--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nothing speaks our grief so well as to…" description: "\"Nothing speaks our grief so well as to speak nothing.\" — Richard Crashaw" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab0/richard-crashaw-29687_grief_nothing-speaks-our-grief-so-well-as-to-s_2611830.jpg" --- # Nothing speaks our grief so well as to speak nothing. ![“Nothing speaks our grief so well as to speak nothing.” quote by Richard Crashaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab0/richard-crashaw-29687_grief_nothing-speaks-our-grief-so-well-as-to-s_2611830.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab0/richard-crashaw-29687_grief_nothing-speaks-our-grief-so-well-as-to-s_2611830.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab0/richard-crashaw-29687_grief_nothing-speaks-our-grief-so-well-as-to-s_2611830.jpg) > “Nothing speaks our grief so well as to speak nothing.” [Richard Crashaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-crashaw/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Silence can express sorrow more deeply than words, because unspoken grief carries raw emotion. **In simple terms:** Silence can show grief better than words. Key Takeaway Embrace quiet to process loss. Themes grief silence expression Mood somber reflective Type poetic philosophical When to use this quote - funeral rites - personal mourning - therapy sessions - support groups Key Concepts existentialism emotional honesty Questions to Reflect On - How does silence help you feel understood? - When might speaking be more healing? A Different Perspective Silence may also isolate and prevent sharing needed support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) [Grief Speak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief-speak-2034617/) [Speak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speak/) [Speaks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speaks/) [Speaks Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speaks-grief-2034618/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) ## Related quotes > [Pity speaks to grief more sweetly than a band of instruments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-procter/pity-speaks-to-grief-more-sweetly-than-a-band-of-instruments/) [Bryan Procter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-procter/) > [He who knows does not speak. He who speaks does not know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-who-knows-does-not-speak-he-who-speaks-does-not-know/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [She speaks with a stutter and she and she walks with a hop. I don't know why I love her, but I just can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/she-speaks-with-a-stutter-and-she-and-she-walks-with-a-hop-i-don-t/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [Every so often you read a play and a character just speaks to you - almost seems to speak through you, in fact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-rickman/every-so-often-you-read-a-play-and-a-character-just-speaks-to-you/) [Alan Rickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-rickman/) > [My brothers and sister and me grew up making fun of each other, the way we'd speak or move. When we get together, everyone's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colman-domingo/my-brothers-and-sister-and-me-grew-up-making-fun-of-each-other-the/) [Colman Domingo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colman-domingo/) > [God speaks through me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/god-speaks-through-me/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [My mother-in-law speaks not a word of English. I speak not a word of Tajiki. So I smile at her ingratiatingly and she fixes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilbur-smith/my-mother-in-law-speaks-not-a-word-of-english-i-speak-not-a-word-of/) [Wilbur Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilbur-smith/) > [It speaks truth when you listen to Bob Marley.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rohan-marley/it-speaks-truth-when-you-listen-to-bob-marley/) [Rohan Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rohan-marley/) > [Who speaks of triumph? To endure is everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-pacino/who-speaks-of-triumph-to-endure-is-everything/) [Al Pacino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-pacino/) > [In comic strips, the person on the left always speaks first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/in-comic-strips-the-person-on-the-left-always-speaks-first/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [Action speaks louder than words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/action-speaks-louder-than-words/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“That is how a man speaks. And that is why.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-alderman/that-is-how-a-man-speaks-and-that-is-why/) [Naomi Alderman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-alderman/) > [“The Just and the unJust inhabiting the same body, so close you can’t pry us apart, but we are not friends. He speaks, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-just/the-just-and-the-unjust-inhabiting-the-same-body-so-close-you-can-t/) [Ward Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-just/) > [For people of color - especially African Americans - the idea that racist cops might frame members of their community is no abstract notion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/for-people-of-color-especially-african-americans-the-idea-that-racist/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [“President Trumps election speaks volumes about the blatant failures of the Obama administration.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/president-trumps-election-speaks-volumes-about-the-blatant-failures/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) ## More by Richard Crashaw > [Eyes are vocal, tears have tongues, and there are words not made with lungs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-crashaw/eyes-are-vocal-tears-have-tongues-and-there-are-words-not-made-with/) [Richard Crashaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-crashaw/) > [Two went to pray? Better to say one went to brag, the other to pray.