---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Give sorrow words. The grief that does…"
description: "\"Give sorrow words. The grief that does not speak whispers the o'er-fraught heart, and bids it break.\" — William Shakespeare"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e7/william-shakespeare-4_communication_give-sorrow-words-the-grief-that-does-no_2502625.jpg"
---

#  Give sorrow words. The grief that does not speak whispers…

![“Give sorrow words. The grief that does not speak whispers the o'er-fraught heart, and bids it break.” quote by William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e7/william-shakespeare-4_communication_give-sorrow-words-the-grief-that-does-no_2502625.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e7/william-shakespeare-4_communication_give-sorrow-words-the-grief-that-does-no_2502625.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e7/william-shakespeare-4_communication_give-sorrow-words-the-grief-that-does-no_2502625.jpg)

> “Give sorrow words. The grief that does not speak whispers the o'er-fraught heart, and bids it break.”

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

## About This Quote

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

Unspoken grief intensifies pain; giving voice to sorrow prevents the heart from breaking.

**In simple terms:** Speak sorrow to ease pain.

Key Takeaway

Express grief before it overwhelms.

Themes

grief expression mental health

Mood

melancholic empathetic

Type

literary therapeutic

When to use this quote

- counseling
- journaling
- support groups

Key Concepts

psychology literature

Questions to Reflect On

- What words help you release sorrow?
- When is silence a better choice?

A Different Perspective

Silence may also protect; not all pain needs verbalizing.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) [Grief Does](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief-does-500486/) [Sorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorrow/) [Sorrow Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorrow-words-1076098/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/) [Words Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-grief-232354/)

## Related quotes

> [Give sorrow words; the grief that does not speak knits up the o-er wrought heart and bids it break.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/give-sorrow-words-the-grief-that-does-not-speak-knits-up-the-o-er/)

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

> [“Give sorrow words; the grief that does not speak knits up the o-er wrought heart and bids it break.” ― William”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inglath-cooper/give-sorrow-words-the-grief-that-does-not-speak-knits-up-the-o-er-2/)

[Inglath Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inglath-cooper/)

> [“Me as I think I am and me as I am in fact - sorrow, in other words, and the ending of sorrow. One…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/me-as-i-think-i-am-and-me-as-i-am-in-fact-sorrow-in-other-words-and/)

[Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/)

> [“The grief that does not speak whispers the o'erfraught heart and bids it break.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/the-grief-that-does-not-speak-whispers-the-o-erfraught-heart-and-bids/)

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

> [“That goes for old wounds, too, you know. I really wish we'd had the chance to talk before this," he says, cracking the window…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-wiess/that-goes-for-old-wounds-too-you-know-i-really-wish-we-d-had-the/)

[Laura Wiess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-wiess/)

> [“Death is not an unkind fate,’ Darist said above him. ‘If she was a friend, you will miss her company, and that is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/death-is-not-an-unkind-fate-darist-said-above-him-if-she-was-a-friend/)

[Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/)

> [“...repeating helps people get over sorrow. Otherwise the words build up in you, a lamentation, and you can't stop grieving.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elana-dykewomon/repeating-helps-people-get-over-sorrow-otherwise-the-words-build-up/)

[Elana Dykewomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elana-dykewomon/)

> [“There are some kinds of sorrow that words can never reach, certain kinds of things you can never hold in the box of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-merullo/there-are-some-kinds-of-sorrow-that-words-can-never-reach-certain/)

[Roland Merullo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-merullo/)

> [I sometimes find it half a sin, To put to words the grief i feel, For words like nature,half reveal, and half conceal the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-sometimes-find-it-half-a-sin-to-put-to-words-the-grief-i-feel-for/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“I sometimes hold it half a sin to put in words the grief I feel; for words, like Nature, half reveal and half conceal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson-2/i-sometimes-hold-it-half-a-sin-to-put-in-words-the-grief-i-feel-for-2/)

[Alfred, Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson-2/)

> [“Before, as I walked about, either on my hunting, or for viewing the country, the anguish of my soul at my condition would break…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-defoe/before-as-i-walked-about-either-on-my-hunting-or-for-viewing-the/)

[Daniel Defoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-defoe/)

> [“Upon the shadowy shore of death the sea of trouble casts no wave. Eyes that have been curtained by the everlasting dark, will never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-g-ingersoll/upon-the-shadowy-shore-of-death-the-sea-of-trouble-casts-no-wave-eyes/)

[Robert G. Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-g-ingersoll/)

> [“I sometimes hold it half a sin To put in words the grief I feel; For words, like Nature, half reveal And half conceal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-tennyson/i-sometimes-hold-it-half-a-sin-to-put-in-words-the-grief-i-feel-for/)

[Alfred Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-tennyson/)

> [I sometimes hold it half a sin To put in words the grief I feel For words, like nature, half reveal And half conceal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/i-sometimes-hold-it-half-a-sin-to-put-in-words-the-grief-i-feel-for-3/)

[Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/)

> [Short time seems long in sorrow's sharp sustaining.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/short-time-seems-long-in-sorrow-s-sharp-sustaining/)

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

## More by William Shakespeare

> [Let us kill all lawyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/let-us-kill-all-lawyers/)

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

> [A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-horse-a-horse-my-kingdom-for-a-horse/)

