108 Short Inspirational Quotes After Losing a Loved One to Help You Heal

Is there a right way to grieve? Research from the Swiss Institute of Sociology says that 63% of people who have lost a loved one feel the need to talk about their grief and share their bereavement experience with family members or best friends. However, finding the right words to communicate your pain and respond to condolences from others might be challenging.

After losing a loved one, inspirational quotes can uplift your spirits and reignite hope in your beautiful soul. Yet, nothing is more encouraging than a nice word from someone who has gone through the grieving process and healed.

Words of comfort: Powerful grief quotes to ease the pain of loss

From Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross's insights on the five stages of grief to the inspiring and life-affirming memoir of the Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl — below you'll find the most uplifting and comforting messages to get you through difficult times. 

Many quotes are from book summaries in the Headway library. They teach you how to stop overthinking and blaming yourself for a loved one's death. Explore their full versions for deeper inspiration and better self-awareness.

On healing and moving forward

Give yourself time to recover after such a devastating loss. This period will help you self-reflect and find ways to be happy alone. Here are some of the most inspirational quotes about emotional healing:

1. "Sometimes grief is like a wave, and healing is like a butterfly." — Jocelyn Soriano

2. "The merciful man does his own soul good." — Hebrew proverb

3. "You cannot protect yourself from sadness without protecting yourself from happiness." — Jonathan Safran Foer

4. "Grief is the healing process of the heart, soul, and mind; it is the path that returns us to wholeness." — Earl A. Grollman

5. "The difficult thing about illness is that it's not something you can heal in a simple or linear way." — Paul Kalanithi, 'When Breath Becomes Air'

Explore more in the summary of 'When Breath Becomes Air' by Paul Kalanithion on the Headway app.

1. 6 "Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not; and oftentimes we call a man cold when he is only sad." — Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

2. "Tears are the silent language of grief." — Voltaire

3. "You don't heal from the grief of losing someone by getting over it. You heal from it by letting yourself feel it fully." — Jodi Picoult

4. "To weep is to make less the depth of grief." — William Shakespeare

5. "You can't go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending." — C.S. Lewis

6. "Grief, like love, is a journey. It's not a destination."— Jennifer Hines

7. "The greatest healing therapy is friendship and love." — Hubert H. Humphrey

8. "Healing comes in waves, and maybe today the wave hits, but tomorrow, it may not." — Kaitlyn McGinnis

9. "Sometimes the bravest and most important thing you can do is just show up." — Brené Brown, 'Daring Greatly'

Explore more in the summary of 'Daring Greatly' by Brené Brown on the Headway app.

1. 15 "Recovery from the death of a loved one rarely looks like grand gestures and soaring moments of triumph." — Shelby Forsythia

2. "When we embrace the love of others, we are accepting the balm of grace and healing." ― Alan D. Wolfelt

3. "Grief is a part of life and if you explore its painful precincts, it will make you stronger." — Ken Burns

4. "We never truly 'get over' a loss, but we can move forward and evolve from it." — Elizabeth Berrien

5. "Take your broken heart and go make art." — Carrie Fisher 

6. "You don't have to be healed to help others heal. You don't have to be perfect to help others in their imperfections." — Cheryl Strayed, 'Tiny Beautiful Things'

Explore more in the summary of 'Tiny Beautiful Things' by Cheryl Strayed on the Headway app.

1. 21 "You don't find a way out of grief, you embrace it and it becomes your strength." — Abhijit Naskar 

2. "Grief can bring you to your knees, but sometimes that is the best place to gain perspective." — Ashleigh G. Stevens 

3. "Memories never fade where laughter was shared." — Audrey Hogan 

4. "Grief is not an attractive part of life. No one wants to relive it or get a selfie of their grief experience." — Ron Acosta ​

5. "I think it is in grief that we need some reminder of our humanity." —  Kevin Young

On remembering with love

When your family members pass away, they don't vanish without a trace. You still have those beautiful memories and unspeakable love that knit up your battered heart piece by piece. Explore the touching words of comfort and support that follow:

1. 26 "Grief is not a sign of weakness, nor a lack of faith... It is the price of love." — Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

2. "What we have once enjoyed we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us." — Helen Keller

3. "There is a sacredness in tears. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition, and of unspeakable love." — Washington Irving

4. "The pain passes, but the beauty remains." — Pierre Auguste Renoir

5. "The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain." — Kahlil Gibran

6. "The salvation of man is through love and in love." — Viktor E. Frankl, 'Man's Search for Meaning'

Explore more in the summary of 'Man's Search for Meaning' by Viktor E. Frankl on the Headway app.

