Crying is one of the most human things we do. It is raw, unfiltered, and honest. These crying quotes remind us that tears are not just about sadness; they are a release, a way to process what words cannot always hold.

Crying is what happens when the weight we carry finally demands to be felt.

And yet, crying is not the end of the story. It is a beginning. Tears can help us soften what has hardened, clear away what we have buried, and give us a moment of stillness before we take the next step.

However, healing requires more than just crying; it requires courage. It asks for action.

Whether you are crying from heartbreak, relief, or even joy, these quotes will meet you where you are.

They are reminders that your tears matter, but so does what you do after them.

Did You Know Fascinating Facts About Tears?

• Humans are unique: we are the only species that sheds emotional tears.
• Three types of tears: Basal tears keep your eyes moist. Reflex tears protect against irritants. Emotional tears are linked to feelings and stress release.
• Emotional tears are chemical: they contain stress hormones and natural painkillers like leucine enkephalin, helping you feel better after crying.
• It is healthy to cry: Studies show crying can lower blood pressure, improve mood, and activate your parasympathetic nervous system, your body’s natural calming system.
• Most people cry more than they think: On average, women cry 30 to 64 times a year and men 6 to 17 times.
• Crying builds connection: Tears often signal vulnerability, foster empathy, and deepen relationships.

Short Crying Quotes for When Words Fail You

Sometimes the simplest words say everything. These short quotes capture the raw truth of tears in just a few lines.

• “Those who do not weep do not see.” — Victor Hugo, Les Misérables
• “People can cry much easier than they can change.” — James Baldwin
• “Don’t cry over someone who wouldn’t cry over you.” — Lauren Conrad
• “I often cry when I am happy and smile when I am sad.” — Anne Brontë
• “Tears never were worth the effort of crying them.” — Mary Balogh, The Devil’s Web
• “To hide feelings when you are near crying is the secret of dignity.” — Dejan Stojanovic
• “I shed more tears than God could ever have required.” — Arthur Rimbaud, Illuminations
• “I never guessed I could cry so hard my face hurt.” — Vernor Vinge, A Fire Upon the Deep
• “More and more, the hardest part of crying is when I can’t stop.” — Chuck Palahniuk, Choke
• “Life is like an onion, you peel it off one layer at a time, and sometimes you weep.” — Carl Sandburg

• “If you’ve never eaten while crying, you don’t know what life tastes like.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Crying Without Shame Quotes That Give You Permission to Feel

Tears are not a weakness. These crying quotes remind you that crying is human, and you do not have to apologize for it.

• “You can cry, ain’t no shame in it.” — Will Smith
• “If you haven’t cried, your eyes can’t be beautiful.” — Sophia Loren
• “We need never be ashamed of our tears.” ― Charles Dickens, Great Expectations
• “Crying doesn’t mean you are weak. Sometimes it is what you need to do to get strong again.” — J.W. Lynne
• “Crying is never a symbol of weakness. For the time we are born, it has always been a sign that we are alive.” — Unknown
• “No matter how big you get, it is still okay to cry because everybody has a right to their own tears.” — Jacqueline Woodson
• “It’s okay that we are not perfect. It’s okay that we all have problems. It’s okay to cry to show emotions.” — Marina Abramovic
• “Don’t be ashamed to weep; it is right to grieve. Tears are only water, and flowers, trees, and fruit cannot grow without water.” — Brian Jacques, Taggerung
• “Do not apologize for crying. Without this emotion, we are only robots.” — Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India, and Indonesia
• “Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth overlying our hard hearts. I was better after I had cried than before, more sorry, more aware of my own ingratitude, more gentle.” — Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

Cleansing, Crying Quotes About Release and Renewal

Crying can wash away more than emotions; it can clear your soul. These tear quotes reflect on tears as a powerful form of release.

