It’s Okay Not To Be Okay
Sad but true.
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Our culture has a strange relationship with sadness, even though it is a valuable and important part of being human.
Your feelings are valid.
We’ve been taught by society that sadness is not okay, and that it is a sign of weakness — even though it’s a fundamental aspect of life. We all go through the motions of sadness, but it is not meant to be understood by everyone.
We all have our own ways of coping through life, and some of the most famous authors know what it’s like to be sad, too. In fact, they have taught us a lot more than we think.
Sadness is a complex riddle.
The way sadness works is one of the strange riddles of the world. If you are stricken with a great sadness, you may feel as if you have been set aflame, not only because of the enormous pain but also because your sadness may spread over your life, like smoke from an enormous fire.
— Lemony Snicket, Series of Unfortunate Events
Sadness can be a beautiful mess.
Tears are words that need to be written.
— Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
Sadness reminds us to embrace our flaws.
And now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.
— John Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men
Sadness teaches a lot about ourselves.
It’s so hard to forget pain, but it’s even harder to remember sweetness. We have no scar to show for happiness. We learn so little from peace.
— Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club
Sadness is in everyone.
Monsters are real, ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes they win.
— Stephen King, The Shining
Sadness reminds us that it is not permanent.
Even if we don’t have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there.
— Stephen Chbosky, Perks of Being a Wallflower