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

> [O tiger's heart wrapped in a woman's hide!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/o-tiger-s-heart-wrapped-in-a-woman-s-hide/)

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

> [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/)

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

> [Divers philosophers hold that the lips is parcel of the mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/divers-philosophers-hold-that-the-lips-is-parcel-of-the-mouth/)

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

> [Short time seems long in sorrow's sharp sustaining.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/short-time-seems-long-in-sorrow-s-sharp-sustaining/)

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

> [“Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs; Being purg'd, a fire sparkling in lovers' eyes; Being vex'd, a sea nourish'd with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/love-is-a-smoke-made-with-the-fume-of-sighs-being-purg-d-a-fire/)

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

> [I, measuring his affections by my own, Which then most sought where most might not be found, Being one too many by my weary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-measuring-his-affections-by-my-own-which-then-most-sought-where/)

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

> [Ask God for temp'rance. That's th' appliance only Which your disease requires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/ask-god-for-temp-rance-that-s-th-appliance-only-which-your-disease/)

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

> [“Thou hast no figures nor no fantasies Which busy care draws in the brains of men; Therefore thou sleep’st so sound. Julius Caesar (2.1.248-251)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/thou-hast-no-figures-nor-no-fantasies-which-busy-care-draws-in-the/)

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

> [Truth needs no color; beauty, no pencil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/truth-needs-no-color-beauty-no-pencil/)

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

> [Have you not heard it said full oft, A woman's nay doth stand for naught?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/have-you-not-heard-it-said-full-oft-a-woman-s-nay-doth-stand-for/)

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

> [Omittance is no quittance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/omittance-is-no-quittance/)

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

> [“Yes, madam: yet I cannot choose but laugh, To think it should leave crying and say 'Ay.' And yet, I warrant, it had upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/yes-madam-yet-i-cannot-choose-but-laugh-to-think-it-should-leave/)

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

> [I take thee at thy word: Call me but love, and I'll be new baptized; Henceforth I never will be Romeo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-take-thee-at-thy-word-call-me-but-love-and-i-ll-be-new-baptized/)

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

[Explore all 5,604 William Shakespeare quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

## More Communication quotes

> [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/)

[Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/)

> [The problem posed by indirect speech acts is the problem of how it is possible for the speaker to say one thing and mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-searle/the-problem-posed-by-indirect-speech-acts-is-the-problem-of-how-it-is/)

[John Searle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searle/)

> [We should have a conversation when we hang up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/we-should-have-a-conversation-when-we-hang-up/)

[Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/)

> [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [A poet is wounded into speech, and he examines these wounds, meticulously, to discover how to heal them. The bad poet harangues at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/a-poet-is-wounded-into-speech-and-he-examines-these-wounds/)

[Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/)

> [“To engage in dialogue is to serve others via whatever is real inside you; to engage in debate is to ultimately serve the illusions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/to-engage-in-dialogue-is-to-serve-others-via-whatever-is-real-inside/)

[Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/)

> [What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/what-it-comes-down-to-for-me-is-this-will-the-technologies-of/)

[Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/)

> [In dialogue, there is opposition, yes, but no head-on collision. Smashing heads does not open minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/in-dialogue-there-is-opposition-yes-but-no-head-on-collision-smashing/)

[Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/)

> [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/)

[Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/)

> [I've been in a serious conversation with one of my children, and a fan has come up. I've been in a public bathroom and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-reddy/i-ve-been-in-a-serious-conversation-with-one-of-my-children-and-a-fan/)

[Helen Reddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-reddy/)

> [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/)

[Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/)

> [Disability, in general, hasn't been included in the conversation about inclusivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-winston-george/disability-in-general-hasn-t-been-included-in-the-conversation-about/)

[Jason Winston George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-winston-george/)

> [“Women will be at least 50 percent of the communications community workforce … from executive suite to interns. Why? The “integrated” agency will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoram-wind/women-will-be-at-least-50-percent-of-the-communications-community/)

[Yoram Wind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoram-wind/)

> [There are certain things you must not say in spite of the fact that supposedly democracy means free speech. No. You are not allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-eubank-sr/there-are-certain-things-you-must-not-say-in-spite-of-the-fact-that/)

[Chris Eubank Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-eubank-sr/)

[Browse all 21,506 Communication quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Give sorrow words. The grief that does not speak whispers the o'er-fraught heart, and bids it break.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William Shakespeare"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/give-sorrow-words-the-grief-that-does-not-speak-whispers-the-o-er/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Communication"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/give-sorrow-words-the-grief-that-does-not-speak-whispers-the-o-er/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e7/william-shakespeare-4_communication_give-sorrow-words-the-grief-that-does-no_2502625.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e7/william-shakespeare-4_communication_give-sorrow-words-the-grief-that-does-no_2502625.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e7/william-shakespeare-4_communication_give-sorrow-words-the-grief-that-does-no_2502625.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Give sorrow words. The grief that does not speak whispers the o'er-fraught heart, and bids it break.” — William Shakespeare",
                "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": "William Shakespeare",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Give sorrow words. The grief that...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/give-sorrow-words-the-grief-that-does-not-speak-whispers-the-o-er/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/give-sorrow-words-the-grief-that-does-not-speak-whispers-the-o-er/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
