--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: She died calmly; and her countenance…" description: "\"“She died calmly; and her countenance expressed affection even in death. I need not describe the feelings of those who dearest ties are rent by that mo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c85/mary-shelley-1789_bereavement_she-died-calmly-and-her-countenance-expr_2224871.jpg" --- # She died calmly; and her countenance expressed affection… ![“She died calmly; and her countenance expressed affection even in death. I need not describe the feelings of those who dearest ties are rent by that most irreparable evil, the void that presents itself to the soul, and the despair that is exhibited on the countenance. It is so long before the mind…” quote by Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c85/mary-shelley-1789_bereavement_she-died-calmly-and-her-countenance-expr_2224871.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c85/mary-shelley-1789_bereavement_she-died-calmly-and-her-countenance-expr_2224871.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c85/mary-shelley-1789_bereavement_she-died-calmly-and-her-countenance-expr_2224871.jpg) > ““She died calmly; and her countenance expressed affection even in death. I need not describe the feelings of those who dearest ties are rent by that most irreparable evil, the void that presents itself to the soul, and the despair that is exhibited on the countenance. It is so long before the mind can persuade itself that she, whom we saw every day, and whose very existence appeared a part of our own, can have departed for ever - that the brightness of a beloved eye can have been extinguished, and the sound of a voice so familiar, and dear to the ear can be hushed, never more to be heard. These are the reflections of the first days; but when the lapse of time proves the reality of the evil then the actual bitterness of grief commences. Yet from whom has not that rude hand rent away some dear connexion; and why should I describe a sorrow which all have felt, and must feel? The time at length arrives when grief is rather an indulgence than a necessity; and the smile that plays upon the lips, although it may be deemed sacrilege, is not banished. My mother was dead, but we had still duties which we ought to preform; we must continue our course with the rest, and learn to think ourselves fortunate, whilst one remains whom the spoiler has not seized.”” [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Grief overwhelms, yet duty and gratitude compel us to continue living despite loss. **In simple terms:** Grief is painful but life goes on. Key Takeaway Balance mourning with purposeful action. Themes grief loss duty resilience memory Mood somber hopeful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - family bereavement - caregiving - career setbacks - personal healing Key Concepts psychology philosophy ethics Questions to Reflect On - How do you honor those you’ve lost? - What duties give you purpose after loss? A Different Perspective Grief can become escapist if not faced directly. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Affection Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affection-death-4981203/) [Bereavement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bereavement/) [Bitterness Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bitterness-grief-3618698/) [Connexion Sorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/connexion-sorrow-3124093/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Every day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-day/) [First Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-day/) [Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Sorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorrow/) [Sorrow Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorrow-felt-1942824/) ## Related quotes > [“I need not describe the feelings of those whose dearest ties are rent by that most irreparable evil, the void that presents itself to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/i-need-not-describe-the-feelings-of-those-whose-dearest-ties-are-rent/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [“Yet from whom has not that rude hand rent away some dear connexion; and why should I describe a sorrow which all have felt,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/yet-from-whom-has-not-that-rude-hand-rent-away-some-dear-connexion/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [The history of a city was like the history of a family—there is closeness and even affection, but death eventually separates everyone from each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/the-history-of-a-city-was-like-the-history-of-a-family-there-is/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [Anger is a symptom, a way of cloaking and expressing feelings too awful to experience directly - hurt, bitterness, grief and, most of all,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/anger-is-a-symptom-a-way-of-cloaking-and-expressing-feelings-too/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [“I was moving in a narrow range between busy distractedness and a pervasive sadness whose granules seemed to enter each cell, weighing it down...