--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Involuntarily, I reached out, as though I…" description: "\"“Involuntarily, I reached out, as though I might heal him with a touch and erase the marks with my fingers.”\" — Diana Gabaldon" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/946/diana-gabaldon-185_involuntarily_involuntarily-i-reached-out-as-though-i_472224.jpg" --- # Involuntarily, I reached out, as though I might heal him… ![“Involuntarily, I reached out, as though I might heal him with a touch and erase the marks with my fingers.” quote by Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/946/diana-gabaldon-185_involuntarily_involuntarily-i-reached-out-as-though-i_472224.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/946/diana-gabaldon-185_involuntarily_involuntarily-i-reached-out-as-though-i_472224.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/946/diana-gabaldon-185_involuntarily_involuntarily-i-reached-out-as-though-i_472224.jpg) > ““Involuntarily, I reached out, as though I might heal him with a touch and erase the marks with my fingers.”” [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator instinctively tries to heal another, believing touch can erase pain and trauma. **In simple terms:** She wants to heal him with a touch. Key Takeaway Consider how you try to fix others’ wounds. Themes healing intimacy vulnerability Mood reflective empathetic Type literary emotional When to use this quote - relationships - caregiving - personal loss Key Concepts psychology empathy attachment Questions to Reflect On - Can you truly heal someone with only your presence? - What limits personal healing? A Different Perspective Healing cannot erase deep scars alone. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [“So if you can heal with your touch, why are you working here as like, Hagrid, or whatever?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawkins/so-if-you-can-heal-with-your-touch-why-are-you-working-here-as-like/) [Rachel Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawkins/) > [We all have angels guiding us...They look after us. They heal us, touch us, comfort us with invisible warm hands...What will bring their help?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophy-burnham/we-all-have-angels-guiding-us-they-look-after-us-they-heal-us-touch/) [Sophy Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophy-burnham/) > [To heal is to touch with love that which we previously touched with fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-levine/to-heal-is-to-touch-with-love-that-which-we-previously-touched-with/) [Stephen Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-levine/) > [Often, even after years, mental states once present in consciousness return to it with apparent spontaneity and without any act of the will; that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-ebbinghaus/often-even-after-years-mental-states-once-present-in-consciousness/) [Hermann Ebbinghaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-ebbinghaus/) > [Unquestionably, it is possible to do without happiness; it is done involuntarily by nineteen-twentieths of mankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/unquestionably-it-is-possible-to-do-without-happiness-it-is-done/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [Man is the being who is involuntarily and voluntarily busy with himself and his surroundings, between two broadcasting stations of good and evil, until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-atta-ullah-faizani/man-is-the-being-who-is-involuntarily-and-voluntarily-busy-with/) [Muhammad Atta-ullah Faizani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-atta-ullah-faizani/) > [The momentum of the mind can be vexingly, involuntarily capricious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/the-momentum-of-the-mind-can-be-vexingly-involuntarily-capricious/) [Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/) > [That which we are, we are all the while teaching, not voluntarily, but involuntarily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/that-which-we-are-we-are-all-the-while-teaching-not-voluntarily-but/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [It seems to me that the only way one can be helpful is to extend one's hand to someone else involuntarily, and without ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/it-seems-to-me-that-the-only-way-one-can-be-helpful-is-to-extend-one/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [Each of us visits this Earth involuntarily, and without an invitation. For me, it is enough to wonder at the secrets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/each-of-us-visits-this-earth-involuntarily-and-without-an-invitation/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [“awkwardly in her lap. Her fingers twitched involuntarily, and it occurred to her that she should pretend she was still out. Where”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-t-vargus/awkwardly-in-her-lap-her-fingers-twitched-involuntarily-and-it/) [L.T. Vargus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-t-vargus/) > [“Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily,often helplessly, into another's skin, another's voice, another's soul"-- Joyce Carole Oates”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/reading-is-the-sole-means-by-which-we-slip-involuntarily-often-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The silence of two people is deeper than the silence of one. Involuntarily”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/the-silence-of-two-people-is-deeper-than-the-silence-of-one/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, often helplessly, into another's skin, another's voice, another's soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/reading-is-the-sole-means-by-which-we-slip-involuntarily-often/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [“That which we are, we shall teach, not voluntarily, but involuntarily. Thoughts come into our minds by avenues which we never left open, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/that-which-we-are-we-shall-teach-not-voluntarily-but-involuntarily/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) ## More by Diana Gabaldon > [Alright, all right," I said. "What if I tell you a story, instead?" Highlanders loved stories, and Jamie was no exception. "Oh, aye, "…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/alright-all-right-i-said-what-if-i-tell-you-a-story-instead/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [There were moments, of course. Those small spaces in time, too soon gone, when everything seems to stand still, and existence is balanced on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/there-were-moments-of-course-those-small-spaces-in-time-too-soon-gone/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [If it was a sin for you to choose me . . . then I would go to the Devil himself and bless him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/if-it-was-a-sin-for-you-to-choose-me-then-i-would-go-to-the-devil/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [When I turned 35, I thought, 'Mozart was dead at 36, so I set the bar: I'm going to start writing a book on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/when-i-turned-35-i-thought-mozart-was-dead-at-36-so-i-set-the-bar-i-m/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [I stagger out of bed, take the dogs outside, and then I'll get a Diet Coke and a couple of dog biscuits and go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/i-stagger-out-of-bed-take-the-dogs-outside-and-then-i-ll-get-a-diet/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [“It was…hard. I didna call out, or let them see I was scairt, but I couldna keep my feet. Halfway through it, I fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/it-was-hard-i-didna-call-out-or-let-them-see-i-was-scairt-but-i/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [I have all the time and space in the world when I write a book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/i-have-all-the-time-and-space-in-the-world-when-i-write-a-book/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [I discovered that, given the indescribable nature of what I write, the only way to sell it is to give people free samples.