---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The sorrow for the dead is the only…"
description: "\"The sorrow for the dead is the only sorrow from which we refuse to be divorced. Every other wound we seek to heal - every other affliction to forget: b..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb0/washington-irving-1386_affliction_the-sorrow-for-the-dead-is-the-only-sorr_3072378.png"
---

#  The sorrow for the dead is the only sorrow from which we…

![“The sorrow for the dead is the only sorrow from which we refuse to be divorced. Every other wound we seek to heal - every other affliction to forget: but this wound we consider it a duty to keep open - this affliction we cherish and brood over in solitude.” quote by Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb0/washington-irving-1386_affliction_the-sorrow-for-the-dead-is-the-only-sorr_3072378.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb0/washington-irving-1386_affliction_the-sorrow-for-the-dead-is-the-only-sorr_3072378.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb0/washington-irving-1386_affliction_the-sorrow-for-the-dead-is-the-only-sorr_3072378.png)

> “The sorrow for the dead is the only sorrow from which we refuse to be divorced. Every other wound we seek to heal - every other affliction to forget: but this wound we consider it a duty to keep open - this affliction we cherish and brood over in solitude.”

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

We cling to grief for loved ones, refusing to let go, while we try to heal other pains.

**In simple terms:** We keep the pain of loss open, unlike other wounds we heal.

Key Takeaway

Allow grief to be felt, not suppressed.

Themes

grief memory loneliness

Mood

somber reflective

Type

philosophical emotional

When to use this quote

- funeral rites
- personal loss
- therapy sessions
- memorials

Key Concepts

attachment mourning psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you honor loss without being consumed by it?
- What rituals help you integrate grief?

A Different Perspective

Grief can become overwhelming if not processed health

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Affliction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affliction/) [Affliction Cherish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affliction-cherish-5203703/) [Cherish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cherish/) [Dead Sorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dead-sorrow-2309648/) [Divorced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divorced/) [Divorced Wound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divorced-wound-5203702/) [Duty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duty/) [Forget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forget/) [Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) [Heal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heal/) [Refuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/refuse/) [Solitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solitude/) [Sorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorrow/) [Sorrow Refuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorrow-refuse-2309647/)

## Related quotes

> [The sorrow for the dead is the only sorrow from which we refuse to be divorced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/the-sorrow-for-the-dead-is-the-only-sorrow-from-which-we-refuse-to-be/)

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> [“The sorrow for the dead is the only sorrow from which we refuse to be divorced. Every other wound we seek to heal -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/the-sorrow-for-the-dead-is-the-only-sorrow-from-which-we-refuse-to-be-2/)

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> [Religion prescribes to every miserable man the means of bettering his condition; nay, it shows him that the bearing of his afflictions as he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/religion-prescribes-to-every-miserable-man-the-means-of-bettering-his/)

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> [Afflictions make the heart more deep, more experimental, more knowing and profound, and so, more able to hold, to contain, and beat more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bunyan/afflictions-make-the-heart-more-deep-more-experimental-more-knowing/)

[John Bunyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bunyan/)

> [God measures out affliction to our need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-john-chrysostom/god-measures-out-affliction-to-our-need/)

[Saint John Chrysostom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-john-chrysostom/)

> [We are infinitely more than our limitations and afflictions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/we-are-infinitely-more-than-our-limitations-and-afflictions/)

[Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/)

> [May I strike my heart's keys clearly, and may none fail because of slack, uncertain, or fraying strings. May the tears that stream down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/may-i-strike-my-heart-s-keys-clearly-and-may-none-fail-because-of/)

[Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/)

> [Aimee Parkison offers a distinct new voice to contemporary fiction. Her seductive stories explore childhood as a realm of sorrows, and reveal the afflictions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-anshaw/aimee-parkison-offers-a-distinct-new-voice-to-contemporary-fiction/)

[Carol Anshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-anshaw/)

> [New materials are one of the great afflictions of contemporary art. Some artists confuse new materials with new ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-lewitt/new-materials-are-one-of-the-great-afflictions-of-contemporary-art/)

[Sol LeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-lewitt/)

> [Henceforth, I'll bear Affliction till it do cry out itself, 'Enough, enough, and die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/henceforth-i-ll-bear-affliction-till-it-do-cry-out-itself-enough/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [Come, then, affliction, if my Father wills, and be my frowning friend. A friend that frowns is better than a smiling enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/come-then-affliction-if-my-father-wills-and-be-my-frowning-friend-a/)

[George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/)

> [There is nothing in afflictions which ought to disturb our joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/there-is-nothing-in-afflictions-which-ought-to-disturb-our-joy/)

[John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/)

> [WHANGDEPOOTENAWAH, n. In the Ojibwa tongue, disaster; an unexpected affliction that strikes hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/whangdepootenawah-n-in-the-ojibwa-tongue-disaster-an-unexpected/)

[Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/)

> [Every man will have his own criterion in forming his judgment of others. I depend very much on the effect of affliction. I consider…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cecil/every-man-will-have-his-own-criterion-in-forming-his-judgment-of/)

