--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If a piece of knotted string can unleash…" description: "\"If a piece of knotted string can unleash the wind, and if a drowned man can awaken, then I believe a broken man can heal.\" — Annie Proulx" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9a/annie-proulx-6713_believe_if-a-piece-of-knotted-string-can-unleash_2581231.jpg" --- # If a piece of knotted string can unleash the wind, and if… ![“If a piece of knotted string can unleash the wind, and if a drowned man can awaken, then I believe a broken man can heal.” quote by Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9a/annie-proulx-6713_believe_if-a-piece-of-knotted-string-can-unleash_2581231.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9a/annie-proulx-6713_believe_if-a-piece-of-knotted-string-can-unleash_2581231.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9a/annie-proulx-6713_believe_if-a-piece-of-knotted-string-can-unleash_2581231.jpg) > “If a piece of knotted string can unleash the wind, and if a drowned man can awaken, then I believe a broken man can heal.” [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A metaphorical claim that even broken individuals can heal, using natural imagery of wind and water to illustrate resilience. **In simple terms:** Broken people can heal. Key Takeaway Believe in personal recovery. Themes resilience healing metaphor human spirit growth Mood hopeful reflective Type inspirational psychological When to use this quote - therapy - self‑help - coaching - storytelling Key Concepts brokenness wind water renewal Questions to Reflect On - What personal “winds” have helped you heal? - How can we support broken individuals? A Different Perspective Healing is not guaranteed for everyone. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Broken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broken/) [Broken man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broken-man/) [Heal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heal/) [I believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-believe/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Knotted String](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knotted-string-1779839/) [Man Awaken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-awaken-1779838/) [Man Heal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-heal-1779837/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Pieces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pieces/) [Strings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strings/) [Wind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wind/) ## Related quotes > [If a piece ofknotted string can unleash the wind and if a drowned man can awaken... then I believe a broken man can heal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/if-a-piece-ofknotted-string-can-unleash-the-wind-and-if-a-drowned-man/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [For if Jack Buggit could escape from the pickle jar, if a bird with a broken neck could fly away, what else might be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/for-if-jack-buggit-could-escape-from-the-pickle-jar-if-a-bird-with-a/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [Let man heal the hurt places and revere whatever is still miraculously pristine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-r-brower/let-man-heal-the-hurt-places-and-revere-whatever-is-still/) [David R. Brower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-r-brower/) > [“Some women can touch a man and heal like Jesus. The man who sees sunrise from a Belle woman's bed will swear he's been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-wall/some-women-can-touch-a-man-and-heal-like-jesus-the-man-who-sees/) [Paula Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-wall/) > [“Man has to awaken to wonder — and so perhaps do peoples. Science is a way of sending him off to sleep again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/man-has-to-awaken-to-wonder-and-so-perhaps-do-peoples-science-is-a/) [Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/) > [“It’s the biggest cowardice of a man to awaken the love of a woman without the intention of loving her back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-adam/it-s-the-biggest-cowardice-of-a-man-to-awaken-the-love-of-a-woman/) [Derek Adam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-adam/) > [The biggest coward of a man is to awaken the love of a woman without the intention of loving her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-marley/the-biggest-coward-of-a-man-is-to-awaken-the-love-of-a-woman-without/) [Bob Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-marley/) > [“...as I have been thinking about this, I decided it might be better to be a broken man than a man who never risked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-wilson/as-i-have-been-thinking-about-this-i-decided-it-might-be-better-to-be/) [Douglas Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-wilson/) > [To live with the work and the letters of James Joyce was an enormous privilege and a daunting education. Yes, I came to admire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-o-brien/to-live-with-the-work-and-the-letters-of-james-joyce-was-an-enormous/) [Edna O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-o-brien/) > [“More striking still, a broken man is generally deprived of everything except the ability to acknowledge and feel his position.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/more-striking-still-a-broken-man-is-generally-deprived-of-everything/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) > [“The age of the self-made man was also the age of the broken man... This ‘American sense’ looked upon failure as a ‘moral sieve’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-a-sandage/the-age-of-the-self-made-man-was-also-the-age-of-the-broken-man-this/) [Scott A. Sandage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-a-sandage/) > [They will never count me among the broken men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-jackson/they-will-never-count-me-among-the-broken-men/) [George Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-jackson/) > [You will have to go deep into man. From where comes this violence? From where comes this exploitation? From where come all these ego-trips?