Our cousins are built-in playmates. In fact, your earliest memories may be of climbing trees with your cousins in your grandparent’s backyard or spending the week together during the summer vacation from school.
Jump ahead to these sections:
- ‘Rest In Peace’ Quotes for a Little Cousin
- ‘Rest In Peace’ Quotes for an Older Cousin
- Sad ‘Rest In Peace’ Quotes for a Cousin
- Uplifting ‘Rest In Peace, Cousin’ Quotes
That’s why it is particularly difficult when our cousins die. Most of the time, they are our contemporaries, and losing them makes us face our own mortality. It’s also sad to lose the people who share the same happy childhood memories as we do.
Here are some quotes to help you reflect upon the passing of your cousin. Some are about the unique cousin relationship. Others are about how sad it is to lose a friend and family member. We hope you find a quote that speaks to the feelings you may be experiencing.
‘Rest In Peace’ Quotes for a Little Cousin
The loss of a child is always particularly devastating. If your family is mourning the loss of one of your cousins, here are some quotes that may bring you peace.
1. “Each new life, no matter how brief, forever changes the world.” —Unknown
What special memories do you have of your young cousin? Share those special times with others when you reflect on their young life.
2. “Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.” —A.A.Milne
A.A. Milne knew a bit about children. After all, he was the author who introduced the world to a lovable bear named Pooh.
3. “We weep over the graves of infants and the little ones taken from us by death; but an early grave may be the shortest way to heaven.” —Tryon Edwards
For those who believe in the afterlife, death loses a bit of its sting. If this is true for you, you may find solace knowing that your cousin is in Heaven.
4. “Let your children be as so many flowers, borrowed from God. If the flowers die or wither, thank God for a summer loan of them.” —Samuel Rutherford
Samuel Rutherford was a Scottish theologian born in the 1600s.
5. “The death of a baby is like a stone cast into the stillness of a quiet pool; the concentric ripples of despair sweep out in all directions, affecting many, many people.” —Darren DeFrain
Everyone in your family will feel affected by the death of your cousin. It’s not fair when someone dies so young.
6. “There’s no tragedy in life like the death of a child. Things never get back to the way they were.” —Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower lost a son to scarlet fever. The son, nicknamed Ikky, died in the arms of the man who would become the 34th U.S. president.
‘Rest In Peace’ Quotes for an Older Cousin
Some people look for rest in peace quotes to share on their social media accounts after losing someone they loved. Here are some to consider if you recently experienced the death of a cousin.
7. “There is no grief like the grief that does not speak.” —Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Perhaps you find it impossible to talk about the death of your loved one. This may pass, but it may take a long time.
8. “What we have once enjoyed deeply we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us.” —Helen Keller
Helen Keller’s cremains are entombed in the National Cathedral next to her beloved teacher and friend Anne Sullivan.
9. “When he died, all things soft and beautiful and bright would be buried with him.” —Madeline Miller
Did your cousin have a beautiful and gentle spirit? Celebrate his or her extraordinary life by sharing memories of the person you loved.
10. “Perhaps they are not the 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.” —Unknown
Perhaps this quote helps explain why we think about our loved ones when we stare up at the majestic sky at night.
11. “How can the dead be truly dead when they still live in the souls of those who are left behind?” —Carson McCullers
There are many quotes similar to this one, but the sentiment is so important it is worth sharing in several different forms.
12. “Death is not the end of life; it is the beginning of an eternal journey.” —Debasish Mridha
We may take comfort in knowing that our loved one lives on in another realm, but you still will miss your cousin and friend here on Earth.
Sad ‘Rest In Peace’ Quotes for a Cousin
Are you looking for a different way to share the news of your cousin’s death? Here are some rest in peace alternatives.
13. “The loss of a friend is like that of a limb; time may heal the anguish of the wound, but the loss cannot be repaired.” —Robert Southey
There is no time limit for grief. In fact, it may be with you for the rest of your life.
14. “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
Comparing grief to the ocean’s current helps a person visualize what life will feel like after a loved one is gone.
15. “There are no happy endings. Endings are the saddest part. So just give me a happy middle and a very happy start.” —Shel Silverstein
Poet Shel Silverstein used simple rhymes and rhythms to share his philosophies on life.
16. “One more day. One more time. One more sunset, maybe I’d be satisfied. But then again, I know what it would do. Leave me wishing still for one more day with you.” —Diamond Rio
You may long for those carefree, childhood days when you played in your grandma’s back yard with your cousin.
17. “Look closely and you will see everyone carrying bags of cement on their shoulders.” —Edward Hirsch
The death of your cousin may leave you feeling weighed down and sad. You may have a hard time functioning for a while. Remember that others may also be feeling this same sadness.
18. “She was no longer wrestling with grief, but could sit down with it as a lasting companion, and make it a sharer in her thoughts.” —Geroge Eliot
It may take years before you feel a bit of peace regarding the death of your cousin.
Uplifting’ Rest In Peace, Cousin’ Quotes
The idea that there are quotes about death that may be “uplifting” probably sounds crazy. But for those who believe in the promise of the afterlife, the idea of death can be an uplifting experience.
19. “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.’” —John 11:25-26
Jesus explains the salvation plan in these verses from the Book of John.
20. “Hope smiles on the threshold of the year to come, whispering ‘it will be happier.’” —Alfred Tennyson
When you lose someone, you may have a difficult time imagining that you could be happy again. Then the day will come when you can smile, and then, your grief changes.
21. “Someday soon, we all will be together if the fates allow. Until then, we’ll have to muddle through somehow.” —Hugh Martin
You wouldn’t think that the lines of a Christmas song would include an uplifting quote about grief. This line, of course, comes from “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”
22. “I will not say ‘do not weep’ for not all tears are evil.” —J.R.R. Tolkien
If you feel like crying about the death of your cousin, do so.
23. “Death ends a life, not a relationship.” —Mitch Albom
Mitch Albom wrote the international bestseller, Tuesdays With Morrie.
24. “It is not length of life, but depth of life.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson
Perhaps you’ll feel some solace that your cousin had a good life, even though it was too short.
25. “To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.” —J.K. Rowling
Professor Dumbledore says this to Harry in the first book of the Harry Potter series. It has become a favorite quote about death since the book was published in 1997.
Sometimes It’s Hard to Know What to Say
You may not be used to experiencing deep sorrow, and it will leave you at a loss for words. We understand. That’s why this website also shares quotes about grandparents’ death as well as alternatives for how to say sorry for your loss.