1. 32 "They may forget your name, but they will never forget how you made them feel." — Maya Angelou

2. "What is lovely never dies, but passes into other loveliness." — Thomas Bailey Aldrich

3. "To live in the hearts of those we leave behind is not to die." — Thomas Campbell

4. "You can shed tears that he is gone, or you can smile because he has lived." — David Harkins

5. "The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched, they are felt with the heart." — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

6. "The greatest tribute to the dead is not grief but gratitude." — Martha Whitmore Hickman

7. "Grief and love are sisters, woven together from the beginning." — Francis Weller 

8. "Those we love never truly leave us. There are things that death cannot touch." — Jack Thorne

9. "The wound is the place where the Light enters you." — Rumi

10. "For two beings, who love each other, separation is only temporary." — Helene Minto

11. "Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive."— Dalai Lama, 'The Art of Happiness'

Explore more in the summary of 'The Art of Happiness' by Dalai Lama on the Headway app.

1. 43 "For the greater the love the greater the grief." ― C.S. Lewis

2. "The pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again." — Charles Dickens

3. "Love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation." — Khalil Gibran

4. "What we have loved, others will love, and we will teach them how." — William Wordsworth

5. "The effects of loss are acute, and unique to each individual." ― Richelle E. Goodrich

6. "To love or be loved is a risk, and that's the beauty of it." — Brené Brown, 'Daring Greatly'

Explore more in the summary of 'Daring Greatly' by Brené Brown on the Headway app.

1. 49 "The death of someone you love is like the lingering smell after a fire. It's a constant reminder that it happened."  ― J.M. Lefevre

2. "I can't see you, but I can still love you." ― Jenna Lowthert

On strength through loss

Every life challenge is a lesson that builds resilience and helps you find peace with yourself. The pain of loss is no exception. Once you accept and acknowledge it, you become emotionally stronger. Learn how to regain your inner strength with the wisdom of the greats:

1. 51 "Grief becomes a part of who we are. It shapes the way we see the world." ― Carson Anekeya

2. "And once the storm is over, you won't remember how you made it through." — Haruki Murakami

3. "Building a new identity after the death of a loved one, is another significant task commonly forgotten in grief work." —  Louis E. Lagrand

4. "To stand firm in the condition of loss, is to understand where we are in the process." ― S.L. Northey

5. "The pain of loss can be so deep that it never truly disappears, but with time, we can learn to live with it." — Dr. Robin Smith

6. "There are only two 'problems' with grief: when we resist it and when we fuel it." — G. Scott Graham

7. "You will learn to survive. You'll make it through and not because you're tough or strong, but because you're worthy." — Cheryl Strayed, 'Tiny Beautiful Things'

Explore more in the summary of 'Tiny Beautiful Things' by Cheryl Strayed on the Headway app.

1. 58 "Grief is not a disorder, a disease, or a sign of weakness. It is an emotional, spiritual, and physical necessity, the price you pay for love."— Earl A. Grollman

2. "Grief can take care of itself, but to get over the loss of a loved one, you have to keep going." — Mary Tyler Moore

3. "The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places." — Ernest Hemingway

4. "He who has a why to live can bear almost any how." — Friedrich Nietzsche

5. "Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome." — Isaac Asimov

6. "It is not length of life, but depth of life." — Ralph Waldo Emerson

7. "What is to give light must endure burning." — Viktor E. Frankl, 'Man's Search for Meaning'

Explore more in the summary of 'Man's Search for Meaning' by Viktor E. Frankl on the Headway app.

1. 65 "Grief is the thing with feathers."— Max Porter

2. "Grief is an act of protest that declares our refusal to live numb and small." — Francis Weller

3. "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." — Psalm 30:5

4. "It's not the load that breaks you, it's the way you carry it." — Lou Holtz

5. "The best way out is always through." — Robert Frost

6. "You never know how strong you are until being strong is your only choice." — Bob Marley

7. "You can't ever know what's going to happen, but you have to keep going." — Paul Kalanithi, 'When Breath Becomes Air'

Explore more in the summary of 'When Breath Becomes Air' by Paul Kalanithi on the Headway app.

