--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Grief is like an ocean. It comes in waves…" description: "\"“Grief is like an ocean. It comes in waves - some waves are bigger than others and you cannot prepare for it.”\" — Summer Lane" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05a/summer-lane-25670_alaska_grief-is-like-an-ocean-it-comes-in-waves_23648.jpg" --- # Grief is like an ocean. It comes in waves - some waves are… ![“Grief is like an ocean. It comes in waves - some waves are bigger than others and you cannot prepare for it.” quote by Summer Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05a/summer-lane-25670_alaska_grief-is-like-an-ocean-it-comes-in-waves_23648.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05a/summer-lane-25670_alaska_grief-is-like-an-ocean-it-comes-in-waves_23648.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05a/summer-lane-25670_alaska_grief-is-like-an-ocean-it-comes-in-waves_23648.jpg) > ““Grief is like an ocean. It comes in waves - some waves are bigger than others and you cannot prepare for it.”” [Summer Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-lane/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Grief arrives unpredictably, with varying intensity, mirroring the ebb and flow of ocean waves, making it impossible to fully anticipate its impact. **In simple terms:** Grief is unpredictable and varies in intensity. Key Takeaway Accept the fluctuating nature of grief. Themes loss emotion resilience acceptance nature Mood somber reflective hopeful Type aphor metaphor inspirational When to use this quote - after a death - post‑breakup - career setback - relocation stress Key Concepts grief waves unpredictability Practical Applications - therapy counseling - support‑group facilitation Questions to Reflect On - How can you honor each wave without resistance? - What practices help you ride the larger surges? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alaska](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alaska/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) [Historical-romance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical-romance/) [Wolves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wolves/) ## Related quotes > [Grief is like the ocean; it comes on waves ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the water is calm, and sometimes it is overwhelming. All we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicki-harrison/grief-is-like-the-ocean-it-comes-on-waves-ebbing-and-flowing/) Vicki Harrison > [“No dirt can touch me, like an ocean, everything that comes to me becomes clean.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debasish-mridha/no-dirt-can-touch-me-like-an-ocean-everything-that-comes-to-me/) [Debasish Mridha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debasish-mridha/) > [“Alaska was the cure to the disease of my despair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-lane/alaska-was-the-cure-to-the-disease-of-my-despair/) [Summer Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-lane/) > [From the black ocean comes the appearance of light and waves. It helps you imagine birth. I want imagination in the photographs I take.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rinko-kawauchi/from-the-black-ocean-comes-the-appearance-of-light-and-waves-it-helps/) [Rinko Kawauchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rinko-kawauchi/) > [When one looks at the ocean, they can only see that part of it which comes within their range of vision; so it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hazrat-inayat-khan/when-one-looks-at-the-ocean-they-can-only-see-that-part-of-it-which/) [Hazrat Inayat Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hazrat-inayat-khan/) > [Missing you comes in waves, tonight I'm drowning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patience/missing-you-comes-in-waves-tonight-i-m-drowning/) Patience > [Popularity is very inconsistent. Sometimes it's there, sometimes it's not. It usually just comes in waves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mia-wasikowska/popularity-is-very-inconsistent-sometimes-it-s-there-sometimes-it-s/) [Mia Wasikowska](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mia-wasikowska/) > [“Love comes in waves. It's natural law. There's always more coming.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-mcgahan/love-comes-in-waves-it-s-natural-law-there-s-always-more-coming/) [Kate McGahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-mcgahan/) > [Grief, when it comes, is nothing we expect it to be. Grief has no distance. Grief comes in waves, paroxysms, sudden apprehensions that weaken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/grief-when-it-comes-is-nothing-we-expect-it-to-be-grief-has-no/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [It is as true for individuals as it is for the world itself: everything comes in waves. If you ride the waves of change,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/koichi-tohei/it-is-as-true-for-individuals-as-it-is-for-the-world-itself/) [Koichi Tohei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/koichi-tohei/) > [Mourning is a multifaceted process and sort of comes in waves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lacey-sturm/mourning-is-a-multifaceted-process-and-sort-of-comes-in-waves/) [Lacey Sturm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lacey-sturm/) > [Life comes at us in waves. We can't predict or control those waves, but we can learn to surf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-millman/life-comes-at-us-in-waves-we-can-t-predict-or-control-those-waves-but/) [Dan Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-millman/) > [Darkness comes in waves...tell me, why invite it to stay?