--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I put my hand out and wiped the vomit…" description: "\"I put my hand out and wiped the vomit from his lips, and cooed soothing words to him. It squeezed my heart to see him suffer like this - but where my g..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/187/aravind-adiga-4424_behinds_i-put-my-hand-out-and-wiped-the-vomit-fr_2522945.png" --- # I put my hand out and wiped the vomit from his lips, and… ![“I put my hand out and wiped the vomit from his lips, and cooed soothing words to him. It squeezed my heart to see him suffer like this - but where my genuine concern for him ended and where my self-interest began, I could not tell: no servant can ever tell what the motives of his heart are. "Do we…” quote by Aravind Adiga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/187/aravind-adiga-4424_behinds_i-put-my-hand-out-and-wiped-the-vomit-fr_2522945.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/187/aravind-adiga-4424_behinds_i-put-my-hand-out-and-wiped-the-vomit-fr_2522945.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/187/aravind-adiga-4424_behinds_i-put-my-hand-out-and-wiped-the-vomit-fr_2522945.png) > “I put my hand out and wiped the vomit from his lips, and cooed soothing words to him. It squeezed my heart to see him suffer like this - but where my genuine concern for him ended and where my self-interest began, I could not tell: no servant can ever tell what the motives of his heart are. "Do we loathe our masters behind a facade of love - or do we love them behind a facade of loathing? "We are made mysteries to ourselves by the Rooster Coop we are locked in.” [Aravind Adiga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aravind-adiga/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Selfless care blurs with self‑interest, making motives ambiguous; we often hide true feelings behind façades. **In simple terms:** Compassion and selfishness mix. Key Takeaway Question your motives. Themes morality self‑interest service identity psychology Mood introspective critical Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - caregiving - leadership - conflict resolution - personal relationships - social work Key Concepts ethical ambiguity human behavior power dynamics self‑reflection empathy Questions to Reflect On - When did you help for selfish reasons? - How do façades affect trust? A Different Perspective Hard to discern pure intent in complex relationships. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Facade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facade/) [Genuine concern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genuine-concern/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Lips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lips/) [Motive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motive/) [Mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery/) [Roosters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roosters/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-interest/) [Servant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/servant/) [Soothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soothing/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) ## Related quotes > [No one has ever squeezed into my heart, not even a bit, but somehow you managed to take over the whole thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-one-has-ever-squeezed-into-my-heart-not-even-a-bit-but-somehow-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“squeezed her heart. Claire murmured something,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/squeezed-her-heart-claire-murmured-something/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [“And he wasn’t sure why today it seemed so important, but he had learned not to question motives. If the heart needed to take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-burch/and-he-wasn-t-sure-why-today-it-seemed-so-important-but-he-had/) [Heather Burch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-burch/) > [The ability to discern the thoughts and motives of your heart (especially when experiencing intense emotion) is an essential skill for the believer. Recognizing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-priolo/the-ability-to-discern-the-thoughts-and-motives-of-your-heart/) [Lou Priolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-priolo/) > [We are made mysteries to ourselves by the Rooster Coop we are locked in,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aravind-adiga/we-are-made-mysteries-to-ourselves-by-the-rooster-coop-we-are-locked/) [Aravind Adiga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aravind-adiga/) > [The fire is in the sun, but the earth has to burn. 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"Because that's what makes a heart suffer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/why-don-t-people-s-hearts-tell-them-to-continue-to-follow-their-3/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [How can a heart suffer your deepest thoughts and yet only speak the unmoving, inconsequential utterances of abject silence?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-austin/how-can-a-heart-suffer-your-deepest-thoughts-and-yet-only-speak-the/) Anne Austin > [Why dont peoples hearts tell them to continue following their dreams? Because that's what makes a heart suffer most, and hearts don't like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/why-dont-peoples-hearts-tell-them-to-continue-following-their-dreams/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Amore.” Giacomo pressed a hand against his heart. “How we suffer for it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerrelyn-sparks/amore-giacomo-pressed-a-hand-against-his-heart-how-we-suffer-for-it/) [Kerrelyn Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerrelyn-sparks/) > [And though I suffer for you, yet it eases my heart to suffer for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-though-i-suffer-for-you-yet-it-eases-my-heart-to-suffer-for-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Unconditional love is not affirming another in every decision they make especially when those choices are unhealthy. Unconditional love will risk offending in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-m-rose/unconditional-love-is-not-affirming-another-in-every-decision-they/) [Michael M. Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-m-rose/) ## More by Aravind Adiga > [Columbia University, where I went to study in 1993, insisted its undergraduates learn a foreign language, so I discovered French.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aravind-adiga/columbia-university-where-i-went-to-study-in-1993-insisted-its/) [Aravind Adiga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aravind-adiga/) > [What keeps India safe really is the heroism of millions of poor Indians who every day reject the allure of terrorism. What keeps India…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aravind-adiga/what-keeps-india-safe-really-is-the-heroism-of-millions-of-poor/) [Aravind Adiga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aravind-adiga/) > [“Every day, on the roads of Delhi, some chauffeur is driving an empty car with a black suitcase sitting on the backseat. Inside that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aravind-adiga/every-day-on-the-roads-of-delhi-some-chauffeur-is-driving-an-empty/) [Aravind Adiga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aravind-adiga/) > [I am coming back to New York after five years, and it seems that psychics are taking over the city.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aravind-adiga/i-am-coming-back-to-new-york-after-five-years-and-it-seems-that/) [Aravind Adiga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aravind-adiga/) > [You ask 'Are you a man or a demon?' Neither, I say. I have woken up, and the rest of you are sleeping, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aravind-adiga/you-ask-are-you-a-man-or-a-demon-neither-i-say-i-have-woken-up-and/) [Aravind Adiga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aravind-adiga/) > [I’ve lived in several countries and been a disaster everywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aravind-adiga/i-ve-lived-in-several-countries-and-been-a-disaster-everywhere/) [Aravind Adiga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aravind-adiga/) > [Neither. I am just one who has woken up while the rest of you are still sleeping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aravind-adiga/neither-i-am-just-one-who-has-woken-up-while-the-rest-of-you-are/) [Aravind Adiga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aravind-adiga/) > [“People in this country are still waiting for the war of their freedom to come from somewhere else, from the jungles, from the mountains,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aravind-adiga/people-in-this-country-are-still-waiting-for-the-war-of-their-freedom/) [Aravind Adiga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aravind-adiga/) > [“These people were building homes for the rich, but they lived in tents covered with blue tarpaulin sheets, and partitioned into lanes by lines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aravind-adiga/these-people-were-building-homes-for-the-rich-but-they-lived-in-tents/) [Aravind Adiga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aravind-adiga/) > [“And then he realized that the thing that was blocking his passage was cleared, and he was falling; his body had begun its short…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aravind-adiga/and-then-he-realized-that-the-thing-that-was-blocking-his-passage-was/) [Aravind Adiga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aravind-adiga/) > [“When it comes to work - hurry, hurry, hurry. When it comes to payment - delay, delay, delay. Caste, religion, family background nothing. Talent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aravind-adiga/when-it-comes-to-work-hurry-hurry-hurry-when-it-comes-to-payment/) [Aravind Adiga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aravind-adiga/) > [“There was a fierce jam on the road to Gurgaon. Every five minutes the traffic would tremble - we'd move a foot - hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aravind-adiga/there-was-a-fierce-jam-on-the-road-to-gurgaon-every-five-minutes-the/) [Aravind Adiga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aravind-adiga/) > [“From the advertisement, his eyes moved up the skywalk, the zigzagging metal bridge that connected various locations in the neighborhood to the Banda train…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aravind-adiga/from-the-advertisement-his-eyes-moved-up-the-skywalk-the-zigzagging/) [Aravind Adiga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aravind-adiga/) > [It's amazing. The moment you show cash, everyone knows your language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aravind-adiga/it-s-amazing-the-moment-you-show-cash-everyone-knows-your-language/) [Aravind Adiga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aravind-adiga/) > [“Even here, in the weight machine of a train station, they try to hoodwink us. Here, on the threshold of a man's freedom, just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aravind-adiga/even-here-in-the-weight-machine-of-a-train-station-they-try-to/) [Aravind Adiga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aravind-adiga/) [Explore all 111 Aravind Adiga quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aravind-adiga/) ## More Behinds quotes > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. 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All the normal noises of life were gone, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/after-a-few-mouthfuls-of-moon-flavored-air-even-the-stubbornly-drowsy/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) Browse all 6,789 Behinds quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I put my hand out and wiped the vomit from his lips, and cooed soothing words to him. 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