145 Condolences Quotes and Messages that Celebrate Life

These condolences quotes and messages below will help you convey sympathy and offer support to the bereaved.

Let us know which words of comfort have helped you during your grief in the comment section below.

The death of a loved one is one of the most painful experiences in life.

Losing the people who have been part of our lives and who matter to us leaves us with nothing but sorrow and sadness.

What are the benefits of reading these condolences quotes?

When a death occurs, we want to offer our condolences to those left behind to help them cope and move forward.

Expressing condolences is a thoughtful way to:

• convey sympathy and offer support
• honor and respect the memory of the departed
• celebrate the life of the person who has passed away

That said, finding the proper way to express your emotions can be difficult.

It’s never easy finding the right words to convey your sentiments meaningfully.

When you’re at a loss for words, you can use condolences, quotes, and messages to let your friend or family member know they can count on you.

Hopefully, these condolences quotes will help you express your sympathy.

To give you some inspiration, below you will find our collection of uplifting, sympathetic, and heartfelt condolence quotes, messages, and phrases collected from various sources over the years.

Remember to read our handpicked selection of comforting grief quotes to help you commemorate and remember the deceased.

Check out our most popular quote article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily inspiration. 

Our inspirational quote category page has even more inspirational and educational quotes.

Condolences quotes and messages that celebrate life

1. “While we are mourning the loss of our friend, others are rejoicing to meet him behind the veil.” – John Taylor

2. “He spoke well who said that graves are the footprints of angels.” – Henry Longfellow

3. “Some people come into our lives, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never the same.” – Unknown

4. “Earth hath no sorrow that Heaven cannot heal.” – Thomas Moo

You will also enjoy our article on quotes about death.

5. “Like a bird singing in the rain, let grateful memories survive in time of sorrow.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

6. “Whoever you hold in the heart of you, is forever and always a part of you.” – Rossiter Raymond

7. “Tears are God’s gift to us. Our holy water. They heal us as they flow.” – Rita Schiano

You will also enjoy our article on massage quotes.

8. “Had I not loved so much I would not hurt so much. I will hurt. And I will be grateful for that hurt for it bears witness to the depth of our meaning. And for that I will be eternally grateful.” – Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

9. “Truly, it is in darkness that one finds the light, so when we are in sorrow, then this light is nearest of all to us.” – Meister Eckhart

10. “No matter how prepared you think you are for the death of a loved one, it still comes as a shock, and it still hurts very deeply.” – Billy Graham

If you’re enjoying these quotes, make sure to read our collection of quotes about losing a loved one to help you express the feelings behind loss.

Condolences quotes and messages to help you convey your sympathy

11. “For death is no more than a turning of us over from time to eternity.” – William Penn

12. “There are no goodbyes for us. Wherever you are, you will always be in my heart.” –  Mahatma Gandhi

13. “The darker the night, the brighter the stars, the deeper the grief, the closer is God!” – Fyodor Dostoyevsk

14. “It’s hard to forget someone who gave you so much to remember.” – Unknown

15. “Your absence has gone through me like thread through a needle. Everything I do is stitched with its color.” – W.S. Merwin

16. “When I am lonely, I think of you and all that you brought to my life. Your memory rests gently on my soul.” – Cindy Adkins

17. “Say not in grief ‘he is no more’ but in thankfulness that he was.” – Hebrew Proverb

You will also enjoy our article on rest in peace quotes.

18. “A great soul serves everyone all the time. A great soul never dies. It brings us together again and again.” – Maya Angelou

19. “Please know that I am praying for your peace and comfort.” – Unknown

20. “When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.” – Kahlil Gibran

Also, read these thoughtful tombstone quotes about living a fulfilled life.

Condolences quotes and messages to help you express your sentiments

21. “We should feel sorrow, but not sink under its oppression.” – Confucius

22. “You don’t get over it, you just get through it. You don’t get by it because you can’t get around it. It doesn’t ‘get better’; it just gets different. Everyday grief puts on a new face.” – Wendy Feireisen

23. “My [mom/nana] is a never-ending song in my heart of comfort, happiness, and being. I may sometimes forget the words, but I always remember the tune.” – Graycie Harmon

24. “So say it loud and let it ring. We are all part of everything. The future, present, and the past. Fly on proud bird. You’re free at last.” – Charlie Daniels

25. “When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure.” – Unknown
If you’re enjoying these quotes, you’ll love our collection of memory quotes that will help remind you how far you’ve come and motivate you to keep moving forward.

26. “Grief is the price we pay for love.” – Queen Elizabeth II

You will also enjoy our article on grief quotes.

