--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Grief is as contagious as a yawn." description: "\"“Grief is as contagious as a yawn.”\" — Sue Grafton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/086/sue-grafton-1640_contagious_grief-is-as-contagious-as-a-yawn-2314807_2314807.png" --- # Grief is as contagious as a yawn. ![“Grief is as contagious as a yawn.” quote by Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/086/sue-grafton-1640_contagious_grief-is-as-contagious-as-a-yawn-2314807_2314807.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/086/sue-grafton-1640_contagious_grief-is-as-contagious-as-a-yawn-2314807_2314807.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/086/sue-grafton-1640_contagious_grief-is-as-contagious-as-a-yawn-2314807_2314807.png) > ““Grief is as contagious as a yawn.”” [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Compares the spread of grief to the contagiousness of a yawn. **In simple terms:** Grief spreads easily among people. Key Takeaway Recognize and support shared sorrow. Themes grief contagion empathy human connection psychology Mood somber reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - family loss - community mourning - support groups Key Concepts emotional contagion social support mental health Questions to Reflect On - How does shared grief affect healing? - Can empathy reduce the spread of sorrow? A Different Perspective Grief may not be equally contagious for everyone. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) ## Related quotes > [“Built into bad news is that sense of profound disbelief. The mind struggles to absorb the bare facts, defending itself against the larger implications.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/built-into-bad-news-is-that-sense-of-profound-disbelief-the-mind/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [“maybe it was time to at least pretend to be a nicer person than i knew i was”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/maybe-it-was-time-to-at-least-pretend-to-be-a-nicer-person-than-i/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [“I did an about-face and veered into the sandwich shop. What I ordered is none of your business, but it was really good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/i-did-an-about-face-and-veered-into-the-sandwich-shop-what-i-ordered/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [“I can just about promise you Philip Marlowe was never as dainty as I.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/i-can-just-about-promise-you-philip-marlowe-was-never-as-dainty-as-i/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [“I wondered if I'd ever be nice enough to volunteer for anything. I was hoping not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/i-wondered-if-i-d-ever-be-nice-enough-to-volunteer-for-anything-i-was/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [There was a sound like a human yawn, and then the skull turned slightly toward me and asked, "What's up, boss?" "Evil's afoot." "Well,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/there-was-a-sound-like-a-human-yawn-and-then-the-skull-turned/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [A yawn is more disconcerting than a contradiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/a-yawn-is-more-disconcerting-than-a-contradiction/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [A yawn is a silent shout.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/a-yawn-is-a-silent-shout/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [“I was poised, fo­cused, and alert. Two hours lat­er, I was bored, sleepy, and yawn­ing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/storm-grant/i-was-poised-fo-cused-and-alert-two-hours-lat-er-i-was-bored-sleepy/) Storm Grant > [“I think the best time to launch an assault on a city would be not only in the middle of the night, but also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-think-the-best-time-to-launch-an-assault-on-a-city-would-be-not/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“He yawned like a black bear coming out of hibernation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-vickers/he-yawned-like-a-black-bear-coming-out-of-hibernation/) [Dennis Vickers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-vickers/) > [“If you don't feel drowsy after lunch and don't yawn in the office, you're not a perfect employee!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/himmilicious/if-you-don-t-feel-drowsy-after-lunch-and-don-t-yawn-in-the-office-you/) Himmilicious > [“I'm exhausted when I get home, even though the school day was the equivalent of a seven-hour yawn without Galen or Chloe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-banks/i-m-exhausted-when-i-get-home-even-though-the-school-day-was-the/) [Anna Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-banks/) > [“This bed yawns beneath the weight of our absent selves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/this-bed-yawns-beneath-the-weight-of-our-absent-selves/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“I'd rather have people hiss than yawn.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dean/i-d-rather-have-people-hiss-than-yawn/) [James Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dean/) ## More by Sue Grafton > [“Life is hard. Life hurts. So what? You tough it out. You get through and then you'll feel good again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/life-is-hard-life-hurts-so-what-you-tough-it-out-you-get-through-and/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [“nothing wrong with a lie or two when the situation demanded it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/nothing-wrong-with-a-lie-or-two-when-the-situation-demanded-it/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [“I can just about promise you Philip Marlowe was never as dainty as I.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/i-can-just-about-promise-you-philip-marlowe-was-never-as-dainty-as-i/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [“You can always push people around, but it's not a good idea. Better to let them volunteer information for reasons of their own. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/you-can-always-push-people-around-but-it-s-not-a-good-idea-better-to/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [You can't make anyone love you and you can't stop anyone from dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/you-can-t-make-anyone-love-you-and-you-can-t-stop-anyone-from-dying/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [“Some people die accidentally. It's a fact.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/some-people-die-accidentally-it-s-a-fact/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [Thinking is hard work, which is why you don't see many people doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/thinking-is-hard-work-which-is-why-you-don-t-see-many-people-doing-it/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [Pay enough for anything and it passes for taste.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/pay-enough-for-anything-and-it-passes-for-taste/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [“It’s hard to have faith in your fellow man when you’re forced to look at some of his handiwork.