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85 phrases of sadness and emotional pain

85 phrases of sadness and emotional pain

May 6, 2024

Sadness is one of the emotions that has the greatest impact on our lives, and that means you have to know how to manage it.

Both in Psychology and in the different neurosciences is still investigating how this emotional state appears and what can be done so that it does not suppose a problem that negatively affects our quality of life; but, beyond scientific advances, we must have the ability to create reflections on sadness to be able to prepare better when presented.

  • We encourage you to read: "120 positive phrases to live day to day with optimism"

Phrases and thoughts of sadness

The selection of sadness phrases that you can read below is a good way to take advantage of a starting point when generating thoughts about sadness.


Here are many of the most well-known, significant and powerful , but if you think of more sad phrases do not forget that you can also leave them in the comments section.

1. Tears are born from the heart, not from the brain (Leonardo da Vinci)

The famous inventor also left legacies as interesting as this one.

2. Sadness is also a type of defense (Ivo Andric)

One of the sad phrases that focus on the good and useful of this feeling.

3. Depression is the inability to build a future (Rollo May)

A more existentialist way of interpreting this feeling.


4. A sad soul can kill more quickly than a bacterium (John Steinbeck)

The renowned writer leaves us a thought about sadness and its impact on our well-being.

5. The sadness moves away on the wings of time (Jean de la Fontaine)

Jean de la Fontain talks about the way in which sadness disappears with the passage of time.

6. First, accept the sadness and accept that without losing win is not so good (Alyssa Milano)

The good side of sadness: its relationship with happiness.

7. There is no sadder picture than a young pessimist (Mark Twain)

A sharp reflection and expressed very briefly.

8. In deep sadness there is no place for sentimentality (William S. Burroughs)

The American writer left this phrase of sadness of free interpretation.

9. Delicious tears! They are the dew of the heart (Letitia Elizabeth Landon)

A poetic reflection on the act of crying.


10. Sadness and darkness can be very beautiful and healing (Duncan Sheik)

The sadness seen as something that can cure us.

11. Crying is an act of cleanliness. There is a reason for tears, happiness and sadness (Dionne Warwick)

In line with the previous sentence, it also emphasizes the healing powers of this emotional state.

12. Sadness is no more than a fence between two gardens (Khalil Gibran)

A very lyrical and visual sadness.

13. Tears are summer showers for the soul (Alfred Austin)

Alfred Austin, about the feeling of relief related to crying.

14. Do not cry because it ended, smile because it happened (Dr. Seuss)

One of Dr. Seuss's best known phrases.

15. Never let go of that fierce sadness called desire (Patti Smith)

The music Patti Smith has a very sentimental vision about sadness.

16. Unhappy is who thinks in his childhood and only evokes memories of fear and sadness (H. P. Lovecraft)

The creator of the cosmic horror has much to say about sadness.

17. Absolute silence leads to sadness. It is the image of death (Jean-Jacques Rousseau)

One of the most powerful phrases of this French philosopher.

18. Humor is the best tool against the sadness I have had in my life (Mike Mills)

The usefulness of sadness, highlighted once again.

19. I love sadness. It makes you feel more than anything (Jeff Ament)

Live sadness as an experience that makes us feel alive.

20. The more we examine a story, the sadder it becomes (Nikolai Gogol)

About the way in which the emotional charge of narratives can change depending on how we "read" them.

21. Never make a decision when you are angry, sad, jealous or in love (Mario Teguh)

One of the most pragmatic phrases about sadness.

22. Tears are words that need to be written (Paulo Coelho)

Another lyrical formula to talk about crying.

23. Pain is not as strong as guilt, but it takes more of you (Veronica Roth)

A comparison between two emotional states linked to pain.

24. There are two classes of people: those who prefer to be sad accompanied, and those who prefer to be alone (Nicole Krauss)

Different ways to cope with difficult situations.

25. When everything has been said or done, pain is the price we pay for love (E. A. Bucchianeri)

A sad phrase in which this is related to love.

26. Nothing thicker than a blade separates happiness from melancholy (Virginia Woolf)

The renowned writer Virginia Woolf speaks about guilt and melancholy in a very poetic way.

