--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As I started writing about loss and…" description: "\"As I started writing about loss and grief, I was taking what felt unmanageable and using my songwriting, my sense of poetry and discipline, to try and ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db8/rosanne-cash-7972_death_as-i-started-writing-about-loss-and-grie_557329.jpg" --- # As I started writing about loss and grief, I was taking… ![“As I started writing about loss and grief, I was taking what felt unmanageable and using my songwriting, my sense of poetry and discipline, to try and make it manageable.” quote by Rosanne Cash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db8/rosanne-cash-7972_death_as-i-started-writing-about-loss-and-grie_557329.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db8/rosanne-cash-7972_death_as-i-started-writing-about-loss-and-grie_557329.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db8/rosanne-cash-7972_death_as-i-started-writing-about-loss-and-grie_557329.jpg) > “As I started writing about loss and grief, I was taking what felt unmanageable and using my songwriting, my sense of poetry and discipline, to try and make it manageable.” [Rosanne Cash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosanne-cash/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She transforms overwhelming loss into structured art by applying poetic discipline, making emotions more controllable. **In simple terms:** Turning grief into song through disciplined writing. Key Takeaway Use creative discipline to process heavy emotions. Themes grief creativity discipline healing Mood reflective hopeful Type inspirational therapeutic When to use this quote - songwriting - personal journaling - therapy sessions - support groups Key Concepts emotional regulation artistic expression narrative therapy Questions to Reflect On - How can structured art help you face grief? - What discipline aids your emotional processing? A Different Perspective Creative work may not fully resolve pain, only reframe it. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Discipline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discipline/) [Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) [Grief and loss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief-and-loss/) [Loss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loss/) [Loss And Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loss-and-grief/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Songwriting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/songwriting/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I kind of talk about songwriting in the sense that it's really not my job to try to state hard truths. I'm not out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denison-witmer/i-kind-of-talk-about-songwriting-in-the-sense-that-it-s-really-not-my/) [Denison Witmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denison-witmer/) > [There are a couple of strategies for writing about an absence or writing about a loss. One can create the person that was lost,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/there-are-a-couple-of-strategies-for-writing-about-an-absence-or/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [I discovered on my own that I could cope better with the crippling effects of grief by taking care of myself, eating right, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-irwin/i-discovered-on-my-own-that-i-could-cope-better-with-the-crippling/) [Terri Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-irwin/) > [But the more people we love and the more deeply we love them, the more vulnerable we are to loss and grief and loneliness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/but-the-more-people-we-love-and-the-more-deeply-we-love-them-the-more/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [I think that no human gets away unscathed in this old life. We've all experienced loss and grief and pain and tragedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissy-spacek/i-think-that-no-human-gets-away-unscathed-in-this-old-life-we-ve-all/) [Sissy Spacek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissy-spacek/) > [“How much loss and grief could the body take before it finally gave up?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-marsons/how-much-loss-and-grief-could-the-body-take-before-it-finally-gave-up/) [Angela Marsons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-marsons/) > [I grew up in a very healthy nuclear family, and I was fortunate enough to not have to deal with loss and grief as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-flanagan/i-grew-up-in-a-very-healthy-nuclear-family-and-i-was-fortunate-enough/) [Mike Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-flanagan/) > [“The causes of familial discord and distance are countless, but the results are often the same: secrecy, blame, sadness, hurt, confusion, and feelings of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-salzberg/the-causes-of-familial-discord-and-distance-are-countless-but-the/) [Sharon Salzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-salzberg/) > [I came to the realization that I had failed in some respects because I had been more of a benevolent narrator than the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-came-to-the-realization-that-i-had-failed-in-some-respects-because/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [“I need to tell about my people in their grief. I don’t think grief is something they get over or get away from. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/i-need-to-tell-about-my-people-in-their-grief-i-don-t-think-grief-is/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [I talk about things like how to lose without losing identity. All loss and grief feels like when you transition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-white/i-talk-about-things-like-how-to-lose-without-losing-identity-all-loss/) [Paula White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-white/) > [While it is couples who 'are going to have a baby,' miscarriages only happen to women. Yet the emotional trauma of the overwhelming sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-hartley-brewer/while-it-is-couples-who-are-going-to-have-a-baby-miscarriages-only/) [Julia Hartley-Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-hartley-brewer/) > [My work has typically been about finding a means to express memory and commemoration for loss and grief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-regan/my-work-has-typically-been-about-finding-a-means-to-express-memory/) John Regan > [As a child I had dealt with a lot of loss and grief. I was constantly losing my parents, losing my home, constantly moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-gray/as-a-child-i-had-dealt-with-a-lot-of-loss-and-grief-i-was-constantly/) [Erin Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-gray/) > [“grief. Whatever our loss and however deep our grief, eventually we come to some kind of crossroads that requires us to make a tough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramon-presson/grief-whatever-our-loss-and-however-deep-our-grief-eventually-we-come/) [Ramon Presson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramon-presson/) ## More by Rosanne Cash > [“I have been so struck by the mettle of the men who founded this country and wrote the Constitution. What unbelievable persistence and integrity.