27. “Because God is never cruel, there is a reason for all things. […] The terrible pain of loss teaches humility to our prideful kind, has the power to soften uncaring hearts, to make a better person of a good one.” – Dean Koontz

28. “Those we love don’t go away, they walk beside us every day.” – Unknown

29. “Deep grief sometimes is almost like a specific location, a coordinate on a map of time. When you are standing in that forest of sorrow, you cannot imagine that you could ever find your way to a better place. But if someone can assure you that they themselves have stood in that same place, and now have moved on, sometimes this will bring hope.” – Elizabeth Gilbert

30. “Listen to God with a broken heart. He is not only the doctor who mends it but also the father who wipes away the tears.” – Criss Jami

Condolences quotes to help you find the right words to express your sympathy

31. “To lose someone you love is to alter your life forever. You don’t get over it because ‘it’ is the person you loved. The pain stops, there are new people, but the gap never closes. How could it? […] This hole in my heart is in the shape of you and no-one else can fit it.” – Jeanette Winterson

32. “Those we have held in our arms for a little while, we hold in our hearts forever.” – Unknown

33. “We are all the pieces of what we remember. We hold in ourselves the hopes and fears of those who love us. As long as there is love and memory, there is no true loss.” – Cassandra Clare

34. “Learn to see the gift in the adversity. By doing this you will begin to find true peace in your struggle.” – Stacey Urrutia

35. “There is something terribly morbid in the modern sympathy with pain. One should sympathise with the colour, the beauty, the joy of life. The less said about life’s sores the better.” – Oscar Wilde

36. “We are with you through this difficult time.” – Unknown

37. “We must embrace our pain and burn it as a fuel for our journey.” – Kenji Miyazawa

38. “No person is ever truly alone. Those who live no more, whom we loved, Echo still within our thoughts, our words, our hearts.”  – Richard Fife

39. “The season of mourning, Like spring, summer, Fall and winter, will also pass.”- Molly Fumia

40. “A human life is a story told by God.” – Hans Christian Andersen

You might also like our list of rest-in-peace quotes to help you grieve.

Condolences quotes to uplift the bereaved

41. “However long the night, the dawn will break.” – African Proverb

42. “I know now that we never get over great losses; we absorb them, and they carve us into different, often kinder, creatures.” – Gail Caldwell

43. “It is not length of life, but depth of life.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

44. “As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so a life well spent brings happy death.” – Leonardo Da Vinci

45. “Pain is certain, suffering is optional.” – Buddha

46. “What is lovely never dies, But passes into other loveliness.” – Thomas Bailey Aldrich

47. “The Remembrance of the good done those we have loved is the only consolation when we have lost them.” – Demoustier

48. “It is the will of God and Nature that these mortal bodies be laid aside, when the soul is to enter into real life; ’tis rather an embryo state, a preparation for living; a man is not completely born until he be dead: Why then should we grieve that a new child is born among the immortals?” – Benjamin Franklin

49. “Bear and endure: This sorrow will one day prove to be for your good.” – Ovid

50. “How very softly you tiptoed into our world, almost silently, only a moment you stayed. But what an imprint your footsteps have left upon our hearts.” – Dorothy Ferguson

Condolences quotes and messages to help you comfort someone who is grieving

51. “Our joys will be greater, our love will be deeper, our life will be fuller because we shared your moment.” – Author Unknown

52. “What we have once enjoyed we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us.” – Helen Keller

53. “From the end spring new beginnings.” – Pliny the Elder

54. “Those we love and lose are always connected by heartstrings into infinity.” – Terri Guillemets

55. “If I had a flower for every time I thought of you, I could walk in my garden forever.” – Alfred Lord Tennyson

56. “Those who weep recover more quickly than those who smile.” – Jean Giraudoux

57. “Do not think of me as gone. I am with you still in each new dawn.” – Native American Poem

58. “Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality.” – Emily Dickinson

59. “There is no pain so great as the memory of joy in present grief.” –Aeschylus

60. “Once upon a memory someone wiped away a tear, held me close and loved me, Thank you, dear.” – Author Unknown

61. “Sorrow is a fruit. God does not make it grow on limbs too weak to bear it.” – Victor Hugo

62. “It’s sad when someone you know becomes someone you knew.” – Henry Rollins

63. “Our trials, our sorrows, and our grieves develop us.” – Orison Swett Marden

64. “There are no words. While you have joy knowing where your love is in a better place, there is sadness in the loss and grief. You are in our prayers.” – Catherine Pulsifer

65. “You don’t go around grieving all the time, but the grief is still there and always will be.” – Nigella Lawson

