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Stressful situations and powerful emotions leave many people speechless. Even the ready wordsmiths can become so verklempt that they go silent and forget how to comfort someone who’s crying.
Jump ahead to these sections:
- Sad Quotes That Say ‘It’s Okay to Cry’
- Happy Quotes That Say ‘It’s Okay to Cry’
- Quotes About Crying and Strength
Even if you're the kind of person who's always ready with the right words, scroll through this list to find a quote or two to put in your quiver whenever you need to share with someone that it's okay to cry.
Sad Quotes That Say ‘It’s Okay to Cry’
The common theme for the quotes that follow isn't just their pragmatism. But their exposure of the rawness and truth for accepting tears as part of everyday life. It is definitely okay to cry.
1. “God gave us crying so other folks could see when we needed help, and help us.” – Joshilyn Jackson
Jackson’s quote implies that when we cry, others come to our aid. By default, then, when we laugh, others laugh with us. In a sense, all human emotions, even sad ones, have a purpose.
So, if you’re worried about crying at a funeral or generally in public, know that you have loved ones near who’ll see your call for love or a hug.
2. “It is the hypocrisy of this society, which lets a man laugh but not cry.” – Nitya Prakash
Let your friend or loved one know that you disagree with society's inability to allow sadness as an acceptable emotion. Doing so not only gives them a kind of permission, though unnecessary, it also lets them know you're supportive no matter what.
3. “If we can laugh, fine. And if we’ve got to cry, we’ve got to cry.” – Charles Bukowski
Equally unloved and revered, the impressionable Charles Bukowski had a knack for saying what was raw, authentic, and honest. His quote is practical and wise—we do what we must do, and nothing needs to alter our direction, nor is there any reason to begrudge it.
4. “Sometimes, when you lose – when people die – it is very hard to make tears. You feel like you want to make tears but something inside you stops them and they press your chest. Like something sitting on it.” – Shruti Swami
Many are familiar with that feeling where there's so much sadness, it's just impossible to cry. Recognizing this or even seeing the struggle in others is a great way to support friends and family who might be holding it in because they don't feel safe or release their truth.
5. “Blood and tears are the same. Both are the body's way of crying for help” – Jeremy Jenkins
It's true. When broken, we will either bleed or shed tears. These acts are both genuine traits of being a human while also being markers of human need.
6. “If you wish to cry, cry.” – Lailah Gifty Akita
Sometimes the simplest saying is the best saying. It’s also the quickest permission slip anyone can give.
7. “To deny the cry in my soul is to deny the beating in my heart” – Nikki Rosen
Many people hide emotions for fear of being judged or misunderstood, feeling ashamed or embarrassed, and therefore abandon them as if they’ll disappear. Nikki Rosen, however, embraces the grief like it’s an old friend or an intrinsic part of herself.
Happy Quotes That Say ‘It’s Okay to Cry’
Scroll through the following quotes to send to a friend or put one in your pocket for a day when you need to hear some wise advice.
8. “You get confused by crying women, I get confused by walks with princes.”– Kiera Cass
Kiera Cass offers us a new lens in response to those who are confused by crying. She asks the reader to understand the difference between the empowerment of self-expression and weakness. Crying, as it were, is less confusing than being selected by a prince.
9. “Watch a movie that makes you laugh or listen to a song that makes you cry. Embrace your emotions and be proud of what you feel.” – Demi Lovato
Lovato isn't just about empowerment with one's emotions; she's also about being delighted by our humanness. Another way to look at this is to say that we should take every opportunity to feel everything we can. After all, no one else will do that for us.
10. “Life is an onion – you peel it year by year and sometimes cry.” – Carl Sandburg
The pungent onion is notorious for making a person cry, but not always. Sometimes you even learn tricks to avoid tears, too.
11. “When was the last time you had a good belly-shaking-tear-jerking-snot-producing laugh?
That long?” – Osayi Osar-Emokpae
Sometimes crying comes as a result of laughing. If you're reading this quote and trying to remember how long it's been since you've had a really good gut laugh, you're probably not alone. It also feels like Osar-Emokpae just threw down possibly the best challenge to accept.
