--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I reached out for something to attach…" description: "\"“I reached out for something to attach myself to—and I found nothing. But in reaching out, in the effort to grasp, to attach myself, left high and dry ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fea/henry-miller-179_attach_i-reached-out-for-something-to-attach-my_2206.jpg" --- # I reached out for something to attach myself to—and I… ![“I reached out for something to attach myself to—and I found nothing. But in reaching out, in the effort to grasp, to attach myself, left high and dry as I was, I nevertheless found something I had not looked for—myself.” quote by Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fea/henry-miller-179_attach_i-reached-out-for-something-to-attach-my_2206.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fea/henry-miller-179_attach_i-reached-out-for-something-to-attach-my_2206.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fea/henry-miller-179_attach_i-reached-out-for-something-to-attach-my_2206.jpg) > ““I reached out for something to attach myself to—and I found nothing. But in reaching out, in the effort to grasp, to attach myself, left high and dry as I was, I nevertheless found something I had not looked for—myself.”” [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) ## 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 feels empty when seeking external attachments, yet discovers self-knowledge through the struggle. **In simple terms:** Seeking external ties leads to emptiness; self-discovery emerges from effort. Key Takeaway Embrace effort to find inner self. Themes self-discovery existential search attachment effort personal growth Mood contemplative introspective Type Attach:0 Reached Attach:0 Attach Reaching:0 Reaching Effort:0 Dry Looked:0 When to use this quote - therapy - creative writing - mindfulness practice Key Concepts philosophical introspection psychology of longing human condition Questions to Reflect On - What does “nothing” represent in your life? - How can effort become a path to self? A Different Perspective Self‑search may not yield clear answers for everyone. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attach/) [Attach Reaching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attach-reaching-260324/) [Dry Looked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dry-looked-260326/) [Reached Attach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reached-attach-260323/) [Reaching Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reaching-effort-260325/) ## Related quotes > [“My mouth went instantly dry as I looked at him, his eyes unwavering on mine. My heart thudded in my chest and all I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katrina-abbott/my-mouth-went-instantly-dry-as-i-looked-at-him-his-eyes-unwavering-on/) [Katrina Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katrina-abbott/) > [For the artist to attach himself to his work, or identify himself with it, is suicidal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/for-the-artist-to-attach-himself-to-his-work-or-identify-himself-with/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [You couldn't attach a 'but' to 'I love you'. You could onlt attach an 'and'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-brockmann/you-couldn-t-attach-a-but-to-i-love-you-you-could-onlt-attach-an-and/) [Suzanne Brockmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-brockmann/) > [The Hollywood model is to develop scripts for 10 years, sell them, transfer them, attach this actor, then attach a director. This isn't what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/the-hollywood-model-is-to-develop-scripts-for-10-years-sell-them/) [Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/) > [You want to attach emotionally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lurlene-mcdaniel/you-want-to-attach-emotionally/) [Lurlene McDaniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lurlene-mcdaniel/) > [Prioritization sounds like such a simple thing, but true prioritization starts with a very difficult question to answer, especially at a company with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-weiner/prioritization-sounds-like-such-a-simple-thing-but-true/) [Jeff Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-weiner/) > [We cannot all be great, but we can always attach ourselves to something that is great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-emerson-fosdick/we-cannot-all-be-great-but-we-can-always-attach-ourselves-to/) [Harry Emerson Fosdick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-emerson-fosdick/) > [It used to be that you could do these nuggets of a movie and it would attach itself in terms of credibility to your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-harris/it-used-to-be-that-you-could-do-these-nuggets-of-a-movie-and-it-would/) [Jared Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-harris/) > [Adidas is just right. 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Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-t-p-johnson/) > [“God is the light bulb, to where faith is the light switch.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-liccione/god-is-the-light-bulb-to-where-faith-is-the-light-switch/) [Anthony Liccione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-liccione/) > [Look at the newborn baby. It struggles to breathe after living in the womb. And yet, growth comes as a result of struggle. Even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rap-brown/look-at-the-newborn-baby-it-struggles-to-breathe-after-living-in-the/) [H. Rap Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rap-brown/) > [I've always thought it was important not to attach too much superstition to the space where you're writing, because once you get into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadie-jones/i-ve-always-thought-it-was-important-not-to-attach-too-much/) [Sadie Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadie-jones/) > [“we have to bear the result of our own actions because we attach ourselves to them. ...