• “Tears are the summer showers to the soul.” — Alfred Austin
• “Every tear I have shed purifies my soul.” — Lailah Gifty Akita
• “Crying relieves pressure on soul.” — Toba Beta, Master of Stupidity
• “What soap is for the body, tears are for the soul.” — Jewish Proverb

• “Crying is cleansing. There is a reason for tears, happiness, or sadness.” — Dionne Warwick
• “Tears are the safety valve of the heart when too much pressure is laid on it.” — Albert Smith
• “It opens the lungs, washes the countenance, exercises the eyes, and softens down the temper so cry away.” — Charles Dickens
• “To cry was to release all sorts of ugly little pressures and tensions. Like waking out of a long, dark dream to a sun-filled day.” ― Anne McCaffrey, Nerilka’s Story
• “You know that a good long session of weeping can often make you feel better even if your circumstances have not changed one bit.” — Lemony Snicket, The Bad Beginning
• “There is an ancient tribal proverb I once heard in India. It says that before we can see properly, we must first shed our tears to clear the way.” — Libba Bray, The Sweet Far Thing

Where Laughter Meets Tears Quotes About Feeling It All

Tears and laughter are two sides of the same coin. These crying quotes remind us that even in our hardest moments, joy and grief often intertwine.

• “Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion.” — Steel Magnolias
• “Laugh now, cry later.” — Erma Bombeck, The Grass Is Always Greener over the Septic Tank
• “My body needs laughter as much as it needs tears. Both are cleansers of stress.” — Mahogany Silver Rain
• “Those who do not know how to weep with their whole heart don’t know how to laugh either.” — Golda Meir
• “Sometimes crying or laughing are the only options left, and laughing feels better right now.” — Veronica Roth, Divergent
• “Laugh till you weep. Weep till there is nothing left but to laugh at your weeping. In the end, it is all one.” — Frederick Buechner

• “There are people who laugh to show their fine teeth and there are those who cry to show their good hearts.” — Joseph Roux
• “At some point, I had to start laughing because I was all wrung out from crying.” — Julie Metz, Perfection: A Memoir of Betrayal and Renewal
• “The tears of the world are a constant quality. For each one who begins to weep somewhere else, another stops. The same is true of the laugh.” — Samuel Beckett
• “Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh since there is less cleaning up to do afterward.” — Kurt Vonnegut

Moving Forward Crying Quotes About Life Beyond the Tears

• “Cry. Forgive. Learn. Move on. Let your tears water the seeds of your future happiness.” — Steve Maraboli
• “If somebody hurts you it is okay to cry a river just remember to build a bridge and get over it.” — Taylor Swift
• “Shining through tears like April suns in showers that labor to overcome the cloud that loads them.” — Thomas Otway
• “It is no good crying over spilt milk because all the forces of the universe were bent on spilling it.” — William Somerset Maugham
• “People are not always very tolerant of the tears which they themselves have provoked.” — Marcel Proust, The Captive & The Fugitive
• “There you go let it all slide out Unhappiness cannot stick in a person soul when it is slick with tears.” — Shannon Hale, Princess Academy
• “Crying is all right in its way while it lasts But you have to stop sooner or later and then you still have to decide what to do.” — C.S. Lewis, The Silver Chair
• “Your tears come easy when you are young and beginning the world. Your tears come easy when you are old and leaving it.” — Wilkie Collins, The Moonstone
• “Weeping is not the same thing as crying. It takes your whole body to weep, and when it is over, you feel like you don’t have any bones left to hold you up.” — Sarah Ockler, Twenty Boy Summer
• “Guys always think tears are a sign of weakness. They are a sign of frustration. She is only crying so she will not cut your throat in your sleep. So, make nice and be grateful.” — Donna Barr

Remember, Grief is Only One Reason to Cry

Crying does not make you weak. It makes you honest.

It is your body’s way of saying, “This matters. This hurts. This needs space.”

But remember, while tears can soften the pain, they are not meant to hold you in it forever.

After the crying comes the choosing — choosing to stand up, to heal, to keep going.

If these quotes remind you of anything, let it be this: your tears are not wasted.

They are a sign that you are alive, that you have cared deeply, and that you are still moving forward even when it feels impossible.

Take the release, take the clarity, and when you are ready, take the next step.

Tell us your favorite quote about crying in the comment section.