[Richard Cecil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cecil/)

> [I don't feel insecure about any of this work anymore. Maybe I don't have what I had when I was younger. I'm not really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/i-don-t-feel-insecure-about-any-of-this-work-anymore-maybe-i-don-t/)

[Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/)

## More by Washington Irving

> [Some minds corrode and grow inactive under the loss of personal liberty; others grow morbid and irritable; but it is the nature of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/some-minds-corrode-and-grow-inactive-under-the-loss-of-personal/)

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> [Language gradually varies, and with it fade away the writings of authors who have flourished their allotted time; otherwise, the creative powers of genius…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/language-gradually-varies-and-with-it-fade-away-the-writings-of/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [A woman's life is a history of the affections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/a-woman-s-life-is-a-history-of-the-affections/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [A father may turn his back on his child, brothers and sisters may become inveterate enemies, husbands may desert their wives, wives their husbands.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/a-father-may-turn-his-back-on-his-child-brothers-and-sisters-may/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [Over no nation does the press hold a more absolute control than over the people of America, for the universal education of the poorest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/over-no-nation-does-the-press-hold-a-more-absolute-control-than-over/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [I have never found, in anything outside of the four walls of my study, an enjoyment equal to sitting at my writing desk with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/i-have-never-found-in-anything-outside-of-the-four-walls-of-my-study/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [There is no character in the comedy of human life more difficult to play well than that of an old bachelor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/there-is-no-character-in-the-comedy-of-human-life-more-difficult-to/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [He who thinks much says but little in proportion to his thoughts. He selects that language which will convey his ideas in the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/he-who-thinks-much-says-but-little-in-proportion-to-his-thoughts-he/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [A woman's whole life is a history of the affections. The heart is her world: it is there her ambition strives for empire; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/a-woman-s-whole-life-is-a-history-of-the-affections-the-heart-is-her/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [Redundancy of language is never found with deep reflection. Verbiage may indicate observation, but not thinking. He who thinks much says but little in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/redundancy-of-language-is-never-found-with-deep-reflection-verbiage/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [History fades into fable; fact becomes clouded with doubt and controversy; the inscription molders from the tablet: the statue falls from the pedestal. Columns,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/history-fades-into-fable-fact-becomes-clouded-with-doubt-and/)

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[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [There rise authors now and then, who seem proof against the mutability of language, because they have rooted themselves in the unchanging principles of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/there-rise-authors-now-and-then-who-seem-proof-against-the-mutability/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

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[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [It is but seldom that any one overt act produces hostilities between two nations; there exists, more commonly, a previous jealousy and ill will,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/it-is-but-seldom-that-any-one-overt-act-produces-hostilities-between/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

[Explore all 244 Washington Irving quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

## More Affliction quotes

> [I don't feel insecure about any of this work anymore. Maybe I don't have what I had when I was younger. I'm not really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/i-don-t-feel-insecure-about-any-of-this-work-anymore-maybe-i-don-t/)

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> [WHANGDEPOOTENAWAH, n. In the Ojibwa tongue, disaster; an unexpected affliction that strikes hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/whangdepootenawah-n-in-the-ojibwa-tongue-disaster-an-unexpected/)

[Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/)

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[John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/)

> [Come, then, affliction, if my Father wills, and be my frowning friend. A friend that frowns is better than a smiling enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/come-then-affliction-if-my-father-wills-and-be-my-frowning-friend-a/)

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> [Henceforth, I'll bear Affliction till it do cry out itself, 'Enough, enough, and die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/henceforth-i-ll-bear-affliction-till-it-do-cry-out-itself-enough/)

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> [New materials are one of the great afflictions of contemporary art. Some artists confuse new materials with new ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-lewitt/new-materials-are-one-of-the-great-afflictions-of-contemporary-art/)

[Sol LeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-lewitt/)

> [Aimee Parkison offers a distinct new voice to contemporary fiction. Her seductive stories explore childhood as a realm of sorrows, and reveal the afflictions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-anshaw/aimee-parkison-offers-a-distinct-new-voice-to-contemporary-fiction/)

[Carol Anshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-anshaw/)

> [May I strike my heart's keys clearly, and may none fail because of slack, uncertain, or fraying strings. May the tears that stream down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/may-i-strike-my-heart-s-keys-clearly-and-may-none-fail-because-of/)

[Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/)

> [We are infinitely more than our limitations and afflictions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/we-are-infinitely-more-than-our-limitations-and-afflictions/)

[Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/)

> [God measures out affliction to our need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-john-chrysostom/god-measures-out-affliction-to-our-need/)

[Saint John Chrysostom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-john-chrysostom/)

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> [Short-term amnesia is not the worst affliction if you have an Irish flair for the sauce.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/short-term-amnesia-is-not-the-worst-affliction-if-you-have-an-irish/)

[Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/)

> [Revolution will free society of its afflictions, while science will free the individual of his.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/revolution-will-free-society-of-its-afflictions-while-science-will/)

[Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/)

[Browse all 598 Affliction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affliction/)

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