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/we-have-to-bear-the-result-of-our-own-actions-because-we-attach/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) ## More by Henry Miller > [“I saw the errors I had made and assumed full responsibility for everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/i-saw-the-errors-i-had-made-and-assumed-full-responsibility-for/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [The monstrous thing is not that men have created roses out of this dung heap, but that, for some reason or other, they should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/the-monstrous-thing-is-not-that-men-have-created-roses-out-of-this/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [They never opened the door which leads to the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/they-never-opened-the-door-which-leads-to-the-soul/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“(...)I decided to let myself drift with the tide, to make not the least resistance to fate, no matter in what form it presented…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/i-decided-to-let-myself-drift-with-the-tide-to-make-not-the-least/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“If it be knowledge or wisdom one is seeking, then one had better go direct to the source. 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It was the monotony and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/looking-back-upon-my-career-i-see-myself-as-a-person-capable-of/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“The word in your mouth is anarchy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/the-word-in-your-mouth-is-anarchy/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [To live without killing is a thought which could electrify the world, if men were only capable of staying awake long enough to let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/to-live-without-killing-is-a-thought-which-could-electrify-the-world/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) [Explore all 894 Henry Miller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) ## More Attach quotes > [“we have to bear the result of our own actions because we attach ourselves to them. ...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/we-have-to-bear-the-result-of-our-own-actions-because-we-attach/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [I've always thought it was important not to attach too much superstition to the space where you're writing, because once you get into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadie-jones/i-ve-always-thought-it-was-important-not-to-attach-too-much/) [Sadie Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadie-jones/) > [Look at the newborn baby. It struggles to breathe after living in the womb. And yet, growth comes as a result of struggle. Even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rap-brown/look-at-the-newborn-baby-it-struggles-to-breathe-after-living-in-the/) [H. Rap Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rap-brown/) > [“God is the light bulb, to where faith is the light switch.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-liccione/god-is-the-light-bulb-to-where-faith-is-the-light-switch/) [Anthony Liccione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-liccione/) > [“When you attach to someone or something, just remember it won’t be there forever. So ask yourself, is it worth the pain you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-t-p-johnson/when-you-attach-to-someone-or-something-just-remember-it-won-t-be/) [Zachary T. P. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-t-p-johnson/) > [People attach too much to the idea of being a model, that you can only be a certain way to have done it. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-dornan/people-attach-too-much-to-the-idea-of-being-a-model-that-you-can-only/) [Jamie Dornan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-dornan/) > [Adidas is just right. They've been, like, a partner I couldn't be more thankful for. I really feel like they've helped increase my popularity.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/adidas-is-just-right-they-ve-been-like-a-partner-i-couldn-t-be-more/) [Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/) > [It used to be that you could do these nuggets of a movie and it would attach itself in terms of credibility to your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-harris/it-used-to-be-that-you-could-do-these-nuggets-of-a-movie-and-it-would/) [Jared Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-harris/) > [We cannot all be great, but we can always attach ourselves to something that is great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-emerson-fosdick/we-cannot-all-be-great-but-we-can-always-attach-ourselves-to/) [Harry Emerson Fosdick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-emerson-fosdick/) > [Prioritization sounds like such a simple thing, but true prioritization starts with a very difficult question to answer, especially at a company with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-weiner/prioritization-sounds-like-such-a-simple-thing-but-true/) [Jeff Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-weiner/) > [For the artist to attach himself to his work, or identify himself with it, is suicidal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/for-the-artist-to-attach-himself-to-his-work-or-identify-himself-with/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [You want to attach emotionally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lurlene-mcdaniel/you-want-to-attach-emotionally/) [Lurlene McDaniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lurlene-mcdaniel/) > [The Hollywood model is to develop scripts for 10 years, sell them, transfer them, attach this actor, then attach a director. 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