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-vedder/darkness-comes-in-waves-tell-me-why-invite-it-to-stay/) [Eddie Vedder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-vedder/) > [“healing comes in waves, and I'm allowed to feel every rise and every fall of my tide.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-elle/healing-comes-in-waves-and-i-m-allowed-to-feel-every-rise-and-every/) [Alexandra Elle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-elle/) > [I've found that instability from growth comes in waves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-schaaf/i-ve-found-that-instability-from-growth-comes-in-waves/) [Alan Schaaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-schaaf/) ## More by Summer Lane > [“This is a kiss worthy of a blood-soaked battlefield, a kiss born out of tragedy and misery and death and loss. A kiss that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-lane/this-is-a-kiss-worthy-of-a-blood-soaked-battlefield-a-kiss-born-out/) [Summer Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-lane/) > [“I didn't care, because I loved him, and that was the end of every argument and the beginning of every promise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-lane/i-didn-t-care-because-i-loved-him-and-that-was-the-end-of-every/) [Summer Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-lane/) > [“I can take you,” I reply. “But if you try anything, I’ll shoot you right between the eyes. Seriously.” He almost smiles. “Yes, ma’am.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-lane/i-can-take-you-i-reply-but-if-you-try-anything-i-ll-shoot-you-right/) [Summer Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-lane/) > [“She’s got the kind of exotic beauty I always dreamed about. But really, who cares about stuff like that anymore? Being pretty isn’t going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-lane/she-s-got-the-kind-of-exotic-beauty-i-always-dreamed-about-but-really/) [Summer Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-lane/) > [“What’s your name?” I ask again. “Chris,” he says. “Chris Young.” I exhale dramatically, blowing my bangs out of my eyes. “I can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-lane/what-s-your-name-i-ask-again-chris-he-says-chris-young-i-exhale/) [Summer Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-lane/) > [“Things used to be easy. Flip a switch? On goes the light. Press a button? You’re calling your parents. Swipe a credit card? You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-lane/things-used-to-be-easy-flip-a-switch-on-goes-the-light-press-a-button/) [Summer Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-lane/) > [“You're staring at me." "I am not. I'm just... thinking. Without blinking.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-lane/you-re-staring-at-me-i-am-not-i-m-just-thinking-without-blinking/) [Summer Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-lane/) > [“Despite everything, every piece of Alaska sang to me. I remembered every curve in the trails, every tree in the forest. It was familiar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-lane/despite-everything-every-piece-of-alaska-sang-to-me-i-remembered/) [Summer Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-lane/) > [“Outside, the dogs whine over the wind. They sense the wolves - they sense the wild. It calls to them, like it calls to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-lane/outside-the-dogs-whine-over-the-wind-they-sense-the-wolves-they-sense/) [Summer Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-lane/) > [“Your traveling companion, the soldier, is well trained. The two of you were planning something, weren't you?" "Planning what? An evil scheme to steal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-lane/your-traveling-companion-the-soldier-is-well-trained-the-two-of-you/) [Summer Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-lane/) > [“I’ve never been on a bike,” I say. “I mean, I’ve been on a bike but not a motorcycle.” “And why is that?” he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-lane/i-ve-never-been-on-a-bike-i-say-i-mean-i-ve-been-on-a-bike-but-not-a/) [Summer Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-lane/) > [“We'll fight,' I interrupt. 'And if we die, that's how it ends. Fighting. With purpose.