QuoteProject
Grief teaches the steadiest minds to waver.
Sophocles
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

Grief can challenge even the most composed individuals, causing them to become unstable.

The quote by Sophocles suggests that grief is a powerful emotion that can impact anyone, regardless of their usual mental strength or resilience. It highlights the universal nature of grief and how it can shake our foundation, making us more vulnerable and reminding us that even the steadiest minds can falter in times of deep sorrow.

Themes

GriefEmotionPhilosophyStrengthMind

In practice

Example use cases

During a speech at a memorial service.

More from Sophocles

Silence is an ornament for women.
SophoclesRead
None love the messenger who brings bad news.
SophoclesRead
All men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong, and repairs the evil. The only crime is pride.
SophoclesRead
Not even Ares battles against necessity.
SophoclesRead
You clearly hate to yield, but you will regret it when your anger has passed. Such natures are justly the hardest for themselves to bear.
SophoclesRead
There is nothing more hateful than bad advice.
SophoclesRead

Similar quotes

We twentieth-century Mexicans, even those of pure Indian descent, look on the pre-Columbian world as a world on the other side, not only distant in time but across the cultural divide.
Octavio PazRead
The release of atomic power has changed everything except our way of thinking ... the solution to this problem lies in the heart of mankind. If only I had known, I should have become a watchmaker. (1945)
Albert EinsteinRead
Christian optimism is not a sugary optimism, nor is it a mere human confidence that everything will turn out all right. It is an optimism that sinks its roots into an awareness of our freedom, and the sure knowledge of the power of grace. It is an optimism that leads us to make demands on ourselves, to struggle to respond at every moment to God's call.
Josemaria EscrivaRead
The weather varies between heavy fog and pale sunshine; My thoughts follow the exact same process.
Virginia WoolfRead
I know that the Lord is always on the side of the right. But it is my constant anxiety and prayer that I and this nation should be on the Lord's side.
Abraham LincolnRead
The world is quieter now. It is never quiet, but it can get quieter. What strange creatures we are, to find silence peaceful, when permanent silence is the thing we most dread. Nighttime is not that. Nighttime still rustles, still creaks and whispers and trembles in its throat. It is not darkness we fear, but our own helplessness within it. How merciful to have been granted the other senses.
David LevithanRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.