Washington (CNN) Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Monday spoke in deeply personal terms about the family tragedies he has endured in an emotional reflection following two mass shootings in the US that have left at least 31 dead.

"There will come a time when you think of the person you lost, and it takes a long while, where you get a smile before you get a tear," Biden told CNN's Anderson Cooper on "Anderson Cooper 360."

"And that's when you know you're going to make it. And so many people have gone through what I've been through without the help I had."

"Eventually, what will take you through is purpose," Biden said. "Find a purpose, something that matters, particularly something if it's connected to the loss you just had."

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