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosanne-cash/i-have-been-so-struck-by-the-mettle-of-the-men-who-founded-this/) [Rosanne Cash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosanne-cash/) > [My record label is treating me like I'm a new artist, which is exciting after all this time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosanne-cash/my-record-label-is-treating-me-like-i-m-a-new-artist-which-is/) [Rosanne Cash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosanne-cash/) > [ Being in Vietnam changed him \[Johnny Cash\] fundamentally. He was devastated when we went into Iraq. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosanne-cash/being-in-vietnam-changed-him-johnny-cash-fundamentally-he-was/) [Rosanne Cash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosanne-cash/) > [I wanted to be the writer in the room setting depth charges of feeling out the world with my language.You know, I had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosanne-cash/i-wanted-to-be-the-writer-in-the-room-setting-depth-charges-of/) [Rosanne Cash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosanne-cash/) > [I don't do comparisons because I always lose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosanne-cash/i-don-t-do-comparisons-because-i-always-lose/) [Rosanne Cash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosanne-cash/) > [Celtic music is part of the language in Scotland and Ireland, where every kid and grandparent knows those songs, music by the likes of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosanne-cash/celtic-music-is-part-of-the-language-in-scotland-and-ireland-where/) [Rosanne Cash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosanne-cash/) > [With time the unbearable becomes shocking, becomes sad, and finally becomes poignant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosanne-cash/with-time-the-unbearable-becomes-shocking-becomes-sad-and-finally/) [Rosanne Cash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosanne-cash/) > [More and more, I see myself as a folk musician, and someone who values context.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosanne-cash/more-and-more-i-see-myself-as-a-folk-musician-and-someone-who-values/) [Rosanne Cash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosanne-cash/) > [I love mixing up my genres.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosanne-cash/i-love-mixing-up-my-genres/) [Rosanne Cash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosanne-cash/) > [If I ignore my work, I start having anxiety attacks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosanne-cash/if-i-ignore-my-work-i-start-having-anxiety-attacks/) [Rosanne Cash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosanne-cash/) > [You stand in front of a great painting and your heart just opens and your mind expands about what's possible. That, to me, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosanne-cash/you-stand-in-front-of-a-great-painting-and-your-heart-just-opens-and/) [Rosanne Cash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosanne-cash/) > [Like Thornton Wilder said, time is not a river, but rather a landscape that you step in and out of. I've always found that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosanne-cash/like-thornton-wilder-said-time-is-not-a-river-but-rather-a-landscape/) [Rosanne Cash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosanne-cash/) > [I gave up language for a while, and I started painting.And then I only listened to Miles Davis and other instrumental music to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosanne-cash/i-gave-up-language-for-a-while-and-i-started-painting-and-then-i-only/) [Rosanne Cash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosanne-cash/) > [Sometimes the fragment of a conversation, the color of the sky, the image in a dream, has everything to do with where the song…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosanne-cash/sometimes-the-fragment-of-a-conversation-the-color-of-the-sky-the/) [Rosanne Cash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosanne-cash/) > [Because I was starting out in my 20's. I wanted to do it on my own. I didn't want to use my dad or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosanne-cash/because-i-was-starting-out-in-my-20-s-i-wanted-to-do-it-on-my-own-i/) [Rosanne Cash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosanne-cash/) [Explore all 85 Rosanne Cash quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosanne-cash/) ## 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 > [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 > [“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": "As I started writing about loss and grief, I was taking what felt unmanageable and using my songwriting, my sense of poetry and discipline, to try and make it manageable.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rosanne Cash" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosanne-cash/as-i-started-writing-about-loss-and-grief-i-was-taking-what-felt/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Death" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosanne-cash/as-i-started-writing-about-loss-and-grief-i-was-taking-what-felt/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db8/rosanne-cash-7972_death_as-i-started-writing-about-loss-and-grie_557329.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db8/rosanne-cash-7972_death_as-i-started-writing-about-loss-and-grie_557329.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db8/rosanne-cash-7972_death_as-i-started-writing-about-loss-and-grie_557329.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As I started writing about loss and grief, I was taking what felt unmanageable and using my songwriting, my…” — Rosanne Cash", "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": "Rosanne Cash", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosanne-cash/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "As I started writing about loss...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosanne-cash/as-i-started-writing-about-loss-and-grief-i-was-taking-what-felt/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosanne-cash/as-i-started-writing-about-loss-and-grief-i-was-taking-what-felt/#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 } } ] } ```