27. We all have sadness in our lives, and something that we can take advantage of (Sherilyn Fenn)

A phrase that reminds us what we can do in situations that we can not control.

28. Everything takes longer than expected; is the sad truth about life (Donna Tartt)

Sadness as something linked to time and expectations.

29. It's sad to grow old, but it's nice to mature (Brigitte Bardot)

About the aging process and how good it is.

30. Sad patience, neighbor very close to despair (Matthew Arnold)

Another one of those sad phrases in which two emotions are opposed.

31. Those who give their wings grieve for not seeing them fly (Antonio Porchia)

Porchia explores certain reasons that may be behind the onset of pain and sadness.

32. The sorrows were not made for the beasts, but for the men (Miguel de Cervantes)

Cervantes, about the human character of this emotion.

33. Never give up on melancholy (Sydney Smith)

to melancholy, linked to sadness, is something that can invade us if we do not put a stop to it.

34. My desolation begins to create a better life (William Shakespeare)

Another sentence about sadness that focuses on the good.

35. Our lives are full of all genres. Fear, hope and sadness (Nicolas Roeg)

This feeling, which we sometimes call "negative", is a part of life.

36. Melancholy sees the worst of things (Christian Nestell Bovee)

Melancholy makes us change our perspective even if we do not realize it.

37. I expel pain and sadness when I dance, and I attract happiness and rhythm (Igna Muscio)

Dance understood as something to purge pain.

38. If you have not learned from sadness, you can not appreciate happiness (Nana Mouskouri)

Once again, the double edge of sadness and happiness.

39. Sadness in a good place from which to get songs (Sarah McLachlan)

The most productive facet of sadness.

40. Melancholy is the nurse of frenzy (William Shakespeare)

Shakespeare reflects on melancholy.

41. Happiness is the dream of love and sadness its awakening (Madame Basta)

In this sentence about sadness it is understood that it is part of a sequence of events that begins with love.

42. The irony is a sadness that can not cry and smiles (Jacinto Benavente)

The irony and its relation to this feeling.

43. The soul resists sharp pains much better than prolonged sadness (Rousseau)

Rousseau, once again, about the different ways in which sadness can be presented.

44. Tears that do not cry, do you wait in small lakes? Or will they be invisible rivers that run towards sadness? (Pablo Neruda)

A nice poem about sadness and crying.

45. Every sigh is like a sip of life from which one falls apart (Juan Rulfo)

The sadness linked to the passage of time, once again.

46. ​​I never thought that in happiness there would be so much sadness (Mario Benedetti)

Often, within the emotional states there are nuances that point to conflicting feelings that dominates us at that moment.

47. Sadness is a gift from heaven, and pessimism a sickness of spirit (Beloved Nervo)

It is very useful to reflect on the difference between sadness and pessimism.

48. Is life sad or sad? (Loved nerve)

When you do not know if the sadness comes more from oneself or from what happens to us.

49. Red is the best cure for sadness (Bill Blass)

The passions linked to the color red, understood as an antidote against sadness.

50. Beware of sadness, it is a vice (Gustave Flaubert)

One of the phrases of sadness that can be taken as reflection and advice at the same time.

51. If you are patient in a moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sadness (Chinese Proverb)

One of those proverbs about sadness that can be taken as advice.

52. Who loves you well, will make you cry (Spanish saying)

A phrase widely used in Spain, although it must be viewed with a critical eye so that it does not legitimize toxic relationships.

53. If you're sad, smile, because it's better to smile sad than sadness of not seeing you smile (Anonymous)

An anonymous phrase that sheds a light of optimism about sadness.

54. The sadness of separation and death is the greatest of deceptions (Mahatma Gandhi)

One of the phrases of Gandhi that connects with his philosophy of life and religiosity.

55. It is very sad to think that nature speaks while humans do not listen (Victor Hugo)

A sad phrase of Victor Hugo, whose scope covers all of humanity.

56. Joy rejuvenates, but sadness ages (Anonymous)

An anonymous phrase about the effects that these two emotions produce in us.

57. If the world is a veil of tears, smile until the rainbows go through it (Lucy Larcom)

A phrase of very poetic sadness.

