“Some of you say, “Joy is greater than sorrow,” and others say, “Nay, sorrow is the greater.”
But I say unto you, they are inseparable.
Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.”
― Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet
Image: Fallen leaves on the ground by Lif…via Flickr.
Welcome! I am a lawyer turned freelance writer, essayist, and editor. On staff at Literary Mama and the co-founder and co-editor of the literary journal, The Sunlight Press, my essays and reported work have appeared in The Washington Post, The Lily, Saveur, Civil Eats, Brain, Child, ESPN and elsewhere. I am currently at work on a memoir on grief and culture and how it provides perspective on life’s ordinary graces. I invite you to appreciate the ordinary with me. I hope my daily practice of seeing the magic in the mundane helps you celebrate and find more of these moments in your life too. Read More
Yes. There’s another brief part of this book where he says something along the lines of the deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain. I think of it every single day. xo
It’s true, but it’s also that when I am with one, the other one is buzzing around in my brain.
That sounds like my big love affair with Inside Out!
Wonderful quote.
Sometimes one comes with the other.
http://www.artadorned.com
I love this!
Interesting thought. I like the yin yang of this. It is something I have to give more thought to right now. Thanks for sharing.
Love this quote and love Kahlil Gibran. So often we turn away from sorrow or try to pretend it isn’t there. Our society puts a lot of pressure on people to “be happy” all the time, which isn’t realistic or sustainable. It is possible for joy and sorrow to co-exist.
Love this and Tamara took the words out of my mouth. Perhaps the writers of Inside Out had read this quote…