Your tears do not wash away your sorrows. They feed someone else's joy. And that is why you must learn to swallow your own tears.
The quote from Amy Tan's "The Joy Luck Club" suggests that expressing sorrow through tears can have unintended consequences. Instead of alleviating personal pain, one's emotional outpouring might inadvertently bring happiness to others. This indicates a complex dynamic in human relationships where vulnerability may be exploited or not fully appreciated by those around us.
The message encourages individuals to find inner strength and cope with their sadness privately. It highlights the need for resilience and the importance of understanding that sometimes, personal struggles should be managed internally rather than shared, as they might not always attract the support one needs.