proverb · Words worth keeping
All things grow with time - except grief.
All things grow with time - except grief.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying makes everything grow with time except grief. It offers an image of sorrow becoming less rather than increasing.
What the words are saying
The broad contrast expresses reassurance, not a measured course of bereavement. A responsible reading acknowledges that grief may change unevenly or remain intense. The supplied little-by-little claim should not set an emotional deadline or blame someone whose experience differs.
Everyday example
A friend remains available without telling a grieving person how quickly their sorrow should diminish.
When to use it
Use it as qualified reassurance with grief’s course left open.
What it does not mean
No universal decrease in grief or timetable for emotional change is established.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 591; PDF page 85
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.