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/it-s-hard-to-have-faith-in-your-fellow-man-when-you-re-forced-to-look/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [Insecure people have a special sensitivity for anything that finally confirms their own low opinion of themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/insecure-people-have-a-special-sensitivity-for-anything-that-finally/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [“I wondered if I'd ever be nice enough to volunteer for anything. I was hoping not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/i-wondered-if-i-d-ever-be-nice-enough-to-volunteer-for-anything-i-was/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [Ideas are easy. It's the execution of ideas that really separates the sheep from the goats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/ideas-are-easy-it-s-the-execution-of-ideas-that-really-separates-the/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [“You can't believe everything you hear. Sometimes, you can't even believe your eyes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/you-can-t-believe-everything-you-hear-sometimes-you-can-t-even/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [“It wasn’t about finding the right answer; it was about patience and diligence. I surrendered to the process, ascribing the same importance to this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/it-wasn-t-about-finding-the-right-answer-it-was-about-patience-and/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [“Life is simple. You're the one making things complex.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/life-is-simple-you-re-the-one-making-things-complex/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) [Explore all 217 Sue Grafton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) ## More Contagious quotes > [The only activity a cynic will find contagious is yawning, that is, with other people, at other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/the-only-activity-a-cynic-will-find-contagious-is-yawning-that-is/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [Enthusiasm is by far the highest paid quality on earth, probably because it is one of the rarest; yet it is one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-bettger/enthusiasm-is-by-far-the-highest-paid-quality-on-earth-probably/) [Frank Bettger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-bettger/) > [It's a great historical joke that when the Spanish met the Aztecs, it was a blind date made in serve-you-right heaven. At the time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/it-s-a-great-historical-joke-that-when-the-spanish-met-the-aztecs-it/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [They say hitting is contagious, but I think defense is, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-crawford/they-say-hitting-is-contagious-but-i-think-defense-is-too/) [Brandon Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-crawford/) > [“It was nice to meet you,” I say loudly in a more formal tone than I used when we were alone. And then I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-christine-parker/it-was-nice-to-meet-you-i-say-loudly-in-a-more-formal-tone-than-i/) [Amy Christine Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-christine-parker/) > [“And being at school was awful in the beginning. Every new class I had was like a new chance for kids to “not stare”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-j-palacio/and-being-at-school-was-awful-in-the-beginning-every-new-class-i-had/) [R.J. Palacio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-j-palacio/) > [“Remember: Research shows that emotions are contagious. How will you infect others at work today?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-kjerulf/remember-research-shows-that-emotions-are-contagious-how-will-you/) [Alexander Kjerulf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-kjerulf/) > [“Move aside Ebola, smallpox, and AIDS; make room for narcolepsy. I would become shunned and avoided. Perhaps the people at the casino thought that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-talmage-mathis/move-aside-ebola-smallpox-and-aids-make-room-for-narcolepsy-i-would/) [John-Talmage Mathis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-talmage-mathis/) > [Humor of all types is notoriously subjective. That's true not only between different people but even within an individual at different times. This subjectivity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mankoff/humor-of-all-types-is-notoriously-subjective-that-s-true-not-only/) [Robert Mankoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mankoff/) > [Courage, like cowardice, is undoubtedly contagious, but some persons are not liable to catch it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-d-prentice/courage-like-cowardice-is-undoubtedly-contagious-but-some-persons-are/) [George D. Prentice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-d-prentice/) > [Attitudes truly are contagious, and from time to time we need to ask ourselves, 'Is mine worth catching?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mac-anderson/attitudes-truly-are-contagious-and-from-time-to-time-we-need-to-ask/) [Mac Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mac-anderson/) > [“Putting this all together, Moore and Reiber predicted that the germ would prod people to seek out the company of others early in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-mcauliffe/putting-this-all-together-moore-and-reiber-predicted-that-the-germ/) [Kathleen McAuliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-mcauliffe/) > [You really watch basketball and study basketball, the more you realize, the pass really is beautiful. I'm not just talking about the pass where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-gasol/you-really-watch-basketball-and-study-basketball-the-more-you-realize/) [Marc Gasol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-gasol/) > [How to Piss Off A Woman : After sex tell her the doctor assured you it isn't contagious. Then faint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/how-to-piss-off-a-woman-after-sex-tell-her-the-doctor-assured-you-it/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [Nothing is so contagious as enthusiasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nothing-is-so-contagious-as-enthusiasm/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) Browse all 451 Contagious quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Grief is as contagious as a yawn.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sue Grafton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/grief-is-as-contagious-as-a-yawn/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Contagious" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/grief-is-as-contagious-as-a-yawn/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/086/sue-grafton-1640_contagious_grief-is-as-contagious-as-a-yawn-2314807_2314807.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/086/sue-grafton-1640_contagious_grief-is-as-contagious-as-a-yawn-2314807_2314807.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/086/sue-grafton-1640_contagious_grief-is-as-contagious-as-a-yawn-2314807_2314807.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Grief is as contagious as a yawn.” — Sue Grafton", "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": "Sue Grafton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Grief is as contagious as a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/grief-is-as-contagious-as-a-yawn/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/grief-is-as-contagious-as-a-yawn/#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 } } ] } ```