Source identified
Read & copy the quotation
“The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone.”
- Date
- 1865
Meaning of “The bitterest tears shed over graves are for…”
Stowe links some of grief’s deepest regret to affection, appreciation or helpful action that was withheld until death made expression impossible.
Where does it come from?
The Chimney-Corner, IV, ‘Little Foxes.—Part III,’ first published in The Atlantic Monthly (April 1865) and represented by Project Gutenberg #30611, around printed page 500. ‘The bitterest tears shed over graves...’ follows Stowe's argument that affection left unexpressed can become remorse after death and is followed by examples of words people wish they had said. This collection's ‘Repression’ label describes this moral section rather than a separate printed chapter title; the passage is domestic-moral essay rhetoric, not clinical grief guidance or a guarantee about bereavement.