---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All grief would slip away and all…"
description: "\"“All grief would slip away and all questions would be remembered as the uncomprehending wails of a newborn who did not grasp the meaning of his existen..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/401/michael-d-o-brien-17161_death_all-grief-would-slip-away-and-all-questi_1010544.jpg"
---

#  All grief would slip away and all questions would be…

![“All grief would slip away and all questions would be remembered as the uncomprehending wails of a newborn who did not grasp the meaning of his existence and hungered only for milk.” quote by Michael D. O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/401/michael-d-o-brien-17161_death_all-grief-would-slip-away-and-all-questi_1010544.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/401/michael-d-o-brien-17161_death_all-grief-would-slip-away-and-all-questi_1010544.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/401/michael-d-o-brien-17161_death_all-grief-would-slip-away-and-all-questi_1010544.jpg)

> ““All grief would slip away and all questions would be remembered as the uncomprehending wails of a newborn who did not grasp the meaning of his existence and hungered only for milk.””

[Michael D. O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-d-o-brien/)

## About This Quote

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

Newborn’s existential confusion and yearning for meaning, expressed as incomprehensible wails.

**In simple terms:** A newborn cries without understanding existence.

Key Takeaway

Seek meaning beyond immediate needs.

Themes

existence confusion yearning

Mood

melancholic thoughtful

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- parental guidance
- spiritual counseling
- artistic expression

Key Concepts

philosophy existentialism

Questions to Reflect On

- What gives life meaning?
- How do we interpret infant distress?

A Different Perspective

Not all cries are existential; some are physical.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Existence Hungered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence-hungered-2190809/) [Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) [Hungered Milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hungered-milk-2190807/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Newborn Did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/newborn-did-2190810/) [Wails Newborn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wails-newborn-2190808/)

## Related quotes

> [“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/)

> [We cant choose our lives, but we can decide what to do with the joys or griefs were given.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/we-cant-choose-our-lives-but-we-can-decide-what-to-do-with-the-joys/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [“Eight hours West sat a man alone on a beach mourning an inexplicable loss. He could only think of his loss in little packets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/eight-hours-west-sat-a-man-alone-on-a-beach-mourning-an-inexplicable/)

[Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/)

> [“The short sharp shock of three thousand mother two hundred mothers. The ones who picked through the supermarket debris for pieces of their dead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/the-short-sharp-shock-of-three-thousand-mother-two-hundred-mothers/)

[Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/)

> [What was so terrible about grief was not grief itself, but that one got over it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-d-james/what-was-so-terrible-about-grief-was-not-grief-itself-but-that-one/)

[P. D. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-d-james/)

> [Sometimes, I get afraid it has defined me, that sense of grief, loss and illness. But actually, it is about allowing myself to take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-i-get-afraid-it-has-defined-me-that-sense-of-grief-loss-and/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“And thus they form a perfect group; he walks back two or three paces, selects his point of sight, and begins to sketch a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-elizabeth-braddon/and-thus-they-form-a-perfect-group-he-walks-back-two-or-three-paces/)

[Mary Elizabeth Braddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-elizabeth-braddon/)

> [The tortures of present death disturb him not, but the recollection of his fall, fills him with a holy sorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-strachan/the-tortures-of-present-death-disturb-him-not-but-the-recollection-of/)

[John Strachan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-strachan/)

> [“...our loves ones truly are ever-present. We may bury their bodies or scatter their ashes, but their spirits are boundless and do not accompany…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/april-slaughter/our-loves-ones-truly-are-ever-present-we-may-bury-their-bodies-or/)

[April Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/april-slaughter/)

> [“...what happens when you return and find nothing but a hollowed shell, shingles and floor, walls and echoes and the light that lead you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kellie-elmore/what-happens-when-you-return-and-find-nothing-but-a-hollowed-shell/)

[Kellie Elmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kellie-elmore/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [... 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/)

> [There is a wealth of unexpressed love in the world. It is one of the chief causes of sorrow evoked by death: what might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hopkins/there-is-a-wealth-of-unexpressed-love-in-the-world-it-is-one-of-the/)

[Arthur Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-hopkins/)

## More by Michael D. O'Brien

> [“Words are gold, split and shared as coinage, small pebbles, emblems offered back and forth-given, received; given, received-expanding the vocabulary of the soul”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-d-o-brien/words-are-gold-split-and-shared-as-coinage-small-pebbles-emblems/)

[Michael D. O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-d-o-brien/)

> [“You can't just sit there hating the wound, Tan, or indulging in bitterness. Whatever you become in life, always ask yourself, am I making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-d-o-brien/you-can-t-just-sit-there-hating-the-wound-tan-or-indulging-in/)

[Michael D. O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-d-o-brien/)

> [“The human mind is stimulated by change, motivated by meeting the challenge of novelty or threat or pleasure, rewarded with the sensations of being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-d-o-brien/the-human-mind-is-stimulated-by-change-motivated-by-meeting-the/)

[Michael D. O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-d-o-brien/)

> [“We are resisting the technological corruption of our humanity with technology. We’re also resisting with our thinking, our perseverance, our friendships…In the end, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-d-o-brien/we-are-resisting-the-technological-corruption-of-our-humanity-with/)

[Michael D. O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-d-o-brien/)