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/you-will-have-to-go-deep-into-man-from-where-comes-this-violence-from/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [The man without a chin, no stamina, dead man, broken man, whatever. On your way to the top, you always get some criticism. Criticism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wladimir-klitschko/the-man-without-a-chin-no-stamina-dead-man-broken-man-whatever-on/) [Wladimir Klitschko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wladimir-klitschko/) > [“I think of human singing, and note that angels are not said to sing. The gift of singing, of making music, and of composing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-davis/i-think-of-human-singing-and-note-that-angels-are-not-said-to-sing/) [Patrick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-davis/) ## More by Annie Proulx > [Writing comes from reading, and reading is the finest teacher of how to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/writing-comes-from-reading-and-reading-is-the-finest-teacher-of-how/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [“A kind of joyous hysteria moved into the room, everything flying before the wind, vehicles outside getting dented to hell, the crowd sweaty and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/a-kind-of-joyous-hysteria-moved-into-the-room-everything-flying/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [“By January it had always been winter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/by-january-it-had-always-been-winter/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [“.. that old, cold time on the mountain when they owned the world and nothing seemed wrong ..”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/that-old-cold-time-on-the-mountain-when-they-owned-the-world-and/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [“The mountain pine beetle is a tiny creature that chews through a lodgepole’s bark, gouges out a hollow in the wood and lays its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/the-mountain-pine-beetle-is-a-tiny-creature-that-chews-through-a/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [“It was as if his eye were an ear and a crackle went through it each time he shot a look at the accordion.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/it-was-as-if-his-eye-were-an-ear-and-a-crackle-went-through-it-each/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [“On the stairs an image came to him. Was love then like a bag of assorted sweets passed around from which one might choose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/on-the-stairs-an-image-came-to-him-was-love-then-like-a-bag-of/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [“The only cities were of ice, bergs with cores of beryl, blue gems within white gems, that some said gave off an odor of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/the-only-cities-were-of-ice-bergs-with-cores-of-beryl-blue-gems/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [“They say that doing ten sums a day prevents you from becoming senile. But by that argument bankers should be geniuses. That's not right.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/they-say-that-doing-ten-sums-a-day-prevents-you-from-becoming-senile/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [It's easier to die if others around you are dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/it-s-easier-to-die-if-others-around-you-are-dying/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [“You stand there, braced. Cloud shadows race over the buff rock stacks as a projected film, casting a queasy, mottled ground rash. The air…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/you-stand-there-braced-cloud-shadows-race-over-the-buff-rock-stacks/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [“Thirty-six years old and this was the first time anybody ever said he'd done it right. Fog against the window like milk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/thirty-six-years-old-and-this-was-the-first-time-anybody-ever-said-he/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [“There was a month of fiery happiness. Then six kinked years of suffering.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/there-was-a-month-of-fiery-happiness-then-six-kinked-years-of/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [It is my feeling that a story is not finished until it is read, and that the reader finishes it through his or her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/it-is-my-feeling-that-a-story-is-not-finished-until-it-is-read-and/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [“One of the tragedies of real life is that there is no background music.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/one-of-the-tragedies-of-real-life-is-that-there-is-no-background-music/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) [Explore all 97 Annie Proulx quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) [Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If a piece of knotted string can unleash the wind, and if a drowned man can awaken, then I believe a broken man can heal.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Annie Proulx" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/if-a-piece-of-knotted-string-can-unleash-the-wind-and-if-a-drowned/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/if-a-piece-of-knotted-string-can-unleash-the-wind-and-if-a-drowned/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9a/annie-proulx-6713_believe_if-a-piece-of-knotted-string-can-unleash_2581231.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9a/annie-proulx-6713_believe_if-a-piece-of-knotted-string-can-unleash_2581231.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9a/annie-proulx-6713_believe_if-a-piece-of-knotted-string-can-unleash_2581231.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If a piece of knotted string can unleash the wind, and if a drowned man can awaken, then I believe a broken…” — Annie Proulx", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Annie Proulx", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If a piece of knotted string...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/if-a-piece-of-knotted-string-can-unleash-the-wind-and-if-a-drowned/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/if-a-piece-of-knotted-string-can-unleash-the-wind-and-if-a-drowned/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```