1. 72 "Don't grieve. Anything you lose comes around in another form."― Rumi

2. "How you respond to those losses, that's the part you have to make up as you go." ― Katharine Weber

On embracing the present

The grieving process is overwhelming. One more day often feels like an eternity as you disassociate yourself from the surrounding world. In this case, embracing the moment and moving forward is the key to healing. Try out meditation techniques and get inspired by these uplifting quotes:

1. 74 "What I'm looking for is not out there, it is in me." ― Hellen Keller

2. "Throwing yourselves into recovery doesn't mean hiding from grief, pain, misery, aching. It just means you go with the present experience." ― Lucy Hone

3. "There is no pain so great as the memory of joy in present grief." – Larry Stansbury

4. "Grief is the bridge between the past and the future." — William Penn

5. 78. "Grief is trying to shrink your love to the past and your heart saying it is present." ― Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

6. "If you can't live in the present moment, you will always be unhappy." — Dalai Lama, 'The Art of Happiness'

Explore more in the summary of 'The Art of Happiness' by Dalai Lama on the Headway app.

1. 80 "Grief is a powerful process, but it need not take you away from your present moment." — Jodi Picoult

2. "Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment." — Buddha​

3. "It is through gratitude for the present moment that the spiritual dimension of life opens up." — Eckhart Tolle​

4. "The ability to be in the present moment is a major component of mental wellness." — Abraham Maslow​

5. "The art of life is to live in the present moment, and to make that moment as perfect as we can." — Emmet Fox​

6. "Take a deep breath and let go. Trust yourself, trust the process." — Cheryl Strayed, 'Tiny Beautiful Things'

Explore more in the summary of 'Tiny Beautiful Things' by Cheryl Strayed on the Headway app.

1. 86 "Be happy in the moment, that's enough." — Mother Teresa​

2. "Life gives you plenty of time to do whatever you want to do if you stay in the present moment." — Deepak Chopra​

3. "You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment." — Henry David Thoreau​t

4. "Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are." — Lao Tzu​

5. "The moment you get to the edge of what you know, you have to make a leap." — Paul Kalanithi, 'When Breath Becomes Air'

Explore more in the summary of 'When Breath Becomes Air' by Paul Kalanithi on the Headway app.

1. 91 "The present moment is the only time we have, and the only time we have any control over." — Richard Carlson​

On finding meaning in grief

Losing someone is a world-shattering experience, but it can also teach you to value your life. Suddenly, you grow more aware of the finality of your existence. And this realization urges you to appreciate it even more in times of grief. Here are some meaningful quotes for inspiration:

1. 92 "I am out with lanterns, looking for myself."— Emily Dickinson

2. "Grief does not change you… It reveals you."— John Green

3. "The greatest tribute to the dead is not grief but gratitude." ― Martha Whitmore Hickman

4. "Grief and sadness knits two hearts in closer bonds than happiness ever can." ― Alphonse de Lamartine

5. "Grief can change your entire world, but it doesn't have to take away your peace. It can help you find meaning and strength." — Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

6. "Suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds a meaning." — Viktor E. Frankl, 'Man's Search for Meaning'

Explore more in the summary of 'Man's Search for Meaning' by Viktor E. Frankl on the Headway app.

1. 98 "Each person's grief is as unique as their fingerprint." — David Kessler

2. "When someone you love becomes a memory, that memory becomes a treasure." — Mandy Hale

3. "And when great souls die, after a period peace blooms, slowly and always irregularly." — Maya Angelou​

4. "Grief dims with time. It is the way of things. There comes a day when you smile again." — Laurell K. Hamilton

5. "In sorrow, we find out who we really are." — Iyanla Vanzant

6. "Grief is the reminder that we are alive." — Barbara Bush

7. "Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen." — Brené Brown, 'Daring Greatly'

Explore more in the summary of 'Daring Greatly' by Brené Brown on the Headway app.

1. 105 "There is no greater sorrow than to recall in misery the time when we were happy." — Dante Alighieri

2. "The only way to deal with this life meaningfully is to find one's passion and to put everything you have into it." — Martha Beck

3. "You grieve. Then you continue with your life." — Neil Gaiman

4. "We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves." — Dalai Lama, 'The Art of Happiness'

Explore more in the summary of 'The Art of Happiness' by Dalai Lama on the Headway app.

If you need to reflect on your feelings deeper in these difficult times, write down the quotes that touch you the most. They appeal to universal themes and can sometimes say more than condolence messages. These little steps will help you cope with loss and track your healing progress.

Start your emotional recovery with Headway book summaries

Headway's library contains inspiring stories that make you feel less alone in your grief. With over 1700 book summaries on grief, loss, hope, and self-care, you can start your healing journey one step at a time. Many powerful messages by famous psychologists, poets, and historical figures who experienced loss are available in a bite-sized format for easier access and comprehension.

Download our Headway app for emotional support and comforting words from top books on convenient summary pages.