you let it, grief could swallow you whole. ![“And quickly. If you let it, grief could swallow you whole.” quote by Mary Alice Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6b/mary-alice-monroe-17431_death_and-quickly-if-you-let-it-grief-could-sw_694728.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6b/mary-alice-monroe-17431_death_and-quickly-if-you-let-it-grief-could-sw_694728.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6b/mary-alice-monroe-17431_death_and-quickly-if-you-let-it-grief-could-sw_694728.jpg) > ““And quickly. If you let it, grief could swallow you whole.”” [Mary Alice Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-alice-monroe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. If grief is not managed, it can become overwhelming and consume a person. **In simple terms:** Unprocessed grief can engulf you. Key Takeaway Address grief before it overwhelms you. Themes grief mental health resilience Mood somber hopeful Type psychological inspirational When to use this quote - therapy - bereavement counseling - personal journaling Key Concepts emotional processing support systems self‑care Questions to Reflect On - How do you recognize early signs of overwhelming grief? - What coping strategies help you stay grounded? A Different Perspective Grief may also lead to growth if faced. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) ## Related quotes > [“Grief is a swallow,' he said. 'One day you wake up and you think it's gone, but it's only migrated to some other place,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/grief-is-a-swallow-he-said-one-day-you-wake-up-and-you-think-it-s/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) > [It's got to be done and done quickly, so let's get it done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-h-arnold/it-s-got-to-be-done-and-done-quickly-so-let-s-get-it-done/) [Henry H. Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-h-arnold/) > [“To become a better you, take note of what gets you offended quickly and never go there or let it come to you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/to-become-a-better-you-take-note-of-what-gets-you-offended-quickly/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [Be present. Make love. Make tea. Avoid small talk. Embrace conversation. Buy a plant, water it. Make your bed. Make someone else's bed. Have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/be-present-make-love-make-tea-avoid-small-talk-embrace-conversation/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Everything we love goes. So to be able to grieve that loss, to let go, to have that grief be absolutely full, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-brach/everything-we-love-goes-so-to-be-able-to-grieve-that-loss-to-let-go/) [Tara Brach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-brach/) > [Tell me about it if it's something human. Let me into your grief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/tell-me-about-it-if-it-s-something-human-let-me-into-your-grief/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [“Do not let grief be the only map you carry, lest you lose your way back to happiness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-guzeman/do-not-let-grief-be-the-only-map-you-carry-lest-you-lose-your-way/) [Tracy Guzeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-guzeman/) > [If grief or anger arises, Let there be grief or anger. This is the Buddha in all forms,Sun Buddha, Moon Buddha, Happy Buddha, Sad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/if-grief-or-anger-arises-let-there-be-grief-or-anger-this-is-the/) [Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/) > [“Because in our pain we must find each other – mirror to mirror the grace of our shared humanity, the stunningly broken beauty of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-leblanc/because-in-our-pain-we-must-find-each-other-mirror-to-mirror-the/) [Jeanette LeBlanc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-leblanc/) > [Because if she let go of her grief even for a minute it would only hit her harder when she bumped into it again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/because-if-she-let-go-of-her-grief-even-for-a-minute-it-would-only/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [“Don’t let grief be the end of your story. Let it be the beginning of the bridge you build, step by step, into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stiverson/don-t-let-grief-be-the-end-of-your-story-let-it-be-the-beginning-of/) Christina Stiverson > [It is good to divert our sorrow for other things to the root of all, which is sin. Let our grief run most in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-sibbes/it-is-good-to-divert-our-sorrow-for-other-things-to-the-root-of-all/) [Richard Sibbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-sibbes/) > [“Your mind is likewise blocked. But the right road awaits you still. Cast out your doubts, your fears and your desires, let go of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anicius-manlius-severinus-boethius/your-mind-is-likewise-blocked-but-the-right-road-awaits-you-still/) Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius > [“She didn't look up until he was gone. She saw him pas the outside wall of the pavilion and heard his footsteps recede into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-fisher-staples/she-didn-t-look-up-until-he-was-gone-she-saw-him-pas-the-outside-wall/) [Suzanne Fisher Staples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-fisher-staples/) > [“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/) ## More by Mary Alice Monroe > [“Oh, if only I were young again, I would travel! There's so much of the world I would like to have seen. But I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-alice-monroe/oh-if-only-i-were-young-again-i-would-travel-there-s-so-much-of-the/) [Mary Alice Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-alice-monroe/) > [“All stories come to an end. That moment when we sigh and close the book, perhaps sit back in our chair and rest our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-alice-monroe/all-stories-come-to-an-end-that-moment-when-we-sigh-and-close-the/) [Mary Alice Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-alice-monroe/) > [“A woman’s life has so many demands because she is the axis around which so many little planets spin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-alice-monroe/a-woman-s-life-has-so-many-demands-because-she-is-the-axis-around/) [Mary Alice Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-alice-monroe/) > [“Dawn tore at the seam of night, pulling the blackness back a little farther with each passing minute.