--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When the heart is cut or cracked or…" description: "\"When the heart is cut or cracked or broken Do not clutch it Let the wound lie open Let the wind from the good old sea blow in to bathe the wound with s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dda/michael-leunig-2274_bells_when-the-heart-is-cut-or-cracked-or-brok_2818412.jpg" --- # When the heart is cut or cracked or broken Do not clutch… ![“When the heart is cut or cracked or broken Do not clutch it Let the wound lie open Let the wind from the good old sea blow in to bathe the wound with salt and let it sting. Let a stray dog lick it Let a bird fly in the hole and sing a simple song like a tiny bell and let it ring.” quote by Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dda/michael-leunig-2274_bells_when-the-heart-is-cut-or-cracked-or-brok_2818412.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dda/michael-leunig-2274_bells_when-the-heart-is-cut-or-cracked-or-brok_2818412.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dda/michael-leunig-2274_bells_when-the-heart-is-cut-or-cracked-or-brok_2818412.jpg) > “When the heart is cut or cracked or broken Do not clutch it Let the wound lie open Let the wind from the good old sea blow in to bathe the wound with salt and let it sting. Let a stray dog lick it Let a bird fly in the hole and sing a simple song like a tiny bell and let it ring.” [Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The poem advises allowing emotional pain to be exposed and healed naturally, using natural imagery to suggest acceptance and time. **In simple terms:** Let wounds stay open to heal with time and nature. Key Takeaway Embrace pain, let it heal naturally. Themes healing acceptance vulnerability nature emotions Mood gentle hopeful reflective Type poetic inspirational When to use this quote - grief recovery - personal loss - emotional processing - spiritual practice - creative expression Key Concepts mindfulness resilience self‑compassion natural cycles Questions to Reflect On - What wounds are you holding onto? - How can nature help you accept pain? A Different Perspective Healing can be painful and requires patience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bathe Wound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bathe-wound-3570593/) [Bells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bells/) [Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bird/) [Blow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blow/) [Broken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broken/) [Clutch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clutch/) [Cracked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cracked/) [Cutting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cutting/) [Dog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dog/) [Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Heart Cut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart-cut-1896677/) [Holes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holes/) [Let Stray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/let-stray-1205716/) [Let Wound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/let-wound-495520/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Rings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rings/) [Salt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/salt/) [Sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea/) [Simple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simple/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Stray dogs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stray-dogs/) [Tiny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tiny/) [Wind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wind/) [Wound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wound/) [Wounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wounds/) ## Related quotes > [Why don't you let that wound beneath your nose heal ?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/why-don-t-you-let-that-wound-beneath-your-nose-heal/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I let the wound fester and grow, feeding on the silence between us. I learned then a crucial truth: that a relationship between two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-carey/i-let-the-wound-fester-and-grow-feeding-on-the-silence-between-us-i/) [Anna Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-carey/) > [“I'd rather I was a stray pup,' I made bold to say. And then all my fears broke my voice as I added, "You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/i-d-rather-i-was-a-stray-pup-i-made-bold-to-say-and-then-all-my-fears/) [Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/) > [Hey baby let me show you what I want you to say. You got me now so baby dont let me go a stray.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tami-chynn/hey-baby-let-me-show-you-what-i-want-you-to-say-you-got-me-now-so/) [Tami Chynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tami-chynn/) > [Harmless as a setting dove," he agreed. "I'm too hungry to be a threat to anything but breakfast. Let a stray bannock come within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/harmless-as-a-setting-dove-he-agreed-i-m-too-hungry-to-be-a-threat-to/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [A fragment broken off your pulsing, pumping heart is there still. A cut that never heals. And if, when it happens to you over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-fragment-broken-off-your-pulsing-pumping-heart-is-there-still-a-cut/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Jazz hadn't given her many details of exactly what life in the Dent house had been like, but he'd told her enough that she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-lyga/jazz-hadn-t-given-her-many-details-of-exactly-what-life-in-the-dent/) [Barry Lyga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-lyga/) > [That is the mystery about writing: it comes out of afflictions, out of the gouged times, when the heart is cut open.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-o-brien/that-is-the-mystery-about-writing-it-comes-out-of-afflictions-out-of/) [Edna O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-o-brien/) > [Heart will be never cut it by knife only by hurd words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coralia/heart-will-be-never-cut-it-by-knife-only-by-hurd-words/) [Coralia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coralia/) > [A heart can be cut in half an be put back together over time an thrown in a blender an torn all up an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deonte-robinson/a-heart-can-be-cut-in-half-an-be-put-back-together-over-time-an/) [Deonte Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deonte-robinson/) > [“Seduce him. Give him your heart. Cut it out and put it in his fucking hands.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-underwood/seduce-him-give-him-your-heart-cut-it-out-and-put-it-in-his-fucking/) [Claire Underwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-underwood/) > [Heart, cut wide open, bleeding love, passion, pain, joy. O' But such an exquisite, perfect cut...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-nickel/heart-cut-wide-open-bleeding-love-passion-pain-joy-o-but-such-an/) [Eric Nickel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-nickel/) > [“I have done the journey between Tientsin and Peking so many times that I recognize even the stray dogs (known locally as wonks )…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniele-var/i-have-done-the-journey-between-tientsin-and-peking-so-many-times/) [Daniele Varè](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniele-var/) > [The city might be savage, stray dogs might share the streets with grimy urchins whose blank eyes reflected the knowledge that they might soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/the-city-might-be-savage-stray-dogs-might-share-the-streets-with/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [It is great to see people feeding stray dogs, taking care of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mimi-chakraborty/it-is-great-to-see-people-feeding-stray-dogs-taking-care-of-them/) [Mimi Chakraborty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mimi-chakraborty/) ## More by Michael Leunig > [In my journey as a cartoonist, I seem to have accidentally stumbled into all sorts of traps, damnations and blacklists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/in-my-journey-as-a-cartoonist-i-seem-to-have-accidentally-stumbled/) [Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/) > [Have I got the right to experiment with my child's life?