--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When we bury the old, we bury the known…" description: "\"“When we bury the old, we bury the known past, the past we imagine sometimes better than it was, but the past all the same, a portion of which we inhab..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fa/thomas-lynch-18339_burying_when-we-bury-the-old-we-bury-the-known-p_605665.jpg" --- # When we bury the old, we bury the known past, the past we… ![“When we bury the old, we bury the known past, the past we imagine sometimes better than it was, but the past all the same, a portion of which we inhabited. Memory is the overwhelming theme, the eventual comfort. But burying infants, we bury the future, unwieldy and unknown, full of promise and…” quote by Thomas Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fa/thomas-lynch-18339_burying_when-we-bury-the-old-we-bury-the-known-p_605665.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fa/thomas-lynch-18339_burying_when-we-bury-the-old-we-bury-the-known-p_605665.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fa/thomas-lynch-18339_burying_when-we-bury-the-old-we-bury-the-known-p_605665.jpg) > ““When we bury the old, we bury the known past, the past we imagine sometimes better than it was, but the past all the same, a portion of which we inhabited. Memory is the overwhelming theme, the eventual comfort. But burying infants, we bury the future, unwieldy and unknown, full of promise and possibilities, outcomes punctuated by our rosy hopes. The grief has no borders, no limits, no known ends, and the little infant graves that edge the corners and fencerows of every cemetery are never quite big enough to contain that grief. Some sadnesses are permanent. Dead babies do not give us memories. They give us dreams.”” [Thomas Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-lynch/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage reflects on how burying the past and infants symbolizes loss of memory and future possibilities, highlighting enduring grief and the limits of remembrance. **In simple terms:** Losing past and children erases memory and hope. Key Takeaway Acknowledge grief while honoring memories. Themes memory grief loss future Mood somber contemplative Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - mourning rituals - writing therapy - historical preservation - family storytelling Key Concepts impermanence existential reflection human vulnerability Questions to Reflect On - How does remembering the dead shape our present? - Can we find hope after profound loss? A Different Perspective Grief may become overwhelming without support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Sadness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sadness/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“...our loves ones truly are ever-present. We may bury their bodies or scatter their ashes, but their spirits are boundless and do not accompany…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/april-slaughter/our-loves-ones-truly-are-ever-present-we-may-bury-their-bodies-or/) April Slaughter > [Disneyland celebrated its 40th anniversary by burying a time capsule. They say it will be dug up in 50 years - or when the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/disneyland-celebrated-its-40th-anniversary-by-burying-a-time-capsule/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Most men die at 25, we just don't bury them until they are 70.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/most-men-die-at-25-we-just-don-t-bury-them-until-they-are-70/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“There is no point in burying the hatchet if you're going to put up a marker on the site.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-no-point-in-burying-the-hatchet-if-you-re-going-to-put-up-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Many of us have unconsciously erected barriers to protect ourselves from failing or succeeding. We may think we're protecting ourselves by denying our creative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ban-breathnach/many-of-us-have-unconsciously-erected-barriers-to-protect-ourselves/) [Sarah Ban Breathnach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ban-breathnach/) > [“Each dog marks a section of our lives, and in the end, we feed them to the dark, burying them there while we carry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-barlow/each-dog-marks-a-section-of-our-lives-and-in-the-end-we-feed-them-to/) [Toby Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-barlow/) > [“...burying themselves in his arm was more about feeling his love in the confusion, in the difficulty, than it was about having moved past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/burying-themselves-in-his-arm-was-more-about-feeling-his-love-in-the/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [You know, Hoosiers recognize pork when we see it. And they recognize what bailing out every failing business in America means - We're burying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/you-know-hoosiers-recognize-pork-when-we-see-it-and-they-recognize/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [“One man after burying another has been laid out dead, and another buries him; and all this in a short time. To conclude, always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/one-man-after-burying-another-has-been-laid-out-dead-and-another/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [I buried how much I missed you. burried to the very bottom of my heart and its still there digging the way back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-buried-how-much-i-missed-you-burried-to-the-very-bottom-of-my-heart/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [One thing I think you have to do here at Wisconsin is maximize your personnel. From the standpoint of getting our best players out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-bielema/one-thing-i-think-you-have-to-do-here-at-wisconsin-is-maximize-your/) [Bret Bielema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-bielema/) > [I started composting in 1970 by taking my food scraps out behind where I lived and burying them in a hole next to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-begley-jr/i-started-composting-in-1970-by-taking-my-food-scraps-out-behind/) [Ed Begley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-begley-jr/) > [“No better way to avoid making a decision than burying yourself in a big fat book.” (p. 105).