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-alice-monroe/dawn-tore-at-the-seam-of-night-pulling-the-blackness-back-a-little/) [Mary Alice Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-alice-monroe/) > [“Rather than feel small, however, in this arena she felt part of something much bigger than herself. This gave her both a sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-alice-monroe/rather-than-feel-small-however-in-this-arena-she-felt-part-of/) [Mary Alice Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-alice-monroe/) > [“Age is real life is short. It's foolhardy to deny it. We grow up, our bodies grow frail, death is coming. There's so much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-alice-monroe/age-is-real-life-is-short-it-s-foolhardy-to-deny-it-we-grow-up-our/) [Mary Alice Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-alice-monroe/) > [“Luz felt as though all the millions of butterflies that were flying on this same journey south were fluttering in her stomach.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-alice-monroe/luz-felt-as-though-all-the-millions-of-butterflies-that-were-flying/) [Mary Alice Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-alice-monroe/) > [“not so heartbreaking. So it was with me after Tom’s death. In retrospect, I look at myself and my friends and I think that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-alice-monroe/not-so-heartbreaking-so-it-was-with-me-after-tom-s-death-in/) [Mary Alice Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-alice-monroe/) > [To me, the glass is half-empty some days and half-full on others. Sometimes it's bone-dry. Or overflowing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-alice-monroe/to-me-the-glass-is-half-empty-some-days-and-half-full-on-others/) [Mary Alice Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-alice-monroe/) > [Privacy is something that we maintain for the good of ourselves and others. Secrecy we keep to separate ourselves from others, even those we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-alice-monroe/privacy-is-something-that-we-maintain-for-the-good-of-ourselves-and/) [Mary Alice Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-alice-monroe/) > [“The secret to happiness is to embrace the humility to accept what comes and the courage to continue on your life's path with an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-alice-monroe/the-secret-to-happiness-is-to-embrace-the-humility-to-accept-what/) [Mary Alice Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-alice-monroe/) > [“Sometimes she's so stuck up she'd drown in a rainstorm.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-alice-monroe/sometimes-she-s-so-stuck-up-she-d-drown-in-a-rainstorm/) [Mary Alice Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-alice-monroe/) > [“she’d neglected to make choices for her inner self as well. She’d given away too much.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-alice-monroe/she-d-neglected-to-make-choices-for-her-inner-self-as-well-she-d/) [Mary Alice Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-alice-monroe/) > [“See how people smile when they see a butterfly? They can't help themselves. Butterflies are joy with wings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-alice-monroe/see-how-people-smile-when-they-see-a-butterfly-they-can-t-help/) [Mary Alice Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-alice-monroe/) > [I always begin with a source of inspiration that comes from nature. The story comes from my research, volunteering, and meeting the people involved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-alice-monroe/i-always-begin-with-a-source-of-inspiration-that-comes-from-nature/) [Mary Alice Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-alice-monroe/) [Explore all 37 Mary Alice Monroe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-alice-monroe/) ## More Death quotes > [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [I do not want to live at the cost of the life even of a snake. I should let him bite me to death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-not-want-to-live-at-the-cost-of-the-life-even-of-a-snake-i/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“It was beautiful. 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Then his eyes turned to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-anthony-torino/what-did-you-see-she-asked-gently-his-brow-furrowed-as-if-he-could/) J. Anthony Torino > [Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/those-whose-life-is-long-still-strive-for-gain-and-for-all-mortals/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [“I practice Dying--every night-- But have not learned to, still-- Though Talented--by Mortal bones-- For such a common Skill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-powers/i-practice-dying-every-night-but-have-not-learned-to-still-though/) Alan W. 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