12. “Crying doesn’t mean you’re weak ... Sometimes it’s what you need to do to get strong again” – J.W. Lynne
Translated, sadness or grief is often a weight that gets confused with weakness. If, instead, we looked at suffering as a strength-giver, we might see how the regular use of crying could make a person invincible.
13. “Every tear I have shed, purifies my soul.” – Lailah Gifty Akita
What's important to note about Lailah Gifty Akita's quote is that she gives the act of crying a purpose for our inner spiritual self. Crying is, therefore, a gift to one's soul.
14. “When someone is grieving, you don’t have to say anything. Just be present. Be nonjudgmental. Let them cry, scream, or sit in silence. You don't have to fix them.” – Dana Arcuri
The lesson to be learned from Dana Arcuri is that a person's tears are not their weakness. They don't define them as a person, nor do a person's tears need someone else to regulate them. You can be supportive and let someone cry—that's the point.
Quotes About Crying and Strength
If you’re looking for some empowering and supportive, or failure-is-not-an-option kind of quotes, read through this list.
15. “Crying is all right in its way while it lasts. But you have to stop sooner or later, and then you still have to decide what to do.”– C.S. Lewis
The meaning of C.S. Lewis's quote is that crying is only a momentary pause to moving forward. It's okay to let it hold you there—but only for a moment.
16. “Cry. Forgive. Learn. Move on. Let your tears water the seeds of your future happiness.” – Steve Maraboli
Steve Maraboli’s quote defines the value of your tears as essential to the value of your future. Use those moments, he writes, just don’t let those moments use you.
17. “You stay safe. You love. You survive. You laugh and cry and struggle and sometimes you fail and sometimes you succeed. You Push.”– Carrie Ryan
Failure is not an option. Although every emotion, Carries Ryan writes, is essential and necessary to live—you nonetheless move forward relentlessly.
18. “If somebody hurts you, it's okay to cry a river, just remember to build a bridge and get over it.” – Taylor Swift
Swift's quote may not be the best one for someone who's lost a friend or loved one, but it works well for that person who is trying to get out from under themselves. Let them know that it's okay to stop and stumble, get upset and falter, but the next and most crucial step is about learning not to wade in that river ever again.
19. “The whole point of crying was to quit before you cornied it up. The whole point of grief itself was to cut it out while it was still honest, while it still meant something. Because the thing was so easily corrupted, let yourself go and you started embellishing your own sobs.” – Richard Yates
Though harsh, crying too much does take away from the foundation of grief. How so? Yates defines this as one who's crying almost to embellish their tears, layering them upon each other. Yes, crying does have a truth to it, but falsifying it does a person little good.
20. “Cry on the world tragedies, cruelties, and injustice, how long and much you can, if you have the heart.” – Ehsan Sehgal
Sehgal's quote is interesting because he's asking you to cry for the tragedies of others for as long as you can to build empathy, community, and resilience as one, rather than seeing oneself apart from the whole.
21. “Cry and let your tears flow for a brighter tomorrow... Rain falls because the clouds can no longer take its heaviness... Just like our Tears... it falls because the heart can no longer take the pain.” – Nitya Prakash
Tears have a purpose, Nitya Prakash writes. They are fundamentally needed to improve the path you're on, facilitating growth. Tears are also essential to release when there's no more room for them left inside.
22. “Cry as much as you want to, but make sure when you're finished, you never cry for the same reason again.” – Wiz Khalifa
Wiz Khalifa's quote is about empowerment. It's okay to let yourself be let down, stuck, or upset over something. But the next thing you should do is unstuck yourself, just don't let yourself be put in the same situation ever again.
The Benefits of Crying
There are so many positive outcomes to having a good cry, including the emotionally restorative benefits, the release of Cortisol, and the stimulation of endorphins. Not only that, with each cry, you're sharing moments of complete honesty with yourself. And because the truth is such a rare commodity, crying is one of the most powerful forces out there.
Sources:
- Popular Quotes, Goodreads, n.d. goodreads.com/quotes.