> [“We must all make the mental leap from the pious histories we have read in the martyrologies to the reality of living flesh and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-d-o-brien/we-must-all-make-the-mental-leap-from-the-pious-histories-we-have/)

[Michael D. O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-d-o-brien/)

> [“Was there a missing component in all human beings? The rural masses seeking the metropolis; the urban young fleeing to the woods. Women pretending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-d-o-brien/was-there-a-missing-component-in-all-human-beings-the-rural-masses/)

[Michael D. O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-d-o-brien/)

> [ “\[About the main character approaching death in old age, observed by her husband . . .\] He saw that she had already laid down… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-d-o-brien/about-the-main-character-approaching-death-in-old-age-observed-by-her/)

[Michael D. O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-d-o-brien/)

> [“For those who suffer disposal, the cost is their very lives. For those of us who survive, there is a creeping indifference to anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-d-o-brien/for-those-who-suffer-disposal-the-cost-is-their-very-lives-for-those/)

[Michael D. O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-d-o-brien/)

> [“We came to know that love is the soul of the world, though its body bleeds, and we must learn to bleed with it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-d-o-brien/we-came-to-know-that-love-is-the-soul-of-the-world-though-its-body/)

[Michael D. O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-d-o-brien/)

> [“Each tool reshapes the one who is apparently the master of the tool. I ask myself this: At what point does the tool, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-d-o-brien/each-tool-reshapes-the-one-who-is-apparently-the-master-of-the-tool-i/)

[Michael D. O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-d-o-brien/)

> [“Tell me, Anna, if man is capable of projecting his belief onto the cosmos, isn't it possible by the same token, that he can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-d-o-brien/tell-me-anna-if-man-is-capable-of-projecting-his-belief-onto-the/)

[Michael D. O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-d-o-brien/)

> [“They’re convinced that the more conservative you are the more orthodox you are. They’re more Catholic than the Pope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-d-o-brien/they-re-convinced-that-the-more-conservative-you-are-the-more/)

[Michael D. O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-d-o-brien/)

> [“Man projects his wounds upon the world, my friend. He judges everything, and in the judging he reveals himself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-d-o-brien/man-projects-his-wounds-upon-the-world-my-friend-he-judges-everything/)

[Michael D. O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-d-o-brien/)

> [“If you are a true logos and I am a true logos, then there is the possibility of the dia-logos—a true dialogue...What is true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-d-o-brien/if-you-are-a-true-logos-and-i-am-a-true-logos-then-there-is-the/)

[Michael D. O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-d-o-brien/)

> [“In this world are many people who do not master their bodies. Such people say that no one can tell them what to do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-d-o-brien/in-this-world-are-many-people-who-do-not-master-their-bodies-such/)

[Michael D. O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-d-o-brien/)

[Explore all 33 Michael D. O'Brien quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-d-o-brien/)

## 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. He thought he had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life; that, having seen it, he could die content,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/it-was-beautiful-he-thought-he-had-never-seen-anything-so-beautiful/)

[Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/)

> [Retirement? You're talking about death, right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-altman/retirement-you-re-talking-about-death-right/)

[Robert Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-altman/)

> [With multiplayer, permanent death, and an ever-changing world to explore and conquer, 'A Valley Without Wind' might be the place you're looking for if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-manuel/with-multiplayer-permanent-death-and-an-ever-changing-world-to/)

[Rob Manuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-manuel/)

> [“What did you see?” she asked gently. His brow furrowed, as if he could not understand the question. 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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. Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-w-powers/)

> [“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/)

> [I am not a depressive person at all, but I reflect a lot on my life, and life in general, from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-am-not-a-depressive-person-at-all-but-i-reflect-a-lot-on-my-life/)

[Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/)

> [“Death is a reality that calls the rest of life and all of our assorted strivings into sharp relief.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/death-is-a-reality-that-calls-the-rest-of-life-and-all-of-our/)

[Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/)

> [I love life. I love life to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuelle-riva/i-love-life-i-love-life-to-death/)

[Emmanuelle Riva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuelle-riva/)

> [I think when you’re dying you start looking for important things in the corners. You can’t let anything that seems even semi-important pass, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/i-think-when-you-re-dying-you-start-looking-for-important-things-in/)

[Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/)

[Browse all 39,127 Death quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“All grief would slip away and all questions would be remembered as the uncomprehending wails of a newborn who did not grasp the meaning of his existence and hungered only for milk.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Michael D. O'Brien"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-d-o-brien/all-grief-would-slip-away-and-all-questions-would-be-remembered-as/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Death"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-d-o-brien/all-grief-would-slip-away-and-all-questions-would-be-remembered-as/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/401/michael-d-o-brien-17161_death_all-grief-would-slip-away-and-all-questi_1010544.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/401/michael-d-o-brien-17161_death_all-grief-would-slip-away-and-all-questi_1010544.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/401/michael-d-o-brien-17161_death_all-grief-would-slip-away-and-all-questi_1010544.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“All grief would slip away and all questions would be remembered as the uncomprehending wails of a newborn…” — Michael D. O'Brien",
                "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": "Michael D. O'Brien",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-d-o-brien/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“All grief would slip away and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-d-o-brien/all-grief-would-slip-away-and-all-questions-would-be-remembered-as/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-d-o-brien/all-grief-would-slip-away-and-all-questions-would-be-remembered-as/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
