--- title: Sheryl Sandberg: Facebook Helped Me Mourn My Husband's Death description: There's something universal about the ability to connect and share. canonical: https://time.com/4150111/sheryl-sandberg-motivation-social-media/ author: TIME article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-12-15T19:51:41.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:56:49.517Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Sheryl Sandberg: Social Media Helped Me Mourn My Husband's Death og:description: There's something universal about the ability to connect and share og:url: https://time.com/4150111/sheryl-sandberg-motivation-social-media/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt800626648a51080d/698875700b72e353a56e746c/sheryl-sandberg-facebook.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4000 og:image:height: 2250 og:image:alt: Sheryl Sandberg at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 25, 2014. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Sheryl Sandberg: Social Media Helped Me Mourn My Husband's Death twitter:description: There's something universal about the ability to connect and share twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt800626648a51080d/698875700b72e353a56e746c/sheryl-sandberg-facebook.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Sheryl Sandberg: Social Media Helped Me Mourn My Husband's Death > Sponsored content. 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It explains how TIME's journalism is made, from the first pitch through the editorial decisions behind a finished story or cover. #### How can I read about how TIME chooses its covers? Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ## Video: Know Right Now: Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg Heartfelt Message On Husband's Passing [Watch (HLS stream): Know Right Now: Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg Heartfelt Message On Husband's Passing](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/oo0AYnz7.m3u8) (1:00)  _Published 2015-06-03. After 30 days of mourning, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg shares what she's learned since her husband's sudden passing._ by [Quora](https://time.com/author/quora/) ## Quora Dec 15, 2015 7:51 PM UTC  Sheryl Sandberg at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 25, 2014. Sheryl Sandberg at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 25, 2014. Chris Ratcliffe—Bloomberg via Getty Images by [Quora](https://time.com/author/quora/) ## Quora Dec 15, 2015 7:51 PM UTC [_Answer_](https://www.quora.com/How-do-you-keep-yourself-motivated-2/answer/Sheryl-Sandberg)_by_ [_Sheryl Sandberg_](https://www.quora.com/profile/Sheryl-Sandberg)_, COO at Facebook and founder of LeanIn.org_ _,_ _on_ [_Quora_](http://www.quora.com/)_._ I stay motivated by working on things I really care about. Facebook’s mission continues to be important to me because I believe so deeply that an open and connected world will help create a better world. People come to Facebook to share the things they care about, and in 2015 we saw the global community come together in ways we never have before. At a time when there’s hate and violence and uncertainty around the world, I really believe that people are seeking greater understanding, more communication, and a larger sense of community. On Facebook, more and more, we find people fulfilling those desires as part the largest community of volunteers, donors, and activists in the world. The world’s problems can feel impersonal and distant, but a single image instantly makes them personal and real — and I think that’s what happens on Facebook and Instagram. Images and stories make invisible victims visible. They inspire us to act faster, do more, and keep working towards a better world. We saw that this year with the photo of three-year-old Aylan Kurdi, the Syrian refugee child who drowned before reaching safety and freedom on shore. For me, the reaction to his death on Facebook – from the expressions of sorrow to the calls for action — showed that when people feel connected to each other they are inspired to do more to help. On a personal note, Facebook is helping me get through what has been the hardest year of my life. When I lost my husband suddenly and unexpectedly in May, I felt very isolated — I shared on Facebook and the support of strangers and friends made a huge difference. Recovering from loss is a huge part of the human condition and by connecting with people on Facebook I was reminded that I was part of that global community. Anything you experience, no matter how tragic or devastating, is something that other people are also going through. There’s something universal about the ability to connect and share and say to someone else, “It gets better.” _This question originally appeared on_ [_Quora: Sheryl Sandberg: How do you keep yourself motivated?_](https://www.quora.com/How-do-you-keep-yourself-motivated-2) _More from Quora:_ * [Sheryl Sandberg’s answer to What should men do (and not do) to support the growth of women in tech?](https://www.quora.com/What-should-men-do-and-not-do-to-support-the-growth-of-women-in-tech-2/answer/Sheryl-Sandberg) * [Sheryl Sandberg’s answer to What is your secret weapon for creating a great company culture across several locations with distant timezones?](https://www.quora.com/What-is-your-secret-weapon-for-creating-a-great-company-culture-across-several-locations-with-distant-timezones/answer/Sheryl-Sandberg) * [Sheryl Sandberg’s answer to What would you tell your younger self when you were just starting out?](https://www.quora.com/What-would-you-tell-your-younger-self-when-you-were-just-starting-out/answer/Sheryl-Sandberg) ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] Sandberg: " I have gained a more profound understanding of what it is to be a mother ." Sandberg: " As heartbroken as I am, I look at my children each day and rejoice that they are alive" [ MUSIC ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4150111/sheryl-sandberg-motivation-social-media/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4150111/sheryl-sandberg-motivation-social-media/"},"headline":"Sheryl Sandberg: Social Media Helped Me Mourn My Husband's Death","datePublished":"2015-12-15T19:51:41.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:56:49.517Z","description":"There's something universal about the ability to connect and share","url":"https://time.com/4150111/sheryl-sandberg-motivation-social-media/","keywords":["Technology","society","Social Media","Sheryl Sandberg","Know Right Now","knowrightnow"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt800626648a51080d/698875700b72e353a56e746c/sheryl-sandberg-facebook.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Quora","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/quora/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt800626648a51080d/698875700b72e353a56e746c/sheryl-sandberg-facebook.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Sheryl Sandberg at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 25, 2014.","caption":"Sheryl Sandberg at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 25, 2014.","creditText":"Chris Ratcliffe—Bloomberg via Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/technology/","name":"Technology"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4150111/sheryl-sandberg-motivation-social-media/","name":"Sheryl Sandberg: Social Media Helped Me Mourn My Husband's Death"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Know Right Now: Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg Heartfelt Message On Husband's Passing","description":"After 30 days of mourning, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg shares what she's learned since her husband's sudden passing.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/oo0AYnz7/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-06-03T21:04:03.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/oo0AYnz7.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4150111/sheryl-sandberg-motivation-social-media/","duration":"PT1M","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4150111/sheryl-sandberg-motivation-social-media/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```