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Quote by Lucille Clifton

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Everett Anderson's Goodbye

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Author

Lucille Clifton
Lucille Clifton

Lucille Clifton was an American poet known for her simple yet powerful poetry. Her works often delve into themes of race, gender, and identity, and have been widely appreciated by readers. more

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“That perhaps grief can be seen as a kind of exalted state where the person who is grieving is the closest they will ever be to the fundamental essence of things. Because, in grief, you become deeply acquainted with the idea of human mortality. You go to a very dark place and experience the extremities of your own pain — you are taken to the very limits of suffering. As far as I can see, there is a transformative aspect to this place of suffering. We are essentially altered or remade by it. Now, this process is terrifying, but in time you return to the world with some kind of knowledge that has something to do with our vulnerability as participants in this human drama. Everything seems to fragile and precious and heightened, and the world and the people in it seem to endangered, and yet so beautiful. To me it feels that, in this dark place, the idea of a God feels more present or maybe more essential. It actually feels like grief and God are somehow intertwined. It feels that, in grief, you draw closer to the veil that separates this world from the next.”

Grief
Book:Faith, Hope and Carnage
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“And one day a small girl looked at me when I took her, all icy and distant and vain, and she said, "how would you like it?" That was all she said, but it hurt me and it made me think. [...] You see, when someone's died, mostly they're a bit shaken, or hurt, or angry or worse. And all they need is a kind word, and a friendly face. People may not be ready for my gift, but they get it anyway. The sunless lands are far away, and the journey is hard, and most of you will be glad of the company of a friend. At the end, each of us stands naked. At the end, each of us stands alone. And since I figured that out—it's not exactly deep, but it took me a long time to understand it—it's been pretty good. I've met so many cool things and people and worlds. I've learned so much. Lots of people don't have jobs they love doing, don't they? Anyway, I'm really very lucky. So, I'll be seeing you.”

InspirationalDeathGriefPhilosophicalSandman
Book:Death - A Winter's Tale
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“Grief, my mother once told me, is love’s most honest expression. The last and hardest aspect of truly, truly caring for someone. She said it at her own mother’s funeral rites, tears in her eyes even as she tried to comfort a boy too young to understand why he was so sad, why his grandmother couldn’t be there anymore. She explained through choking sobs that without grief, love would be meaningless. Because it is impossible to truly love something that cannot be lost.”

LoveLossGrief
Book:The Strength of the Few
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