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-crashaw/two-went-to-pray-better-to-say-one-went-to-brag-the-other-to-pray/) [Richard Crashaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-crashaw/) > [Heaven's great artillery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-crashaw/heaven-s-great-artillery/) [Richard Crashaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-crashaw/) > [Thou water turn'st to wine, fair friend of life; Thy foe, to cross the sweet arts of Thy reign, Distils from thence the tears…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-crashaw/thou-water-turn-st-to-wine-fair-friend-of-life-thy-foe-to-cross-the/) [Richard Crashaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-crashaw/) > [All thy old woes shall now smile on thee, and thy pains sit bright on thee. All thy sorrows here shall shine and thy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-crashaw/all-thy-old-woes-shall-now-smile-on-thee-and-thy-pains-sit-bright-on/) [Richard Crashaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-crashaw/) > [A happy soul, that all the way To heaven hath a summer's day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-crashaw/a-happy-soul-that-all-the-way-to-heaven-hath-a-summer-s-day/) [Richard Crashaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-crashaw/) > [Great little One! whose all-embracing birth Lifts Earth to Heaven, stoops Heaven to Earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-crashaw/great-little-one-whose-all-embracing-birth-lifts-earth-to-heaven/) [Richard Crashaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-crashaw/) > [Eyes that displace the neighbor diamond, and outface that sunshine by their own sweet grace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-crashaw/eyes-that-displace-the-neighbor-diamond-and-outface-that-sunshine-by/) [Richard Crashaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-crashaw/) > [“Come and let us live my Deare, Let us love and never feare, What the sowrest Fathers say: Brightest Sol that dies to day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-crashaw/come-and-let-us-live-my-deare-let-us-love-and-never-feare-what-the/) [Richard Crashaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-crashaw/) > [In love's field was never found A nobler weapon than a wound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-crashaw/in-love-s-field-was-never-found-a-nobler-weapon-than-a-wound/) [Richard Crashaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-crashaw/) > [Love, thou art absolute sole Lord Of life and death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-crashaw/love-thou-art-absolute-sole-lord-of-life-and-death/) [Richard Crashaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-crashaw/) > [A pillow for thee will I bring,Stuffed with down of angel's wing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-crashaw/a-pillow-for-thee-will-i-bring-stuffed-with-down-of-angel-s-wing/) [Richard Crashaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-crashaw/) > [“Tis not the work of force but skill To find the way into man's will. Tis love alone can hearts unlock. Who knows the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-crashaw/tis-not-the-work-of-force-but-skill-to-find-the-way-into-man-s-will/) [Richard Crashaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-crashaw/) > [Locked up from mortal eye in shady leaves of destiny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-crashaw/locked-up-from-mortal-eye-in-shady-leaves-of-destiny/) [Richard Crashaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-crashaw/) > [And when life's sweet fable ends, soul and body part like friends; no quarrels, murmurs, no delay; a kiss, a sigh, and so away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-crashaw/and-when-life-s-sweet-fable-ends-soul-and-body-part-like-friends-no/) [Richard Crashaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-crashaw/) [Explore all 18 Richard Crashaw quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-crashaw/) ## More Grief quotes > [“...they had lived, they'd lived intensely. But no matter how deeply you live, it comes to this in the end: one of you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-morton/they-had-lived-they-d-lived-intensely-but-no-matter-how-deeply-you/) [Brian Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-morton/) > [“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/) > [You felt a deep sorrow, the kind of melancholy you feel when you're in a beautiful place and the sun is going down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thrity-umrigar/you-felt-a-deep-sorrow-the-kind-of-melancholy-you-feel-when-you-re-in/) [Thrity Umrigar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thrity-umrigar/) > [... 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/) > [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/) > [“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/) > [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/) > [Nowadays most people wear black most of the time anyway: go to a literary party and one would imagine everyone there was in perpetual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/nowadays-most-people-wear-black-most-of-the-time-anyway-go-to-a/) [Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/) > [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/) > [That Woman is in love with her own grief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/that-woman-is-in-love-with-her-own-grief/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [Short time seems long in sorrow's sharp sustaining.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/short-time-seems-long-in-sorrow-s-sharp-sustaining/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [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/) > [“You've been my beacon of light in my storm of grief, and I don't know if I could live without you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-ashley/you-ve-been-my-beacon-of-light-in-my-storm-of-grief-and-i-don-t-know/) [Katie Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-ashley/) > [Ancient eyes had stared at me, filled with ancient grief. And something more. Something so alien and unexpected that I'd almost burst into tears.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/ancient-eyes-had-stared-at-me-filled-with-ancient-grief-and-something/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [Meanwhile, the trees were just as green as before; the birds sang and the sun shone as clearly now as ever. The familiar surroundings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/meanwhile-the-trees-were-just-as-green-as-before-the-birds-sang-and/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) [Browse all 8,012 Grief quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Nothing speaks our grief so well as to speak nothing.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Richard Crashaw" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-crashaw/nothing-speaks-our-grief-so-well-as-to-speak-nothing/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Grief" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-crashaw/nothing-speaks-our-grief-so-well-as-to-speak-nothing/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab0/richard-crashaw-29687_grief_nothing-speaks-our-grief-so-well-as-to-s_2611830.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab0/richard-crashaw-29687_grief_nothing-speaks-our-grief-so-well-as-to-s_2611830.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab0/richard-crashaw-29687_grief_nothing-speaks-our-grief-so-well-as-to-s_2611830.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Nothing speaks our grief so well as to speak nothing.” — Richard Crashaw", "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": "Richard Crashaw", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-crashaw/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Nothing speaks our grief so well...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-crashaw/nothing-speaks-our-grief-so-well-as-to-speak-nothing/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-crashaw/nothing-speaks-our-grief-so-well-as-to-speak-nothing/#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 } } ] } ```