Condolences quotes for loss of a loved one

66. “If the people we love are stolen from us, the way to have them live on is to never stop loving them.” – James O’Barr

67. “Your life was a blessing, your memory a treasure. You are loved beyond words and missed beyond measure.” – Renee Wood

68. “Tenderly, may time heal your sorrow. Gently, may your friends ease your pain. Softly, may peace replace heartaches. And my warmest memories remain.” – Unknown

69. “Pain could be so blinding that you lose sight of all the love that is within your reach. Times of sorrow are the moments you need to allow yourself to be loved, to be cared for.” – Unknown

70. “Today and always, may loving memories bring you peace, comfort, and strength.” – Unknown

71. “Don’t let go of the memories, death is not the end of your happiness. You can still take so much pleasure in the memories you made with them while they were alive.” – Unknown

72. “When you find yourself weeping for what you have lost, remember that you are weeping for someone who blessed you with joy. How lucky we are to have all known such a wonderful person.” – Unknown

73. “In times like this, you should hold on firmly to faith and hope, it might look like you have lost more than you can bear but you are stronger than this pain you feel.” – Unknown

74. “No person is every truly alone. Those who live no more, whom we loved, Echo still within our thoughts, our words, our hearts.” – Unknown

75. “You might be wondering why they had to go, you want them back with you and this is very understandable. Be willing to stand back while they continue on this new journey after life.” – Unknown

Condolences quotes for loss and death

76. “The comfort of having a friend may be taken away, but not that of having had one.” – Seneca

77. “When you lose someone you love, you gain an angel you know.” – Unknown

78. “My heart is with you in your time of sorrow.” – Unknown

79. “Crying will surely not bring them back but it would help you through the grief because you can never truly forget the ones you love. You can however cry yourself back to joy.” – Unknown

80. “Words will not wipe away your tears and hugs may not ease the pain, but hold onto your memories because forever they will remain.” – Unknown

81. “Never feel ashamed that you spend the whole day in tears, you can be strong only after you have felt the pain inside your heart. Death feels like a stab wound in your heart.” – Unknown

82. “The most authentic thing about us is our capacity to create, to overcome, to endure, to transform, to love and to be greater than our suffering.” – Ben Okri

83. “Dark days seem like they never end, but they are just like any other day. The clouds will clear up, you will find reasons to cheer up, the birds will sing again, so hold on.” – Unknown

84. “He, who has gone, so we but cherish his memory, abides with us, more potent, nay, more present than the living man.” – Antoine de Saint Exupéry

85. “As you mourn your loss, remember to see the beauty of life around you and don’t sink into a hole of depression and sorrow.” – Unknown

Condolences quotes for those that are grieving

86. “Only a moment you stayed, but what an imprint your footprints have left on our hearts.” – Dorothy Ferguson

87. “Remember me and smile, for it’s better to forget than to remember me and cry.” — Dr. Seuss

88. “In the night of death, hope sees a star, and listening love can hear the rustle of a wing.” – Robert Ingersoll

89. “Sympathy does not think. It acts. It acts to remove the ceaseless sufferings of the world.” – Sri Chinmoy

90. “When one person is missing the whole world seems empty.” – Pat Schweibert

91. “If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger.” – Emily Brontë

92. “They that love beyond the world cannot be separated by it. Death cannot kill what never dies.” – William Penn

93. “Grief is not a sign of weakness, nor a lack of faith. It is the price of love.” – Unknown

94. “The absence of the other person who used to be there beside you obliterates your presence. Everything in the room, even the stars in the sky can disappear in a second, changing one scene for another, just like a dream.” — Hwang Sok-Yong

95. “When the heart grieves over what it has lost, the spirit rejoices over what it has left.” – Sufi Epigram

Condolences quotes to express your sympathy

96. “Very few people can fit into your shoes. You were a blessing to many people. Rest in peace!” – Unknown

97. “Our condolences to you and your family on the passing of your aunt. May our friendship and prayers ease you through this difficult time.” – Unknown

98. “Even if I forget everything else, I will always remember you. You were the best. You were true to me. Rest in peace!” – Unknown

99. “A person that departs from this earth never truly leaves, for they are still alive in our hearts, through us, they live on. My condolences.” – Unknown

100. “During this sorrowful moment, I am at a loss of words. You are in my thoughts and prayers praying for you to find comfort and peace.” – Unknown

101. “May the soul of the dearly departed rest in peace, may my prayers help guide her on her journey to our Creator.” – Unknown

102. “I am so saddened that you are no more; you were a blessing to us. RIP.” – Unknown