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-lane/we-ll-fight-i-interrupt-and-if-we-die-that-s-how-it-ends-fighting/) [Summer Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-lane/) > [“Chris hops out of the vehicle, wearing a tight black tee. He pulls his hair back and throws his backpack over his shoulder, looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-lane/chris-hops-out-of-the-vehicle-wearing-a-tight-black-tee-he-pulls-his/) [Summer Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-lane/) > [“Alaska was the cure to the disease of my despair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-lane/alaska-was-the-cure-to-the-disease-of-my-despair/) [Summer Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-lane/) > [“At last, somebody in line steps forward. “I can commit,” he says. He’s a tall, lean young man with a rifle slung over his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-lane/at-last-somebody-in-line-steps-forward-i-can-commit-he-says-he-s-a/) [Summer Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-lane/) [Explore all 22 Summer Lane quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-lane/) ## More Alaska quotes > [She smiled with all the delight of a kid on Christmas morning and said, "Y'all smoke to enjoy it. I smoke to die." -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/she-smiled-with-all-the-delight-of-a-kid-on-christmas-morning-and/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [There's no doubt 'normal' is changing - spring actually came a month early in Alaska, for example, and we had to stop filming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-rice/there-s-no-doubt-normal-is-changing-spring-actually-came-a-month/) [Travis Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-rice/) > [Kids in Alaska don't know they're growing up on the Last Frontier. It's just what they see on the license plates, and it's something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bodett/kids-in-alaska-don-t-know-they-re-growing-up-on-the-last-frontier-it/) [Tom Bodett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bodett/) > [What the hell is instant? Nothing is instant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/what-the-hell-is-instant-nothing-is-instant/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [They're our next-door neighbors, and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-palin/they-re-our-next-door-neighbors-and-you-can-actually-see-russia-from/) [Sarah Palin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-palin/) > [If the world were an orange with 18 segments meeting at the top (the North Pole), roughly 8 of them would be in Russia,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-shoumatoff/if-the-world-were-an-orange-with-18-segments-meeting-at-the-top-the/) [Alex Shoumatoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-shoumatoff/) > [And I just got the ghost, and I'm calling it Casper but that is so cold, it belong in Alaska.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicki-minaj/and-i-just-got-the-ghost-and-i-m-calling-it-casper-but-that-is-so/) [Nicki Minaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicki-minaj/) > [Like any traveler, I'm always looking for those experiences that are almost unique to any place, and watching films around Alaska of the skies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/like-any-traveler-i-m-always-looking-for-those-experiences-that-are/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) > [A changing environment will affect Alaska more than any other state, because of our location. I'm not one though who would attribute it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-palin/a-changing-environment-will-affect-alaska-more-than-any-other-state/) [Sarah Palin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-palin/) > [Mitt Romney understands the importance of Alaska as a leader in our country's energy production and I look forward to working with him on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-murkowski/mitt-romney-understands-the-importance-of-alaska-as-a-leader-in-our/) [Lisa Murkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-murkowski/) > [Why would even I say we can't stop drilling in the Gulf? Because we have no alternatives. Whether or not we drill in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-safina/why-would-even-i-say-we-can-t-stop-drilling-in-the-gulf-because-we/) [Carl Safina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-safina/) > [On the lip of the Grand Canyon. I've always wanted to do that. My very first TV special out of the Olympics was on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-boitano/on-the-lip-of-the-grand-canyon-i-ve-always-wanted-to-do-that-my-very/) [Brian Boitano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-boitano/) > [“The canopy of trees overhead is so thick that only bits and pieces of blue sky can be seen overhead. Narrow rays of sunshine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-g-foster/the-canopy-of-trees-overhead-is-so-thick-that-only-bits-and-pieces-of/) Vanessa G. Foster > [Let's make a deal: You figure out what the labyrinth is and how to get out of it, and i'll get you laid. -Alaska…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/let-s-make-a-deal-you-figure-out-what-the-labyrinth-is-and-how-to-get/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [That was part of her, and you used to know it. It's like now you only care about the Alaska you made up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/that-was-part-of-her-and-you-used-to-know-it-it-s-like-now-you-only/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) [Browse all 320 Alaska quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alaska/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Grief is like an ocean. 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