Crying is cleansing. There's a reason for tears, happiness or

“Crying is cleansing. There’s a reason for tears, happiness or sadness.” Thus spoke Dionne Warwick, the great singer whose voice carried both joy and sorrow across generations. In these few words, she captures something ancient and sacred about the human heart—that tears are not signs of weakness, but instruments of healing. Her words remind us that crying is not to be hidden or shamed, but embraced as one of the purest expressions of the soul. For in every tear, whether of grief or of joy, something deep within us is washed clean, and life begins anew.

The origin of this quote comes from Warwick’s own life—a woman who has known both the heights of fame and the depths of loss. As an artist, she understood emotion not merely as a feeling, but as a force—something to be felt fully, expressed honestly, and transformed through song. She had lived through personal trials and heartbreaks, yet her music was never bitter. Instead, it was full of grace, tenderness, and resilience. When she said that crying is cleansing, she spoke from the experience of one who had wept and found strength in the weeping. She knew that tears are not a sign of defeat—they are a passage, a bridge from pain to peace.

The ancients, too, held this wisdom. In Greek philosophy, tears were seen as the release of the soul’s storm—a divine purging of sorrow. Homer wrote of warriors who wept openly, their tears flowing like rivers after battle, for in those moments they were human, not merely heroes. Jesus wept, too, showing that even divine compassion finds voice through tears. In every culture, from the laments of ancient Israel to the songs of the African griots, crying was never shameful. It was sacred. It was the body’s way of honoring what words could not contain—the awe of joy, the weight of grief, the immensity of love.

To say that crying is cleansing is to recognize that emotion, when suppressed, becomes poison. The one who hides their tears builds a dam within the soul, and the waters of sorrow stagnate into bitterness. But when one allows themselves to weep, the heart is rinsed of its pain, and clarity returns. Science itself now echoes this ancient truth: tears carry away stress hormones, and those who cry often feel calmer, lighter, renewed. Yet long before such studies, the wise already knew it—knew that the weeping heart is the healing heart, and that what begins in tears often ends in peace.

Consider the story of Queen Elizabeth I, who, after the execution of her beloved advisor Robert Devereux, shut herself in her chambers and wept for days. She, the “Virgin Queen,” who ruled nations and commanded armies, allowed herself to grieve without shame. And when she emerged, she did so with new resolve, her tears having tempered her sorrow into strength. Like Dionne Warwick, she understood that crying does not diminish one’s power—it restores it. Those who weep with sincerity return to the world more human, more compassionate, more alive.

Tears of happiness, too, share in this mystery. They remind us that joy and sorrow are woven from the same fabric of the heart. When a mother holds her newborn child, when a soldier returns from war, when a lost friend is found again—why do we cry? Because the soul recognizes that it has touched something too vast for speech. In that moment, the body becomes a vessel of reverence, and tears are its prayer. Dionne Warwick’s words honor this balance: that whether born from laughter or loss, every tear has purpose, every tear transforms.

The lesson, then, is this: do not resist your tears. Let them fall when they must, and let them teach you what words cannot. If you are grieving, let your sorrow flow freely, for only what is released can heal. If you are joyful, let your tears bear witness to the sacredness of the moment, to the wonder of being alive. Do not harden your heart with pride, for even mountains weep when the rains come—and from that weeping, rivers are born.

So, dear listener, remember Dionne Warwick’s truth: crying is cleansing. When your heart is heavy, let it rain. When it is full, let it overflow. Tears are the language of the spirit, the baptism of emotion, the bridge between despair and renewal. They carry away the dust of sorrow and leave behind the clarity of compassion. To weep is to be human; to allow oneself to weep is to be wise. Therefore, do not hide your tears—they are not your weakness. They are your soul remembering how to heal.