Loss Quotes | Beyond Motive

top of page

Loss Quotes

"The best way to guarantee a loss is to quit."

"The best way to guarantee a loss is to quit."

Morgan Freeman, American Actor

67

"There's not a day that goes by, without me thinking of you, dying, in someone else's arms."

"There's not a day that goes by, without me thinking of you, dying, in someone else's arms."

Anthony Liccione, American Author

Loss, Love, Grief, Memory

15

"Sometimes we feel the loss of a prejudice as a loss of vigor."

"Sometimes we feel the loss of a prejudice as a loss of vigor."

Eric Hoffer, American Writer

Loss, Prejudice

14

"Deep down inside we always seek for our departed loved ones."

"Deep down inside we always seek for our departed loved ones."

Munia Khan, Bangladeshi Poet

Loss, Memory, Love, Grief

14

"Riches do not exhilarate us so much with their possession as they torment us with their loss."

"Riches do not exhilarate us so much with their possession as they torment us with their loss."

Epicurus, Greek Philosopher

Loss, Possession

13

"A great man is one who leaves others at a loss after he is gone."

"A great man is one who leaves others at a loss after he is gone."

Paul Valery, French Poet

13

"While struggling with all the loss in her life, she mournfully thought, "If only I could forget..." But that would be too easy, wouldn't it? However, she did with most; she never got too close and she never stayed too long, but there she was...struggling with all the loss in her life."

"While struggling with all the loss in her life, she mournfully thought, "If only I could forget..." But that would be too easy, wouldn't it? However, she did with most; she never got too close and she never stayed too long, but there she was...struggling with all the loss in her life."

Donna Lynn Hope, Jamaican Author

Loss, Memory, Distance, Pain

12

"Mary Joe Fernandez rarely has a bad loss. She never tries for stupid shots."

"Mary Joe Fernandez rarely has a bad loss. She never tries for stupid shots."

Tracy Austin, American Athlete

12

"The pressure suit helps if something goes wrong during launch or re-entry - astronauts have a way to parachute off the shuttle. The suits protect you from loss of pressure in case of emergency."

"The pressure suit helps if something goes wrong during launch or re-entry - astronauts have a way to parachute off the shuttle. The suits protect you from loss of pressure in case of emergency."

Sally Ride, American Astronaut

Loss, Pressure, Wrong

11

"One should never be sexually involved with anyone one genuinely cares for. A sexual relationship guarantees a loss."

"One should never be sexually involved with anyone one genuinely cares for. A sexual relationship guarantees a loss."

Mary Gordon, American Writer

11

"Lest when I am gone you may be at a loss for an epitaph for me, let me give you one - He Fed Fevers."

"Lest when I am gone you may be at a loss for an epitaph for me, let me give you one - He Fed Fevers."

Robert James Graves, Irish Scientist

11

"I'd love to know how Dad saw me when I was 6. I'd love to know a hundred things. When a parent dies, a filing cabinet full of all the fascinating stuff also ceases to exist. I never imagined how hungry I'd be one day to look inside it."

"I'd love to know how Dad saw me when I was 6. I'd love to know a hundred things. When a parent dies, a filing cabinet full of all the fascinating stuff also ceases to exist. I never imagined how hungry I'd be one day to look inside it."

David Mitchell, British Novelist

Loss, Memory, Parenting, Hunger

11

"They had survived, when so many had not. And no one else could understand what it was like to bear it, unless they had lost as much."

"They had survived, when so many had not. And no one else could understand what it was like to bear it, unless they had lost as much."

Sarah J. Maas, American Novelist

Loss, Survival, Grief, Strength

11

"One of the great penalties those of us who live our lives in full view of the public must pay is the loss of that most cherished birthright of man's, privacy."

"One of the great penalties those of us who live our lives in full view of the public must pay is the loss of that most cherished birthright of man's, privacy."

Mary Pickford, Canadian Actress

Loss, Man, Privacy, Public

10

"The mark of a true politician is that he is never at a loss for words because he is always half-expecting to be asked to make a speech."

"The mark of a true politician is that he is never at a loss for words because he is always half-expecting to be asked to make a speech."

Richard M. Nixon, American President

Loss, Speech, Words

10

"It has always appeared to me, that there is so much to be done in this world, that all self-inflicted suffering which cannot be turned to good account for others, is a loss - a loss, if you may so express it, to the spiritual world."

"It has always appeared to me, that there is so much to be done in this world, that all self-inflicted suffering which cannot be turned to good account for others, is a loss - a loss, if you may so express it, to the spiritual world."

Arthur Helps, British Historian

Loss, May, Self, Spiritual

9

"He was a top man and a good professional. He was one of those who you know will never play a trick and you can ask him to do anything for you and he will. An unassuming man and a great loss to us all."