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bard/no-better-way-to-avoid-making-a-decision-than-burying-yourself-in-a/) [Elizabeth Bard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bard/) > [What you try to bury just ends up burying you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-wagner/what-you-try-to-bury-just-ends-up-burying-you/) [Jane Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-wagner/) > [The feminine mystique has succeeded in burying millions of American women alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/the-feminine-mystique-has-succeeded-in-burying-millions-of-american/) [Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/) ## More by Thomas Lynch > [“I had this theory. It was based loosely on the unremarkable observation that the old are always looking back with longing while the young,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-lynch/i-had-this-theory-it-was-based-loosely-on-the-unremarkable/) [Thomas Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-lynch/) > [“The advance of our technology is coincidental with the loss of our appetite for ethical questions that ought to attend the implications of these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-lynch/the-advance-of-our-technology-is-coincidental-with-the-loss-of-our/) [Thomas Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-lynch/) > [Whatever’s there to feel, feel it – the riddance, the relief, the fright and freedom, the fear of forgetting, the dull ache of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-lynch/whatever-s-there-to-feel-feel-it-the-riddance-the-relief-the-fright/) [Thomas Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-lynch/) > [“The bodies of the newly dead are not debris nor remnant, nor are they entirely icon or essence. They are, rather, changelings, incubates, hatchlings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-lynch/the-bodies-of-the-newly-dead-are-not-debris-nor-remnant-nor-are-they/) [Thomas Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-lynch/) > [“The living have to live with it. You don’t. 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So do it right: weep, laugh, watch, pray, love, live, give thanks and praise; comfort, mend, honor,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-lynch/there-s-no-easy-way-to-do-this-so-do-it-right-weep-laugh-watch-pray/) [Thomas Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-lynch/) > [Grief is the price we pay for being close to one another. If we want to avoid our grief, we simply avoid each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-lynch/grief-is-the-price-we-pay-for-being-close-to-one-another-if-we-want/) [Thomas Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-lynch/) > [“I will, I do, Amen, Here Here, Let's eat, drink and be merry. 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We may bury their bodies or scatter their ashes, but their spirits are boundless and do not accompany…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/april-slaughter/our-loves-ones-truly-are-ever-present-we-may-bury-their-bodies-or/) April Slaughter > [What you try to bury just ends up burying you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-wagner/what-you-try-to-bury-just-ends-up-burying-you/) [Jane Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-wagner/) > [“No better way to avoid making a decision than burying yourself in a big fat book.” (p. 105).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bard/no-better-way-to-avoid-making-a-decision-than-burying-yourself-in-a/) [Elizabeth Bard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bard/) > [I started composting in 1970 by taking my food scraps out behind where I lived and burying them in a hole next to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-begley-jr/i-started-composting-in-1970-by-taking-my-food-scraps-out-behind/) [Ed Begley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-begley-jr/) > [One thing I think you have to do here at Wisconsin is maximize your personnel. From the standpoint of getting our best players out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-bielema/one-thing-i-think-you-have-to-do-here-at-wisconsin-is-maximize-your/) [Bret Bielema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-bielema/) > [I buried how much I missed you. burried to the very bottom of my heart and its still there digging the way back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-buried-how-much-i-missed-you-burried-to-the-very-bottom-of-my-heart/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“One man after burying another has been laid out dead, and another buries him; and all this in a short time. To conclude, always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/one-man-after-burying-another-has-been-laid-out-dead-and-another/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [You know, Hoosiers recognize pork when we see it. And they recognize what bailing out every failing business in America means - We're burying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/you-know-hoosiers-recognize-pork-when-we-see-it-and-they-recognize/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [“...burying themselves in his arm was more about feeling his love in the confusion, in the difficulty, than it was about having moved past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/burying-themselves-in-his-arm-was-more-about-feeling-his-love-in-the/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [“Each dog marks a section of our lives, and in the end, we feed them to the dark, burying them there while we carry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-barlow/each-dog-marks-a-section-of-our-lives-and-in-the-end-we-feed-them-to/) [Toby Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-barlow/) > [Many of us have unconsciously erected barriers to protect ourselves from failing or succeeding. We may think we're protecting ourselves by denying our creative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ban-breathnach/many-of-us-have-unconsciously-erected-barriers-to-protect-ourselves/) [Sarah Ban Breathnach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ban-breathnach/) > [“There is no point in burying the hatchet if you're going to put up a marker on the site.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-no-point-in-burying-the-hatchet-if-you-re-going-to-put-up-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Most men die at 25, we just don't bury them until they are 70.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/most-men-die-at-25-we-just-don-t-bury-them-until-they-are-70/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [Disneyland celebrated its 40th anniversary by burying a time capsule. They say it will be dug up in 50 years - or when the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/disneyland-celebrated-its-40th-anniversary-by-burying-a-time-capsule/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [The feminine mystique has succeeded in burying millions of American women alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/the-feminine-mystique-has-succeeded-in-burying-millions-of-american/) [Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/) Browse all 122 Burying quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When we bury the old, we bury the known past, the past we imagine sometimes better than it was, but the past all the same, a portion of which we inhabited. Memory is the overwhelming theme, the eventual comfort. But burying infants, we bury the future, unwieldy and unknown, full of promise and possibilities, outcomes punctuated by our rosy hopes. 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