America Quote by Susan Abulhawa
““I grieved three thousand times. Then I grieved for myself, a lonely woman without the honor given to the wives of the fallen. The reverence for their loss, for their children's loss. It was eloquent and grand. So moving and charged with solidarity...On September eleventh, I faced the last moments of your father's life. I saw him in every person who tried to jump and every body they pulled from the rubble. And I saw myself as I was never allowed to be, consoled, understood, and loved.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Mountains Between Us by Susan Abulhawa, 2016
A woman mourns repeatedly, then mourns her own isolation, contrasting personal grief with collective reverence for fallen heroes, and feels solidarity with suffering during a tragedy.
In simple terms: She feels deep personal loss while witnessing collective tragedy.
Key Takeaway
Recognize personal grief amid larger suffering.
Themes
grief
solidarity
identity
war
loneliness
Mood
somber
reflective
empathetic
Type
literary
emotional
When to use this quote
- war memorials
- personal loss
- community support
- healing processes
Key Concepts
existential reflection
collective memory
personal narrative
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you honor personal sorrow while supporting collective mourning?
- What rituals help integrate personal and communal grief?
A Different Perspective
Personal grief may be eclipsed by public narratives, making individual pain invisible.
![“Some readers may have noticed an icy little missive from Noam Chomsky ["Letters," December 3], repudiating the very idea that he and I had disagreed on the "roots" of September 11. I rush to agree. Here is what he told his audience at MIT on October 11: I'll talk about the situation in…” quote by Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0d5/christopher-hitchens-117_2001_some-readers-may-have-noticed-an-icy-lit_2701880.jpg)
![“[T]his is an enemy for life, as well as an enemy of life.” quote by Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/cdb/christopher-hitchens-117_islamism_t-his-is-an-enemy-for-life-as-well-as-an_2117574.jpg)
![“I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. [salutes]” quote by Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/3d2/bill-hicks-970_america_i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumor_655.jpg)
