65 Sympathy Messages To Use In a Condolence Card
Show up for a grieving friend or family member with one of these comforting messages.
Posted 7/9/2025
Advice
Expressing our sympathy during a time of grief to a friend or family member is never easy. It's hard to find the right words to say, especially when all you want to do is support your loved one. Saying "I'm sorry," buying flowers and baking a casserole just doesn't feel like enough. If you're in need of a unique uplifting or meaningful message for a sympathy card — to send to a friend or family member after someone has passed away — take comfort in the fact that you are not alone. And the same rule applies to someone you barely know (like a new co-worker or neighbor) — saying “I’m sorry” sometimes feels a little removed, like maybe you don’t really mean it even though you totally do. It can be hard to figure out what to write in a sympathy card. These 65 sympathy quotes and short condolence for the loss of a mother or sympathy quotes for loss of a father — along with religious sympathy quotes — are sure to offer some comfort and peace during an emotional time.
Sympathy quotes for loss:
Sayings About The Nature of Grief
Grief is hard to put into words. it’s heavy, personal and ever-changing. Whether you're grieving or supporting someone who is, a thoughtful sympathy quote can help express what’s difficult to say. These heartfelt condolence quotes capture the depth of loss and the love behind it, offering comfort and clarity when you need it most.
- "Grief is the price we pay for love." —Queen Elizabeth II
- "Grief never ends, but it changes. It’s a passage, not a place to stay. Grief is not a sign of weakness, nor a lack of faith. It is the price of love.” —Unknown
- "Grief when it comes, it is nothing like we expect it to be." —Joan Didion
- “Grief is like the ocean; it comes on waves ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the water is calm, and sometimes it is overwhelming. All we can do is learn to swim.” —Vicki Harrison
- "Sorrow is so easy to express and yet so hard to tell.” —Joni Mitchell
- "There is no pain so great as the Memory of joy in present grief.” —Aeschylus
- "There is no greater sorrow than to recall happiness in times of misery." —Dante Alighieri
- "The phrase 'there are no words' seems like the only thing that fits right now. I cannot fathom what you're going through, but I love you and am thinking of you." —Anonymous
- "Wishing you strength for today and hope for tomorrow.” —Renee O'Neill
- "Grief never ends, but it changes. It’s a passage, not a place to stay." —Unknown
Sympathy Messages About Love That Endures
Love doesn’t disappear when someone passes — it lingers in memories, moments and the people they touched. These sympathy messages about love that endures are a reminder that even in grief, love remains. If you’re looking for a heartfelt condolence message to include in a card or note, these words offer warmth, hope and connection.
- "There is love in holding and there is love in letting go." —Elizabeth Berg
- “Those we love don’t go away, they walk beside us everyday.” —Unknown
- “Those we love and lose are always connected by heartstrings into infinity.” —Terri Guillemets
- “What we have once enjoyed we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us.” —Helen Keller
- "Unable are the Loved to die/ For Love is Immortality." —Emily Dickinson
- “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
- "To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die." —Thomas Campbell
- "There are no goodbyes for us. Wherever you are, you will always be in my heart.” —Mahatma Gandhi
- “May you take comfort in knowing there is one more angel above us.” —Unknown
- “Across the years I will walk with you, in deep green forests, on shores of sand and when our time on earth is through, in heaven too, you will have my hand!” —Robert Sexton
- “What is lovely never dies, But passes into other loveliness.” —Thomas Bailey Aldrich
Sympathy Quotes About Memory and Remembrance
Even after someone is gone, their memory lives on in the stories we tell and the moments we hold close. These sympathy quotes about memory and remembrance are perfect for honoring a loved one’s legacy or including in a condolence message when words are hard to find.
- “The Remembrance of the good done to those we have loved is the only consolation when we have lost them.” —Demoustier
- “The object is not to forget, but to remember to go on.” —Unknown
- “It’s hard to forget someone who gave you so much to remember.” —Unknown
- "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
- “Grant but memory to us and we lose nothing by death.” —Whittier
- “No, the camera can’t steal the soul. But it can occasionally hold it hostage.” —Unknown
- “As a well spent day brings happy sleep, so a life well spent brings happy death.” —Leonardo Da Vinci
- "As we go through the journey of life, we must remember that the impressions we leave behind will define who and what we are. They are just as individual as the paths we have chosen to walk. So leave good impressions wherever you go.” —Dave Hedges
Spiritual and Eternal Life Quotes About Loss
For many, faith offers comfort in times of loss — the belief that love and connection don’t end, even after death. These spiritual and eternal life quotes about loss speak to the hope of something beyond this life, making them a meaningful addition to a sympathy message or condolence card.
