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Sorrows are the rags of old clothes and jackets that serve to cover, and then are taken off. That undressing, and the beautiful naked body underneath, is the sweetness that comes after grief.
Rumi
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Grief can reveal beauty and sweetness in life after it is transcended.

This quote by Rumi reflects on the transformative power of grief. It suggests that while sorrows may feel like heavy, ragged clothing that covers our true selves, once we shed these sorrows, we can reveal the beauty and sweetness of life that lies beneath, ultimately emphasizing the importance of embracing and overcoming our sorrow to appreciate life's deeper joys.

Themes

SorrowGriefTransformationBeautyLife

In practice

Example use cases

During a memorial service, one might share this quote to highlight the beauty that can emerge after loss.

More from Rumi

My dear heart, never think you are better than others. Listen to their sorrows with compassion. If you want peace, don't harbor bad thoughts, do not gossip and don't teach what you do not know.
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The Law of Wonder rules my life at last, _x000D_ ...I burn each second of my life to Love _x000D_ Each second of my life burns out in Love _x000D_ In each leaping second Love lives afresh.
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Lovers have heartaches _x000D_ That can't be cured by drugs _x000D_ Or sleep, _x000D_ Or games, _x000D_ But only by seeing their beloved.
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Every fragile beauty, every perfect forgotten sentence, you grieve their going away, but that is not how it is. Where they come from never goes dry. It is an always flowing spring.
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Whatever you keep hidden in your heart, God _x000D_ manifests in you outwardly. Whatever the root of _x000D_ the tree feeds on in secret, affects the bough and _x000D_ the leaf.
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Come on sweetheart let's adore one another before there is no more of you and me
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