"He was a top man and a good professional. He was one of those who you know will never play a trick and you can ask him to do anything for you and he will. An unassuming man and a great loss to us all."

Geoffrey Boycott, British Athlete

Loss, Man, Play, Will

9

"I deplore the loss of arts on BBC One and Two."

"I deplore the loss of arts on BBC One and Two."

Jonathan Dimbleby, British Writer

9

"Relinquishing apparent national sovereignty does not have to entail a loss of national sovereignty, but can actually be a benefit."

"Relinquishing apparent national sovereignty does not have to entail a loss of national sovereignty, but can actually be a benefit."

Ulrich Beck, German Sociologist

9

"To win you have to risk loss."

"To win you have to risk loss."

Jean-Claude Killy, French Athlete

9

"I will not be responsible for the loss of the Democratic majority in the United States Senate."

"I will not be responsible for the loss of the Democratic majority in the United States Senate."

Robert Torricelli, American Politician

Loss, Majority, Senate, states

9

"The loss of a child is the most terrifying place for me to go."

"The loss of a child is the most terrifying place for me to go."

Nicole Kidman, Australian Actress

9

"Any life wasted or spent is gone and it will never come back."

"Any life wasted or spent is gone and it will never come back."

Sunday Adelaja, Nigerian Author

Loss, Life, Wasted, Time, Irrecoverable

9

"I remembered the pain as clearly as if I were shifting - the pain of loss. I felt the agony of the single moment that I lost myself. Lost what made me Sam. The part of me that could remember Grace's name."

"I remembered the pain as clearly as if I were shifting - the pain of loss. I felt the agony of the single moment that I lost myself. Lost what made me Sam. The part of me that could remember Grace's name."

Maggie Stiefvater, American Author

Loss, Pain, Memory, Identity

9

"The emptiness that fills in when once-the-beloved says, "Who are you?"

"The emptiness that fills in when once-the-beloved says, "Who are you?"

Vikrmn, Indian Author

Loss, Emptiness, Identity, Truth

9

"All we had was her room, her stories, and the quiet that settled in as we tried in vain to spread ourselves out and fill the space she'd left behind."

"All we had was her room, her stories, and the quiet that settled in as we tried in vain to spread ourselves out and fill the space she'd left behind."

Sarah Dessen, American Author

Loss, Memory, Space, Quiet

9

"That what I need to survive is not Gale's fire, kindled with rage and hatred. I have plenty of fire myself. What I need is the dandelion in the spring. The bright yellow that means rebirth instead of destruction. The promise that life can go on, no matter how bad our losses. That it can be good again. And only Peeta can give me that."

"That what I need to survive is not Gale's fire, kindled with rage and hatred. I have plenty of fire myself. What I need is the dandelion in the spring. The bright yellow that means rebirth instead of destruction. The promise that life can go on, no matter how bad our losses. That it can be good again. And only Peeta can give me that."

Suzanne Collins, American Novelist

Loss, Needs, Life, Promise

9

"Everything seems pointless since you left."

"Everything seems pointless since you left."

Haruki Murakami, Japanese Writer

Loss, Pain, Grief, Despair

9

"Only now, standing with him, I realized it wouldn't be enough. It would only hurt more now, knowing exactly what I could never have again. I would never make love with Seth again, never have these intimate moments of comfort and rapport. He wasn't mine anymore. He never could be again."

"Only now, standing with him, I realized it wouldn't be enough. It would only hurt more now, knowing exactly what I could never have again. I would never make love with Seth again, never have these intimate moments of comfort and rapport. He wasn't mine anymore. He never could be again."

Richelle Mead, American Author

Loss, Love, Grief, Heartbreak

9

"I am always at a loss at how much to believe of my own stories."

"I am always at a loss at how much to believe of my own stories."

Washington Irving, American Writer

8

"We never understand how little we need in this world until we know the loss of it."

"We never understand how little we need in this world until we know the loss of it."

James M. Barrie, British Playwright

8

"Mostly it is loss which teaches us about the worth of things."

"Mostly it is loss which teaches us about the worth of things."

Arthur Schopenhauer, German Philosopher

Loss, Values, Worth, Lesson

8

"I am truly sorry that a fowl of Canada is no longer with us."

"I am truly sorry that a fowl of Canada is no longer with us."

Dave Winfield, American Athlete

8

"When love has left us in the lurch and nothing ever strikes a chord anymore, we may come to realize a vacuum of the lost vibrations of happiness and an absence of the ethereal and exalting feel of harmony that we only become aware of, after time passes by and everything has expired. ['Amour en friche']"

"When love has left us in the lurch and nothing ever strikes a chord anymore, we may come to realize a vacuum of the lost vibrations of happiness and an absence of the ethereal and exalting feel of harmony that we only become aware of, after time passes by and everything has expired. ['Amour en friche']"

Erik Pevernagie, Belgian Author

Loss, Love, Happiness, Harmony

8

"Now, his hair is white and he no longer understands anyone's need to love, for he has lost everything, not to love, but to his games of love; and when you love as a game, you lose everything, as he lost his home and wife, and now he clings to me, afraid of loss, afraid of solitude."

