Sympathy cards

Sympathy card messages & quotes

Knowing what to write in a sympathy card is hard, and a short quote can say what your own words cannot. Every line here is under 45 words, so it fits inside a card with room left for a personal note. Some are about grief itself, some about memory, and some simply offer comfort, such as Louisa May Alcott's seven-word line about light behind the clouds. A few mention heaven or angels; most do not. All are public domain and copied word for word from the original book, with a link to check the source.

16 passages

Comfort & remembrance
Be still, sad heart! and cease repining;Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;Thy fate is the common fate of all,Into each life some rain must fall,Some days must be dark and dreary.
Henry Wadsworth LongfellowThe Complete Poetical Works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1893 · The Rainy Day
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Love & longing
Time isToo Slow for those who Wait,Too Swift for those who Fear,Too Long for those who Grieve,Too Short for those who Rejoice;But for those who Love,Time is not.
Henry van DykeMusic, and Other Poems, 1904 · Katrina's Sun-Dial
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Wisdom & life
If I can stop one heart from breaking,I shall not live in vain;If I can ease one life the aching,Or cool one pain,Or help one fainting robinUnto his nest again,I shall not live in vain.
Emily DickinsonPoems by Emily Dickinson, 1891
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