Monday, March 02, 2009

Washington Irving Wrote...

~There is sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition, and of unspeakable Love. ~ Washington Irving (1783-1859)

15 comments:

Granny Annie said...

That is a touching quote. I don't believe I've ever heard it. Did you post it because you are shedding sacred tears? I hope not.

Cliff said...

Nope GA, I merely think it eloquent and true.

Mary Connealy said...

Hi, Cliff. It was nice to meet you. Now when I see your cute picture on One Square Mile I'll have a frame of reference. :)

Gary ("Old Dude") said...

I agree it IS eloquent-----ah, glad we had this little talk.

Paul Nichols said...

Speaking of tears, I saw my father shed tears twice. Once when he was asked to give the benediction at church immediately after our pastor announced his resignation. And once when our whole family (29 folks) got together for our parent's 50th wedding anniversary.

I cried when my son was born and I cried when he came home safely from the first Gulf War. Proud of it, too.

Peter said...

There is no shame in shedding a few tears Cliff, I find they are often tears of joy, not just sadness or pain.
Caught up on your posts... you've been a busy lad!!!! all good stuff.

EV said...

Interesting quote, Cliff. Whether we agree - or not - I've always enjoyed any given quote for the pause to reflect on others perspectives. Some time ago I realized that there were 31 Chapters in Proverbs; so, I make it a point to read the wisdom of the chapter that corresponds to that days date.

On the other side of the spectrum, Confucius and Sun Tzu absolutely intrigue me, too.

Ralph said...

I'm going to add that one to my collection. Yeah, I have a collection of quotes that I really like. Quotes like this can be used in our everyday dealings with life but more importantly they help keep us grounded.
Ralph

Rachel said...

This is a great quote Cliff!

Lucy Stern said...

Tears are the visible expression of emotion.

Marla said...

This is a great quote. I never thought of tears as a weakness!

Lanny said...

Amen!

Jamie Dawn said...

So true.

Janell said...

I've shared this before on Ralph's blog; My brother died suddenly at age 46 when Emily was 10 or so. When Em saw my mom weeping, she said, "Tears must be the way Grandma washes the sorrow out of her head." I had never read the W. Irving quote, but I think he might have agreed with Emily.

nora leona said...

Great quote. I'm working on being able to cry. I've never been a crier, and it seems weird.