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/i-discovered-that-given-the-indescribable-nature-of-what-i-write-the/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [“We are bound,you and I, and nothing on this earth shall part me from you."One large hand rose to stroke my hair. "D'ye mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/we-are-bound-you-and-i-and-nothing-on-this-earth-shall-part-me-from/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [I think characters are going to be, if not a reflection of the author, at least some refraction of some part of their personality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/i-think-characters-are-going-to-be-if-not-a-reflection-of-the-author/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [My husband asked me once why I read so many mysteries, and part of it is just intellectual, part of it is the joy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/my-husband-asked-me-once-why-i-read-so-many-mysteries-and-part-of-it/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [“My Da says you’re never drunk, so long as ye can hold on to the floor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/my-da-says-you-re-never-drunk-so-long-as-ye-can-hold-on-to-the-floor/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [When you're an artist, you can't write with the intent of affecting anyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/when-you-re-an-artist-you-can-t-write-with-the-intent-of-affecting/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [“But a man is not forgotten, as long as there are two people left under the sky. One, to tell the story; the other,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/but-a-man-is-not-forgotten-as-long-as-there-are-two-people-left-under/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [“I didn’t answer, occupied in dissolving the penicillin tablets in the vial of sterile water. I selected a glass barrel, fitted a needle, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/i-didn-t-answer-occupied-in-dissolving-the-penicillin-tablets-in-the/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) [Explore all 952 Diana Gabaldon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) ## More Involuntarily quotes > [Often, even after years, mental states once present in consciousness return to it with apparent spontaneity and without any act of the will; that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-ebbinghaus/often-even-after-years-mental-states-once-present-in-consciousness/) [Hermann Ebbinghaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-ebbinghaus/) > [Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, often helplessly, into another's skin, another's voice, another's soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/reading-is-the-sole-means-by-which-we-slip-involuntarily-often/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [“The silence of two people is deeper than the silence of one. Involuntarily”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/the-silence-of-two-people-is-deeper-than-the-silence-of-one/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [“Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily,often helplessly, into another's skin, another's voice, another's soul"-- Joyce Carole Oates”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/reading-is-the-sole-means-by-which-we-slip-involuntarily-often-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“awkwardly in her lap. Her fingers twitched involuntarily, and it occurred to her that she should pretend she was still out. Where”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-t-vargus/awkwardly-in-her-lap-her-fingers-twitched-involuntarily-and-it/) [L.T. Vargus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-t-vargus/) > [Each of us visits this Earth involuntarily, and without an invitation. For me, it is enough to wonder at the secrets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/each-of-us-visits-this-earth-involuntarily-and-without-an-invitation/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [It seems to me that the only way one can be helpful is to extend one's hand to someone else involuntarily, and without ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/it-seems-to-me-that-the-only-way-one-can-be-helpful-is-to-extend-one/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [That which we are, we are all the while teaching, not voluntarily, but involuntarily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/that-which-we-are-we-are-all-the-while-teaching-not-voluntarily-but/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [The momentum of the mind can be vexingly, involuntarily capricious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/the-momentum-of-the-mind-can-be-vexingly-involuntarily-capricious/) [Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/) > [Man is the being who is involuntarily and voluntarily busy with himself and his surroundings, between two broadcasting stations of good and evil, until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-atta-ullah-faizani/man-is-the-being-who-is-involuntarily-and-voluntarily-busy-with/) [Muhammad Atta-ullah Faizani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-atta-ullah-faizani/) > [Unquestionably, it is possible to do without happiness; it is done involuntarily by nineteen-twentieths of mankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/unquestionably-it-is-possible-to-do-without-happiness-it-is-done/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [“That which we are, we shall teach, not voluntarily, but involuntarily. Thoughts come into our minds by avenues which we never left open, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/that-which-we-are-we-shall-teach-not-voluntarily-but-involuntarily/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) Browse all 13 Involuntarily quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Involuntarily, I reached out, as though I might heal him with a touch and erase the marks with my fingers.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Diana Gabaldon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/involuntarily-i-reached-out-as-though-i-might-heal-him-with-a-touch/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Involuntarily" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/involuntarily-i-reached-out-as-though-i-might-heal-him-with-a-touch/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/946/diana-gabaldon-185_involuntarily_involuntarily-i-reached-out-as-though-i_472224.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/946/diana-gabaldon-185_involuntarily_involuntarily-i-reached-out-as-though-i_472224.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/946/diana-gabaldon-185_involuntarily_involuntarily-i-reached-out-as-though-i_472224.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Involuntarily, I reached out, as though I might heal him with a touch and erase the marks with my fingers.” — Diana Gabaldon", "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": "Diana Gabaldon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Involuntarily, I reached out, as though...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/involuntarily-i-reached-out-as-though-i-might-heal-him-with-a-touch/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/involuntarily-i-reached-out-as-though-i-might-heal-him-with-a-touch/#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 } } ] } ```