- “End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path, one that we all must take. The gray rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass, and then you see it.” —J.R.R. Tolkien
- "Death? Be as proud as you want: bore me later, because Love is sovereign here. Life never ends. Joy comes in the morning. Glory hallelujah. And let it be so." —Anne Lamott
- “Oh heart, if one should say to you that the soul perishes like the body, answer that the flower withers, but the seed remains." —Kahlil Gibran
- “There are some who bring a light so great to the world that even after they have gone, the light remains.” —Unknown
- “Darkness may hide the trees and the flowers from the eyes but it cannot hide love from the soul.” —Rumi
Heartfelt Condolence Quotes Between Mothers and Children
The bond between a mother and child is unlike any other, which makes the loss on either side especially heartbreaking.
Whether you're grieving the loss of a mother or supporting someone who has lost a child, these heartfelt condolence quotes reflect the depth of that love and the pain of its absence. Each quote offers a glimpse into that unique connection, providing comfort and understanding when it’s needed most.
- “A mother’s grief is as timeless as her love.” —Joanne Cacciatore
- “There is something about losing your mother that is permanent and inexpressible, a wound that will never quite heal.” —Susan Wiggs
Condolence Quotes About Acceptance, Ambiguity, and Moving Forward
Grief isn’t linear. Some days bring peace, others bring questions with no clear answers. These condolence quotes reflect the complexity of loss, the slow path toward acceptance and the strength it takes to keep going. Whether you're writing a sympathy message or simply trying to process your own emotions, these words offer gentle guidance through the uncertainty.
- "I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end..." —Gilda Radner
- "When we are learning the world, we know things we cannot say how we know. When we are relearning the world in the aftermath of a loss, we feel things we had almost forgotten..." —Meghan O'Rourke
Religious sympathy quotes:
For those who turn to faith during times of loss, spiritual words can offer deep comfort and hope. These religious sympathy messages reflect the belief in eternal life, divine love and the promise of peace beyond this world. Whether you're including scripture for a sympathy card or offering a condolence message rooted in faith, these Bible quotes about loss can help bring light to even the darkest moments.
- “Earth hath no sorrow that Heaven cannot heal.” —Thomas Moore
- “May He who knows your sorrow bring peace, comfort, and healing to your soul.” —Unknown
- “Please know that I am praying for your peace and comfort.” —Unknown
- "For death is no more than a turning of us over from time to eternity." —William Penn
- "When you lose someone you love, you gain an angel you know." —Unknown
- “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” —Matthew 5:4
- “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” —Psalm 46:1
- “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.” —Isaiah 43:2
Short sympathy messages:
Sometimes, a few heartfelt words are all it takes to show you care. These short sympathy messages are simple, sincere and perfect for cards, texts or condolence notes when you want to offer support without saying too much. Whether you're reaching out to a close friend or an acquaintance, these brief messages gently acknowledge their grief and let them know they're not alone.
- “Those we have held in our arms for a little while, we hold in our hearts forever.” —Unknown
- “I am so sorry for your loss.” —Unknown
- “We are with you through this difficult time.” —Unknown
- “May the sorrow you feel in your heart lighten by the love that surrounds you.” —Unknown
- “Hoping you feel surrounded by much love.” —Unknown
- “Sending you my love and comfort. Deepest sympathies for your loss” —Unknown
- “May loving memories ease your loss and bring you comfort.” —Unknown
- “Gone but not forgotten.” —Unknown
- "In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.” —Abraham Lincoln
- "It is not length of life, but depth of life." —Ralph Waldo Emerson
- “Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.” —Unknown
Comforting sympathy quotes:
In times of loss, words may not fix the pain, but they can offer a moment of comfort. These comforting sympathy quotes are meant to soothe the heart, remind us we’re not alone and provide a sense of peace in the midst of grief. Whether you’re writing a condolence message or simply looking for reassurance, these quotes can help carry the weight of sorrow with grace and care.
- “Perhaps they are not stars, but rather openings in heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy.” —Eskimo Proverb
- “The sun, the moon, the wind, the stars, will forever be around, reminding you of the love you shared, and the peace she’s finally found.” —Unknown
- "I know for certain that we never lose the people we love, even to death. They continue to participate in every act, thought and decision we make. Their love leaves an indelible imprint in our memories. We find comfort in knowing that our lives have been enriched by having shared their love." —Leo Buscaglia
- "There are no goodbyes for us. Wherever you are, you will always be in my heart." —Mahatma Gandhi
- “A great soul serves everyone all the time. A great soul never dies. It brings us together again and again.” —Maya Angelou
- “May love be what you remember most.” —Darcie Sims
- “When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure.” —Unknown
- “May you find comfort in loving memories, strength in the support of those who care, and hope in each new day.” —Unknown
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