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/i-was-moving-in-a-narrow-range-between-busy-distractedness-and-a/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [It was part of war; men died, more would die, that was past, and what mattered now was the business in hand; those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-was-part-of-war-men-died-more-would-die-that-was-past-and-what/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“it wouldn’t take much for the sorrow she felt at the sorrow she caused to drown her again”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-gavalda/it-wouldn-t-take-much-for-the-sorrow-she-felt-at-the-sorrow-she/) [Anna Gavalda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-gavalda/) > [I bow in reverence before the emotions of every melted heart…The more intense the delight in their presence, the more poignant the impression of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-martineau/i-bow-in-reverence-before-the-emotions-of-every-melted-heart-the-more/) [James Martineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-martineau/) > [Grief that is dazed and speechless is out of fashion: the modern woman mourns her husband loudly and tells you the whole story of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/grief-that-is-dazed-and-speechless-is-out-of-fashion-the-modern-woman/) [Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/) > [“Sometimes, there was no getting over it. Sometimes, you lived with the empty place inside of you until you imploded on it, loss as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-kittredge/sometimes-there-was-no-getting-over-it-sometimes-you-lived-with-the/) [Caitlin Kittredge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-kittredge/) > [“It is the capacity to feel consuming grief and pain and despair that also allows me to embrace love and joy and beauty with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-white/it-is-the-capacity-to-feel-consuming-grief-and-pain-and-despair-that/) [Anna White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-white/) > [A man is not completely born until he is dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/a-man-is-not-completely-born-until-he-is-dead/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [When you lose your parents, the sadness doesn't go away. It just changes. It hits you sideways sometimes instead of head-on. Like now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-lose-your-parents-the-sadness-doesn-t-go-away-it-just/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“When we understand the illusory nature of life and the profound power of eternal love, which enables us to create miracles and experience the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-barbara-apollon/when-we-understand-the-illusory-nature-of-life-and-the-profound-power/) [Susan Barbara Apollon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-barbara-apollon/) > [“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/) ## More by Mary Shelley > [“but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/but-now-that-i-had-finished-the-beauty-of-the-dream-vanished-and/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [“I wished, as it were, to procrastinate all that related to my feelings of affection until the great object, which swallowed up every habit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/i-wished-as-it-were-to-procrastinate-all-that-related-to-my-feelings/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [“A sense of security, a feeling that a truce was established between the present hour and the irresistible, disastrous future imparted to me a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/a-sense-of-security-a-feeling-that-a-truce-was-established-between/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [“Who was I? What was I? Whence did I come?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/who-was-i-what-was-i-whence-did-i-come/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [“voyage to render their seeming eccentricities consistent forever. I shall satiate my ardent curiosity with the sight of a part of the world never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/voyage-to-render-their-seeming-eccentricities-consistent-forever-i/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [“I agree with you," replied the stranger; "we are unfashioned creatures, but half made up, if one wiser, better, dearer than ourselves -- such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/i-agree-with-you-replied-the-stranger-we-are-unfashioned-creatures/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [“I write a few lines in haste to say that I am safe—and well advanced on my voyage. This letter will reach England by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/i-write-a-few-lines-in-haste-to-say-that-i-am-safe-and-well-advanced/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [“I enjoyed this scene; and yet my enjoyment was embittered both by the memory of the past, and the anticipation of the future. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/i-enjoyed-this-scene-and-yet-my-enjoyment-was-embittered-both-by-the/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [“I learned that the possessions most esteemed by your fellow-creatures were, high and unsullied descent united with riches. A man might be respected with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/i-learned-that-the-possessions-most-esteemed-by-your-fellow-creatures/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [“These are my enticements, and they are sufficient to conquer all fear of danger or death and to induce me to commence this laborious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/these-are-my-enticements-and-they-are-sufficient-to-conquer-all-fear/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [“I will tell my story, and my reader shall judge for me. I will tell my story, and so contrive to pass some few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/i-will-tell-my-story-and-my-reader-shall-judge-for-me-i-will-tell-my/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [“A man would make but a very sorry chemist if he attended to that department of human knowledge alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/a-man-would-make-but-a-very-sorry-chemist-if-he-attended-to-that/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [“Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge, and how much happier…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/learn-from-me-if-not-by-my-precepts-at-least-by-my-example-how/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [“Who shall conceive the horrors of my secret toil as I dabbled among the unhallowed damps of the grave or tortured the living animal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/who-shall-conceive-the-horrors-of-my-secret-toil-as-i-dabbled-among/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [“For some days I haunted the spot where these scenes