103. “At this difficult time in your life, we pray that God will grant you the peace that you need to get through this. Sincere condolences!” – Unknown

104. “I never knew how painful it is to lose someone until death took you away from me. RIP, my dear!” – Unknown

105. “Please accept my heartfelt condolences, words cannot begin to express the sadness you are feeling right now, God rest his soul.” – Unknown

Condolence quotes for when words escape you

106. “To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die.” — Thomas Campbell

107. “Sorrow is so easy to express and yet so hard to tell.” — Joni Mitchell

108. “Wishing you strength for today and hope for tomorrow.” — Renee O’Neill

109. “Grant but memory to us and we lose nothing by death.” — John G. Whittier

110. “The pain I feel now is the happiness I had before. That’s the deal.” — C.S. Lewis

111. “May you take comfort in knowing there is one more angel above us.” — Unknown

112. “Those we have held in our arms for a short while we hold in our hearts forever.”  — Unknown

113. “May the memories of your loved one give you strength in the days that lie ahead.” — Unknown

114. “There are some who bring a light so great to the world that even after they have gone, the light remains.” — Unknown

115. “Memories are the one place we can visit those we’ve lost. Since memories are portable, we can take our lost loved ones with us anywhere at any time.” — Unknown

More condolences quotes and messages

116. “Accept my condolence for your loss. May God help you get through this difficult time.” — Unknown

117. “When there are no words to say, but know that I’m always here for you.” – Danielle Duckery

118. “May God give you strength. My deepest condolences on your loss.” — Unknown

119. “If the future seems overwhelming, remember that it comes one moment at a time.” – Beth Mende Conny

120. “I know you are in no mood for reading all these words of sympathy. But just know that you have a friend who is equally saddened by the loss.” — Unknown

121. “May angels lead you in.” —Jimmy Eat World

122. “My heartiest sympathy goes to you. Today, we mourn together as we both have lost a very special person in our life. RIP!” — Unknown

123. “And we wept that one so lovely should have a life so brief.” —William Cullen Bryant

124. “Death is the most certain of all that can happen to anyone. Yet we can’t help feeling sad when someone close to us is taken. Accept my condolence!” — Unknown

125. “A great soul serves everyone all the time. A great soul never dies. It brings us together again and again.” —Maya Angelou

Condolence Quotes And Messages To Help You Move On

126. “Sympathy is the golden key that unlocks the hearts of others.” ― Samuel Smiles

127. “For grief is crowned with consolation.” ― William Shakespeare

128. “There is no grief like the grief that does not speak.” ― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

129. “Things must be felt with the heart.” ― Helen Keller

130. “Sorrow makes us all children again.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

131. “I want to extend condolences to the families of those who died in the service of the United Nations.” ― Al Gore

132. “How blessed the heart that has a friend. A sympathetic ear to lend.” ― Thomas Hood

133. “Any mind that is capable of real sorrow is capable of good.” ― Harriet Beecher Stowe

134. “There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power.” ― Washington Irving

135. “The day which we fear as our last is but the birthday of eternity.” ― Seneca the Younger

Condolence Quotes To Share With Someone Grieving

136. “You can’t truly heal from a loss until you allow yourself to FEEL the loss.” – Mandy Hale

137. “After you have wept and grieved for your physical losses, cherish the functions and life you have left.” —Morrie Schwartz

138. “Don’t be dismayed at goodbyes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends.” — Richard Bach

139. “Only people who are capable of loving strongly can also suffer a great sorrow, but this same necessity of loving serves to counteract their grief and heals them.” — Leo Tolstoy

140. “While grief is fresh, every attempt to divert only irritates. You must wait till it be digested, and then amusement will dissipate the remains of it.” — Samuel Johnson

141. “The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not get over the loss of a loved one; you’ll learn to live with it.” — Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

142. “All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on.” — Havelock Ellis

143. “Life is full of grief, to exactly the degree we allow ourselves to love other people.” — Orson Scott Card

144. “Life is full of grief, to exactly the degree we allow ourselves to love other people.” — Orson Scott Card

145. “Accepting death doesn’t mean you won’t be devastated when someone you love dies.” — Caitlin Doughty

Which of these condolences quotes was your favorite?

When someone close to us experiences the loss of a loved one, it’s upon us to comfort them and help them feel better.

To help them know they can count on our support during such difficult times.

It’s never easy when a loved one endures a difficult time period or loses a loved one.

Hopefully, the above quotes and messages will provide some inspiration and help you express your sympathy and support.

Which of the condolences quotes above was your favorite?

Do you have any other quotes and messages to add to the list?

Let us know in the comment section below.

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