Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.

The line urges a shift from grief over endings to gratitude for experience. Instead of treating closure as pure loss, it frames the past as a source of joy that remains meaningful even when a relationship, period of life, or event has concluded. The aphorism belongs to a broad consolatory tradition—akin to “don’t be sad it’s gone; be glad it happened”—and its popularity reflects how neatly it captures a common emotional task: integrating nostalgia and disappointment without denying either. As a standalone maxim, it functions as advice for resilience and perspective-taking, emphasizing memory and appreciation over regret.