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42 Sad Quotes That Will Get You Through Your Darkest Days

Find the perfect words to describe exactly how you feel about love, life and loss.

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FTiare

Although everyone prefers the exciting peaks and positives in life, sometimes we must deal with deep emotional challenges and obstacles. And when those low points in our lives happen, it can be hard to be optimistic or hold on to your usually happy nature. Whether you're dealing with the loss of a friend or family member, the end of a relationship, getting let go from a job, or another difficult moment in your life, our roundup of sad quotes may help put into words exactly how you feel.

It might not seem logical, but when you're having a hard time and the sad songs aren't quite helping you cope, you can look to these sayings about love, life and loss to know that you aren't alone. It helps to know that even famous authors, actors, singers, poets and more have experienced similar emotions. Share a quote on your social media profiles, print out a few and hang them somewhere, or take a quick scroll through this list for a little help with healing. And if you find yourself looking for more heartfelt sayings and messages, we also have roundups of joyful quotes, inspirational quotes and empowering quotes to check out.

1

Unknown

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He taught me how to love, but not how to stop.

RELATED: 56 Broken Heart Quotes to Help You Through Any Sad Heartbreak

2

Graham Foust, "Slow Survivor"

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It hurts to leave a light on for nobody.

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3

Tupac Shakur

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Behind every sweet smile, there is a bitter sadness that no one can ever see and feel.

RELATED: 103 Quotes About Managing Anxiety to Help Comfort You Through Tough Days

4

Bob Marley

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The good times of today are the sad thoughts of tomorrow.

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5

Ashleigh Brilliant

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There is one pain, I often feel, which you will never know. It's caused by the absence of you.

RELATED: 44 Thoughtful Loss of Mother Quotes to Help Comfort Anyone Who Is Grieving

6

Stephen R. Covey

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Our greatest joy and our greatest pain come in our relationships with others.

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7

R.M. Drake

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We must understand that sadness is an ocean, and sometimes we drown, while other days we are forced to swim.

8

Nicholas Sparks

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There are moments when I wish I could roll back the clock and take all the sadness away, but I have the feeling that if I did, the joy would be gone as well.

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9

Maya Angelou

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Never make someone a priority when all you are to them is an option.

10

Jim Rohn

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The walls we build around us to keep sadness out also keep out the joy.

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11

Frank Ocean

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When you're happy, you enjoy the music but when you're sad, you understand the lyrics.

12

Donna Tartt, "The Secret History"

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Forgive me, for all the things I did but mostly for the ones that I did not.

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13

Charlie Chaplin

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I always like walking in the rain, so no one can see me crying.

14

Alyssa Milano

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First, accept sadness. Realize that without losing, winning isn't so great.

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15

Jasmine Warga, "My Heart and Other Black Holes"

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Maybe we all have darkness inside of us and some of us are better at dealing with it than others.

16

Unknown

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Danielle Carson

A million words would not bring you back, I know because I tried, neither would a million tears, I know because I cried.

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17

Stephen Chbosky, "The Perks of Being a Wallflower"

best sad quotes
Danielle Carson

Things change. And friends leave. Life doesn't stop for anybody.

18

David Levithan, "Love Is the Higher Law"

best sad quotes
Danielle Carson

Breathing is hard. When you cry so much, it makes you realize that breathing is hard.

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19

Jonathan Safran Foer

best sad quotes
Danielle Carson

You cannot protect yourself from sadness without protecting yourself from happiness.

20

Leonardo da Vinci

best sad quotes
Danielle Carson

Tears come from the heart and not from the brain.

Headshot of Amina Lake Abdelrahman

Amina is a product review writer and editor who worked as an editorial assistant in the Good Housekeeping Institute from 2018 to 2020, writing original content based on GH Lab experts' product testing and analysis. Amina graduated from Montclair State University with a B.A. in communication studies and journalism.

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Yaa Bofah
Editorial Fellow

Yaa Bofah is an editorial fellow at Good Housekeeping. She is a freelance illustrator and created original cover art for The Fashion Bomb Daily’s first e-book series. She enjoys supporting philanthropic endeavors and being an advocate for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. 

Headshot of Annie O'Sullivan
As a member of the Special Projects Team, Annie works with the GH Tested program writing up product reviews and roundups and helps plan and run annual expos and events like the GH Parenting Summit, Xmas in July Expo, Cleaning Summit, Winter Essentials Expo, and more. When she’s not working, she can be found running, listening to true crime podcasts, designing graphic collages, or sipping on a margarita.
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