Adrienne Rich Quotes about Grief

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Behind all art is an element of desire...Love of life, of existence, love of another human being, love of human beings is in some way behind all art — even the most angry, even the darkest, even the most grief-stricken,

Behind all art is an element of desire...Love of life, of existence, love of another human being, love of human beings is in some way behind all art — even the most angry, even the darkest, even the most grief-stricken, and even the most embittered art has that element somewhere behind it. Because how could you be so despairing, so embittered, if you had not had something you loved that you lost?

Adrienne Rich

Art, Grief, Love Life

Grief held back from the lips wears at the heart; the drop that refused to join the river dried up in the dust.

Adrienne Rich

Grief, Heart, Dust

Adrienne Rich (1971). “The Will to Change: Poems 1968-1970”, p.2, W. W. Norton & Company

The [Vietnam War Memorial] Wall became a magnet for citizens of every generation, class, race, and relationship to the war perhaps because it is the only great public monument that allows the anesthetized holes in the heart to fill with a truly national grief.

Adrienne Rich

Wall, War, Grief

Adrienne Rich (2003). “What Is Found There: Notebooks on Poetry and Politics (Expanded Edition)”, p.91, W. W. Norton & Company