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We do not want to lose our grief, because our grief is bound up with our love and we could not cease to mourn without being robbed of our affections.
Phillips Brooks
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Grief and love are interconnected, and losing one means losing the other.

This quote by Phillips Brooks emphasizes the profound connection between love and grief. It suggests that the feelings of sorrow we experience when losing someone are tied to the love we have for them; thus, to let go of our grief would also mean letting go of the love and affection we hold for that person. Mourning becomes an expression of the love we continue to have, indicating that both emotions coexist and shape our experiences of loss.

Themes

GriefLoveMourningAffectionLoss

In practice

Example use cases

In a eulogy to honor a loved one who has passed away.

More from Phillips Brooks

The earth has grown old with its burden of care, But at Christmas it always is young.
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We never become truly spiritual by sitting down and wishing to become so. You must undertake something so great that you cannot accomplish it unaided.
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The truest help we can render an afflicted man is not to take his burden from him, but to call out his best energy, that he may be able to bear the burden.
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To believe in the God over us and around us and not in the God within us - that would be a powerless and fruitless faith.
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To say, 'well done' to any bit of good work is to take hold of the powers which have made the effort and strengthen them beyond our knowledge.
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Think of life as a voyage. The truest liver of the truest life is like a voyager who, as he sails, is not indifferent to all the beauty of the sea around him.
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