had taken place, sometimes wishing to see you, sometimes resolved to quit the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/for-some-days-i-haunted-the-spot-where-these-scenes-had-taken-place/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) [Explore all 199 Mary Shelley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) ## More Bereavement quotes > [“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/) > [“When we understand the illusory nature of life and the profound power of eternal love, which enables us to create miracles and experience the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-barbara-apollon/when-we-understand-the-illusory-nature-of-life-and-the-profound-power/) [Susan Barbara Apollon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-barbara-apollon/) > [When you lose your parents, the sadness doesn't go away. It just changes. It hits you sideways sometimes instead of head-on. Like now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-lose-your-parents-the-sadness-doesn-t-go-away-it-just/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A man is not completely born until he is dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/a-man-is-not-completely-born-until-he-is-dead/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“It is the capacity to feel consuming grief and pain and despair that also allows me to embrace love and joy and beauty with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-white/it-is-the-capacity-to-feel-consuming-grief-and-pain-and-despair-that/) [Anna White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-white/) > [“Sometimes, there was no getting over it. Sometimes, you lived with the empty place inside of you until you imploded on it, loss as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-kittredge/sometimes-there-was-no-getting-over-it-sometimes-you-lived-with-the/) [Caitlin Kittredge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-kittredge/) > [Grief that is dazed and speechless is out of fashion: the modern woman mourns her husband loudly and tells you the whole story of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/grief-that-is-dazed-and-speechless-is-out-of-fashion-the-modern-woman/) [Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/) > [I bow in reverence before the emotions of every melted heart…The more intense the delight in their presence, the more poignant the impression of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-martineau/i-bow-in-reverence-before-the-emotions-of-every-melted-heart-the-more/) [James Martineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-martineau/) > [“her skilled use of her body, especially her eyes and hands, when communicating with people enabled millions sense she was a conduit between royalty,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-walter/her-skilled-use-of-her-body-especially-her-eyes-and-hands-when/) [Tony Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-walter/) > [I can remember certain Manchester United defeats the way most people remember family bereavements or great political events. The four-nil drubbing by Barcelona, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-dunne/i-can-remember-certain-manchester-united-defeats-the-way-most-people/) [Tom Dunne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-dunne/) > [Farewell is said by the living, in life, every day. It is said with love and friendship, with the affirmation that the memories are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/farewell-is-said-by-the-living-in-life-every-day-it-is-said-with-love/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I used to feel afraid of the future, always assuming the worst. But now I've realized that my worst fears have already happened, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berrien/i-used-to-feel-afraid-of-the-future-always-assuming-the-worst-but-now/) [Elizabeth Berrien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berrien/) > [“Loss pushes us to difficult places where we have not been before. We often question whether or not we have the courage and stamina…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-barbara-apollon/loss-pushes-us-to-difficult-places-where-we-have-not-been-before-we/) [Susan Barbara Apollon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-barbara-apollon/) > [“He stood for a moment, bereavement a sudden, small tear in his soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/he-stood-for-a-moment-bereavement-a-sudden-small-tear-in-his-soul/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [Thou, Everlasting Strength, hast set Thyself forth to bear our burdens. May we bear Thy cross, and bearing that; find there is nothing else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/thou-everlasting-strength-hast-set-thyself-forth-to-bear-our-burdens/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) [Browse all 263 Bereavement quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bereavement/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“She died calmly; and her countenance expressed affection even in death. I need not describe the feelings of those who dearest ties are rent by that most irreparable evil, the void that presents itself to the soul, and the despair that is exhibited on the countenance. It is so long before the mind can persuade itself that she, whom we saw every day, and whose very existence appeared a part of our own, can have departed for ever - that the brightness of a beloved eye can have been extinguished, and the sound of a voice so familiar, and dear to the ear can be hushed, never more to be heard. These are the reflections of the first days; but when the lapse of time proves the reality of the evil then the actual bitterness of grief commences. Yet from whom has not that rude hand rent away some dear connexion; and why should I describe a sorrow which all have felt, and must feel? The time at length arrives when grief is rather an indulgence than a necessity; and the smile that plays upon the lips, although it may be deemed sacrilege, is not banished. 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