58. You can not prevent the bird of sadness from flying over you, but you can prevent it from nesting in your hair (Chinese Proverb)

Another of the Chinese proverbs about sadness, which talks about the chronification of this feeling.

59A friend is the hand that ruffles sadness (Gustavo Gutiérrez Merino)

A reflection inspired by the action of stroking the head of someone for whom you feel affection.

60. Being two a sadness, it is no longer sadness, it is joy (Francisco Villaespesa)

Shared sadness is something qualitatively different from what one experiences alone, according to this poet and playwright.

61. It's all a secret, the country of tears (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)

The famous writer of The Little Prince also left sad phrases as lyrical as this.

62. Sometimes a false joy is preferable to a sadness of real causes (René Descartes)

The French philosopher reflects on the relationship between our feelings and the truth.

63. Happiness is sadness in reverse (Anonymous)

What is the relationship between joy and sadness? According to this anonymous phrase, this one is surprisingly simple.

64. No place is sadder than an empty bed (Gabriel García Márquez)

A sad phrase from one of the most important Latin American writers in history.

65. Laugh when you're sad, crying is too easy (Anonymous)

Another of those phrases about the sadness of anonymous authorship that can be used to manage this emotion.

66. Success is not a good teacher, failure makes you humble Shah Rukh Khan)

There is always something good even in the situations in which everything seems lost .

67. Nothing in this world is safe except death and taxes (Benjamin Franklin)

There are certainties that hurt to remember, although this sad phrase has a humorous note.

68. It is sad to know that I will leave, but looking back I see many great memories (Bonnie Blair)

Even in the farewells There is a touch of sweetness.

69. The walls that we build around us to keep us away from sadness also leave out happiness (Jim Rohn)

Sometimes, avoiding bad things keeps us isolated from all sensations.

70. Nothing is sadder than the death of an illusion (Arthur Koestler)

Losing the illusion in a life project It is one of the toughest blows.

71. Death is the beginning of immortality (Maximilian Robespierre)

This phrase leads us to think that dying is not the end of everything, but that our history will continue to be present in the world for those who have surrounded us.

72. A person can feel alone, even when many people love her (Anna Frank)

A moving phrase from "The Diary of Anna Frank".

73. I'm not afraid of death, what I'm afraid of is trance, going there. I confess that I am curious to know what it is (Atahualpa Yupanqui)

The curiosity to know what happens after dying is a constant in humanity, being the origin of multiple beliefs.

74. The curious paradox is that when I accept myself, I can change (Carl Rogers)

The humanistic psychologist Carl Rogers, pronounced this beautiful reflection .

75. Death is sweet; but his anteroom, cruel (Camilo José Cela)

This phrase tells us that what is cruel and what is actually had is not death itself, but the suffering before it.

76. The pain of separation is nothing compared to the joy of meeting again (Charles Dickens)

Separating yourself from someone you love is very painful. But when you see him again, the joy he feels is immense.

77. Any moment that is not spent in love, is lost (Torquato Tasso)

It is better to invest our efforts in sowing good energies.

78. Maybe part of loving, is learning to let go (Anonymous)

Wanting another person implies that, by force majeure, we are obliged to let her go. Sad but true.

79. Saying goodbye does not mean anything. It's the time we spend together that matters (Trey Parker)

Trey Parker detracts from the farewell remark the good of the past time in the company of the other .

80. When death falls on man, the mortal part is extinguished; but the immortal principle withdraws and moves away safe and sound (Plato)

Plato believed in the existence of the soul, considering that death was his separation from the body and that after it was returning to the world of ideas.

81. All my possessions for a moment longer (Isabel I)

It's no use being rich if our time runs out.

82. The past limits us, but the future frightens us. The only safe place is the present (Isaac López)

The only place where we have the power to change things is the present.

83. Life is sadness, overcome it (Teresa of Calcutta)

There is no other way than leave sadness behind as soon as possible and start finding the sweet side of existence.

84. If we are alone, we become more lonely. Life is strange (Paulo Coelho)

The well-known Paulo Coelho philosophizing on this subject.

85. Death is only important insofar as it makes us reflect on the value of life (André Malraux)

The author of this phrase makes us see that the fact that our life has an end has to make us reflect on how important it is that we live.

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