proverb · Words worth keeping
Time cures sorrow.
Time cures sorrow.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying describes time as curing sorrow. A careful interpretation treats that as hope for gradual change rather than a promise that waiting erases loss.
What the words are saying
Cure gives time the role of a remedy. It can help express confidence that a difficult feeling may become more bearable. It must not prescribe inactivity or tell someone that they should already be over a loss. A useful reading recognises grief’s continuing meaning and the role of relationships, practical help and the person’s own choices. The words are a metaphor rather than treatment guidance.
Everyday example
Friends offer patient support without asking a grieving person to demonstrate that enough time has passed.
When to use it
Use it to express hope without imposing a recovery schedule.
What it does not mean
Waiting is not a guaranteed remedy, and the saying is not medical or psychological advice.
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
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 1624 · Time
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English