"Now, his hair is white and he no longer understands anyone's need to love, for he has lost everything, not to love, but to his games of love; and when you love as a game, you lose everything, as he lost his home and wife, and now he clings to me, afraid of loss, afraid of solitude."

Anais Nin, American Author

Loss, Love, Games, Fear

8

"He lost the great big outward thing, the good- looking package, and the real parts endured. They shine through like crazy, the brillian mind and humor, the depth of generosity, the intense blue yes, those beautiful hands."

"He lost the great big outward thing, the good- looking package, and the real parts endured. They shine through like crazy, the brillian mind and humor, the depth of generosity, the intense blue yes, those beautiful hands."

Anne Lamott, American Author

Loss, Love, Endurance, Mind

7

"I am struck by how casually we as a nation react to the carnage in Iraq."

"I am struck by how casually we as a nation react to the carnage in Iraq."

Charles Rangel, American Politician

Loss, Iraq, Nation

7

"The loss just made me hungry; it made me want to go out and win another title."

"The loss just made me hungry; it made me want to go out and win another title."

Thomas Hearns, American Athlete

7

"The weeping of an heir is laughter in disguise."

"The weeping of an heir is laughter in disguise."

Publilius Syrus, Roman Writer

Loss, Disguise, Heir, Laughter, Weeping

7

"The attack did not succeed as well as I had hoped, no small impediment having been the loss of my right leg."

"The attack did not succeed as well as I had hoped, no small impediment having been the loss of my right leg."

Peter Stuyvesant, Dutch Public Servant

Loss, Right, Succeed

7

"If I win seven tournaments in a row, I get so confident I'm in a cloud. A loss gets me eager again."

"If I win seven tournaments in a row, I get so confident I'm in a cloud. A loss gets me eager again."

Chris Evert, American Athlete

7

"You will lose someone you can't live without,and your heart will be badly broken, and the bad news is that you never completely get over the loss of your beloved. But this is also the good news. They live forever in your broken heart that doesn't seal back up. And you come through. It's like having a broken leg that never heals perfectly-that still hurts when the weather gets cold, but you learn to dance with the limp."

"You will lose someone you can't live without,and your heart will be badly broken, and the bad news is that you never completely get over the loss of your beloved. But this is also the good news. They live forever in your broken heart that doesn't seal back up. And you come through. It's like having a broken leg that never heals perfectly-that still hurts when the weather gets cold, but you learn to dance with the limp."

Anne Lamott, American Author

Loss, Heart, Learning, Dance

7

"The slaves of socialism are slaves, but they are no one's property and therefore no one's loss."

"The slaves of socialism are slaves, but they are no one's property and therefore no one's loss."

George Reisman, American Economist

Loss, Property, Socialism

7

"What I learned from that loss, and also another loss that I'm going to talk about later, was that when you're there, it's not good enough to be there, when you're there, you better walk away with that ring."

"What I learned from that loss, and also another loss that I'm going to talk about later, was that when you're there, it's not good enough to be there, when you're there, you better walk away with that ring."

Don Shula, American Coach

7

"Oh, sometimes I think it is of no use to make friends. They only go out of your life after a while and leave a hurt that is worse than the emptiness before they came."

"Oh, sometimes I think it is of no use to make friends. They only go out of your life after a while and leave a hurt that is worse than the emptiness before they came."

L. M. Montgomery, Canadian Author

Loss, Friendship, Hurt, Emptiness

7

"This bed yawnsbeneath the weightof our absent selves."

"This bed yawnsbeneath the weightof our absent selves."

Maya Angelou, American Poet

Loss, Absence, Emptiness, Love

7

"There's a bit of magic in everything, and some loss to even things out."

"There's a bit of magic in everything, and some loss to even things out."

Lou Reed, American Musician

6

"You may lose by it now and then, but it will be a loss well gained if you do."

"You may lose by it now and then, but it will be a loss well gained if you do."

Edward V. Lucas, American Writer

Loss, May, Now, Will

6

"We Greeks are lovers of the beautiful, yet simple in our tastes, and we cultivate the mind without loss of manliness."

"We Greeks are lovers of the beautiful, yet simple in our tastes, and we cultivate the mind without loss of manliness."

Thucydides, Greek Historian

Loss, Lovers, Mind

6

"The pain of retirement means loss."

"The pain of retirement means loss."

John Murray, American Publisher

Loss, Pain, Retirement

6

bottom of page