--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: …crying not in grief but in wonder that…" description: "\"“…crying not in grief but in wonder that nothing is ever lost, that everything can be retrieved, that a lifetime is not linear but instant. That, insid..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b2/penelope-lively-3959_crying_crying-not-in-grief-but-in-wonder-that-n_1886291.png" --- # …crying not in grief but in wonder that nothing is ever… ![“…crying not in grief but in wonder that nothing is ever lost, that everything can be retrieved, that a lifetime is not linear but instant. That, inside the head, everything happens at once.” quote by Penelope Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b2/penelope-lively-3959_crying_crying-not-in-grief-but-in-wonder-that-n_1886291.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b2/penelope-lively-3959_crying_crying-not-in-grief-but-in-wonder-that-n_1886291.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b2/penelope-lively-3959_crying_crying-not-in-grief-but-in-wonder-that-n_1886291.png) > ““…crying not in grief but in wonder that nothing is ever lost, that everything can be retrieved, that a lifetime is not linear but instant. That, inside the head, everything happens at once.”” [Penelope Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-lively/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The mind can experience wonder and grief simultaneously, perceiving time as a single, instant moment where everything is accessible. **In simple terms:** Our thoughts can hold many feelings at once, making time feel immediate. Key Takeaway Embrace the present and trust that experiences can be reclaimed. Themes wonder memory time perception nonlinearity Mood contemplative hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - creative writing - therapy sessions - philosophical discussions - meditation practice Key Concepts existentialism psychology mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - How do you reconcile wonder with grief? - Can you truly retrieve all memories? A Different Perspective The concept may overlook the pain of loss that cannot be fully retrieved. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Crying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crying/) [Crying Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crying-grief-2697206/) [Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) [Grief Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief-wonder-2697205/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Retrieved Lifetime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/retrieved-lifetime-2697207/) ## Related quotes > [The place didn't look the same but it felt the same; sensations clutched and transformed me. I stood outside some concrete and plate-glass tower-block,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-lively/the-place-didn-t-look-the-same-but-it-felt-the-same-sensations/) [Penelope Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-lively/) > [“You don't have to tell me you're fine. I'm not fine. You're not fine either. We can be honest with each other about that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-o-porter/you-don-t-have-to-tell-me-you-re-fine-i-m-not-fine-you-re-not-fine/) [Dawn O'Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-o-porter/) > [“I was on the verge of crying with grief at still being alive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/knut-hamsun/i-was-on-the-verge-of-crying-with-grief-at-still-being-alive/) [Knut Hamsun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/knut-hamsun/) > [There are all sorts of experiences we can't really put a name to...The birth of a child, for one. Or the death of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/there-are-all-sorts-of-experiences-we-can-t-really-put-a-name-to-the/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [words are like nets - we hope they'll cover what we mean, but we know they can't possibly hold that much joy, or grief,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/words-are-like-nets-we-hope-they-ll-cover-what-we-mean-but-we-know-2/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“The reality of death has come upon us and a consciousness of the power of God has broken our complacency like a bullet in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/the-reality-of-death-has-come-upon-us-and-a-consciousness-of-the/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [“Crying doesn’t mean you’re weak ... Sometimes it’s what you need to do to get strong again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-w-lynne/crying-doesn-t-mean-you-re-weak-sometimes-it-s-what-you-need-to-do-to/) [J.W. Lynne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-w-lynne/) > [You dont choose your life; it chooses you. Theres no point asking why life has reserved certain joys or griefs, you just accept them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-dont-choose-your-life-it-chooses-you-theres-no-point-asking-why/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“I swallow hard and yank out my earbuds. I push the tears back down. I'm sick of crying every time I see or hear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-woodfolk/i-swallow-hard-and-yank-out-my-earbuds-i-push-the-tears-back-down-i-m/) [Ashley Woodfolk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-woodfolk/) > [Sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying or getting overly angry or to maintain control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-haysbert/sometimes-you-have-to-laugh-to-keep-from-crying-or-getting-overly/) [Dennis Haysbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-haysbert/) > [Maybe that was why she couldn't cry, she realized, staring dry-eyed at the ceiling. Because what was the point in crying when there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/maybe-that-was-why-she-couldn-t-cry-she-realized-staring-dry-eyed-at/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [And then theres always the crying and the weeping that we hear-children, women, even men. And these images and these sounds are always with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-amanpour/and-then-theres-always-the-crying-and-the-weeping-that-we-hear/) [Christiane Amanpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-amanpour/) > [ That's probably why my face was looking so crazy when I was crying \[in "Hardball"\] because it was some real. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-b-jordan/that-s-probably-why-my-face-was-looking-so-crazy-when-i-was-crying-in/) [Michael B. Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-b-jordan/) > [Skies are crying, I am watching Catching tear drops in my hands Only silence as it's ending Like we never had a chance Do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unkown/skies-are-crying-i-am-watching-catching-tear-drops-in-my-hands-only/) [Unkown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/unkown/) > [U dount need eny cuz when u get in a relaishondhip u love it forever not for crying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/no-athors-name-i-made-it/u-dount-need-eny-cuz-when-u-get-in-a-relaishondhip-u-love-it-forever/) [No Athors Name I Made It](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/no-athors-name-i-made-it/) ## More by Penelope Lively > [“I know quite well why I became a historian… It was because dissension was frowned upon when I was a child: 'Don't argue, Claudia,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-lively/i-know-quite-well-why-i-became-a-historian-it-was-because-dissension/) [Penelope Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-lively/) > [“The question is, shall it or shall it not be linear history. I've always thought a kaleidoscopic view might be an interesting heresey. Shake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-lively/the-question-is-shall-it-or-shall-it-not-be-linear-history-i-ve/) [Penelope Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-lively/) > [There's a preoccupation with memory and the operation of memory and a rather rapacious interest in history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-lively/there-s-a-preoccupation-with-memory-and-the-operation-of-memory-and-a/) [Penelope Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-lively/) > [“He felt marvellously conscious of the moment, of here and now, of this day.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-lively/he-felt-marvellously-conscious-of-the-moment-of-here-and-now-of-this/) [Penelope Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-lively/) > [People die, but money never does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-lively/people-die-but-money-never-does/) [Penelope Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-lively/) > [“But her thoughts are often of the past. That evanescent, pervasive, slippery internal landscape known to no one else, that vast accretion of data…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-lively/but-her-thoughts-are-often-of-the-past-that-evanescent-pervasive/) [Penelope Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-lively/) > [Unless I am a part of everything I am nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-lively/unless-i-am-a-part-of-everything-i-am-nothing/) [Penelope Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-lively/) > [Getting to know someone else involves curiosity about where they have come from, who they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-lively/getting-to-know-someone-else-involves-curiosity-about-where-they-have/) [Penelope Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-lively/) > [I'm intrigued by the way in which physical appearance can often direct a person's life; things happen differently for a beautiful woman than for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-lively/i-m-intrigued-by-the-way-in-which-physical-appearance-can-often/) [Penelope Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-lively/) > [Since then, I have just read and read - but, that said, I suppose there is a raft of writers to whom I return…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-lively/since-then-i-have-just-read-and-read-but-that-said-i-suppose-there-is/) [Penelope Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-lively/) > [“I have a print - you can buy them at the Victoria and Albert Museum - of a photograph of the village street of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-lively/i-have-a-print-you-can-buy-them-at-the-victoria-and-albert-museum-of/) [Penelope Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-lively/) > [Every novel generates its own climate, when you get going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-lively/every-novel-generates-its-own-climate-when-you-get-going/) [Penelope Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-lively/) > [“The power of language. Preserving the ephemeral; giving form to dreams, permanence to sparks of sunlight.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-lively/the-power-of-language-preserving-the-ephemeral-giving-form-to-dreams/) [Penelope Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-lively/) > [We all need a past - that's where our sense of identity comes from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-lively/we-all-need-a-past-that-s-where-our-sense-of-identity-comes-from/) [Penelope Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-lively/) > [Conventional forms of narrative allow for different points of view, but for this book I wanted a structure whereby each of the main characters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-lively/conventional-forms-of-narrative-allow-for-different-points-of-view/) [Penelope Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-lively/) [Explore all 118 Penelope Lively quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-lively/) ## More Crying quotes > [U dount need eny cuz when u get in a relaishondhip u love it forever not for crying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/no-athors-name-i-made-it/u-dount-need-eny-cuz-when-u-get-in-a-relaishondhip-u-love-it-forever/) [No Athors Name I Made It](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/no-athors-name-i-made-it/) > [Skies are crying, I am watching Catching tear drops in my hands Only silence as it's ending Like we never had a chance Do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unkown/skies-are-crying-i-am-watching-catching-tear-drops-in-my-hands-only/) [Unkown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/unkown/) > [ That's probably why my face was looking so crazy when I was crying \[in "Hardball"\] because it was some real. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-b-jordan/that-s-probably-why-my-face-was-looking-so-crazy-when-i-was-crying-in/) [Michael B. Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-b-jordan/) > [And then theres always the crying and the weeping that we hear-children, women, even men. And these images and these sounds are always with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-amanpour/and-then-theres-always-the-crying-and-the-weeping-that-we-hear/) [Christiane Amanpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-amanpour/) > [Maybe that was why she couldn't cry, she realized, staring dry-eyed at the ceiling. Because what was the point in crying when there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/maybe-that-was-why-she-couldn-t-cry-she-realized-staring-dry-eyed-at/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [Sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying or getting overly angry or to maintain control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-haysbert/sometimes-you-have-to-laugh-to-keep-from-crying-or-getting-overly/) [Dennis Haysbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-haysbert/) > [“I swallow hard and yank out my earbuds. I push the tears back down. I'm sick of crying every time I see or hear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-woodfolk/i-swallow-hard-and-yank-out-my-earbuds-i-push-the-tears-back-down-i-m/) [Ashley Woodfolk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-woodfolk/) > [“I’m desperate to prevent her tears, but not because I’m noble or anything. I’m kind of a contagion cryer. You know how when one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-yoon/i-m-desperate-to-prevent-her-tears-but-not-because-i-m-noble-or/) [Nicola Yoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-yoon/) > [When you are not there in my life its like: Shoes without shoe laces A letter without a stamp A flower with no roots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-are-not-there-in-my-life-its-like-shoes-without-shoe-laces-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you watch movies and you see people cry from happiness, I've never cried from happiness before in my life. So when I'm crying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-edwards/when-you-watch-movies-and-you-see-people-cry-from-happiness-i-ve/) [Leon Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-edwards/) > [I love walking in rain coz no one knows that I m crying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idreesbhat/i-love-walking-in-rain-coz-no-one-knows-that-i-m-crying/) [Idreesbhat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idreesbhat/) > [You took my happiness with you and left this horrible sadness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-took-my-happiness-with-you-and-left-this-horrible-sadness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Break up was not made for you to cry.. But to take you away from the wrong man who you thought was the right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/break-up-was-not-made-for-you-to-cry-but-to-take-you-away-from-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [While the godly father and mother spews poison, the baby crying for help.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/while-the-godly-father-and-mother-spews-poison-the-baby-crying-for/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I lay on my floor crying again¦ shaking. Searching for inner strength and coming up empty. My eyes burned and my mouth was dry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-daniels/i-lay-on-my-floor-crying-again-shaking-searching-for-inner-strength/) [Nathan Daniels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-daniels/) [Browse all 3,126 Crying quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crying/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“…crying not in grief but in wonder that nothing is ever lost, that everything can be retrieved, that a lifetime is not linear but instant. 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