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/have-i-got-the-right-to-experiment-with-my-child-s-life/) [Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/) > [There are only two feelings, Love and fear: There are only two languages, Love and fear: There are only two activities, Love and fear:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/there-are-only-two-feelings-love-and-fear-there-are-only-two/) [Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/) > [If European symbols and traditions have grown tired, perfunctory and oppressively banal in Australia, or been drained of spirit and meaning by the dreary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/if-european-symbols-and-traditions-have-grown-tired-perfunctory-and/) [Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/) > [Socialised humanity represses nature and degrades human nature; it takes life and waters it down - probably to control it - diluting existence with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/socialised-humanity-represses-nature-and-degrades-human-nature-it/) [Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/) > [I became a cartoonist because I'd sort of failed at everything else, really. I mean, it was by default.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/i-became-a-cartoonist-because-i-d-sort-of-failed-at-everything-else/) [Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/) > [I never really understood who the Magi were as a child. What is a Magi? Not a word I would use, but a magpie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/i-never-really-understood-who-the-magi-were-as-a-child-what-is-a-magi/) [Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/) > [God bless this tiny little boat, And me who travels in it. It stays afloat for years and years, And sinks within a minute.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/god-bless-this-tiny-little-boat-and-me-who-travels-in-it-it-stays/) [Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/) > [There can be many reasons to travel, but wandering into the world for no particular reason is a sublime madness, which in all its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/there-can-be-many-reasons-to-travel-but-wandering-into-the-world-for/) [Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/) > [I'm totally deaf in my right ear, yeah.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/i-m-totally-deaf-in-my-right-ear-yeah/) [Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/) > [Emotional stability has not been America's gift to the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/emotional-stability-has-not-been-america-s-gift-to-the-world/) [Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/) > [Life seems sadly mishandled by humans, as if it's all too much for them - they spend so much time and energy hurting each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/life-seems-sadly-mishandled-by-humans-as-if-it-s-all-too-much-for/) [Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/) > [If you know anything about ducks, you know a baby duck will imprint itself on you. It misses its mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/if-you-know-anything-about-ducks-you-know-a-baby-duck-will-imprint/) [Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/) > [I think melancholy is part of the natural condition, you know. Anyway, I think it's the artist's function to have their melancholy and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/i-think-melancholy-is-part-of-the-natural-condition-you-know-anyway-i/) [Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/) > [At last, after completing year 12, I failed the great final examination, repeated the following year and failed again even more dismally than before.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/at-last-after-completing-year-12-i-failed-the-great-final-examination/) [Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/) [Explore all 175 Michael Leunig quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/) ## More Bells quotes > [You’re crazy,” said her best friend, Angela, as the bell rang to signal five minutes before the first class on the first day back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/you-re-crazy-said-her-best-friend-angela-as-the-bell-rang-to-signal/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) > [Your name is a golden bell hung in my heart. I would break my body to pieces to call you once by your name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-s-beagle/your-name-is-a-golden-bell-hung-in-my-heart-i-would-break-my-body-to/) [Peter S. Beagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-s-beagle/) > [“Suddenly the air was full of that deep clangor of bells which periodically covers Rome with a roof of silver.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/suddenly-the-air-was-full-of-that-deep-clangor-of-bells-which/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [Hercules used noise! Brass bells! He scared them away with the most horrible sound he could-" said Percy "Percy... Chiron's collection!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/hercules-used-noise-brass-bells-he-scared-them-away-with-the-most/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [Above the clouds I lift my wing To hear the bells of Heaven ring; Some of their music, though my fights be wild, To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-clarence-stedman/above-the-clouds-i-lift-my-wing-to-hear-the-bells-of-heaven-ring-some/) [Edmund Clarence Stedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-clarence-stedman/) > [“But it’s bells at twenty-seven thousand feet as the plane breaks into the clear again, as its motion steadies again; it is bells; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/but-it-s-bells-at-twenty-seven-thousand-feet-as-the-plane-breaks-into/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [You run the football for toughness. You run the ball to tell your opponent that you're as tough as they are. But you throw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-glanville/you-run-the-football-for-toughness-you-run-the-ball-to-tell-your/) [Jerry Glanville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-glanville/) > [In cloths cheap handsomeness, doth bear the bell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/in-cloths-cheap-handsomeness-doth-bear-the-bell/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [Man preys on man; and you mourn for the idle tapestry that decorated a gothic pillar, and the dronish bell that summoned the fat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft/man-preys-on-man-and-you-mourn-for-the-idle-tapestry-that-decorated-a/) [Mary Wollstonecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft/) > [The Bell curve is a fact of life. The blacks on average score 85 per cent on IQ and it is accurate, nothing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/the-bell-curve-is-a-fact-of-life-the-blacks-on-average-score-85-per/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [There is nothing better for me than to bring the bells in, in Scotland.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharleen-spiteri/there-is-nothing-better-for-me-than-to-bring-the-bells-in-in-scotland/) [Sharleen Spiteri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharleen-spiteri/) > [Now see that noble and most sovereign reason, Like sweet bells jangled, out of tune and harsh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/now-see-that-noble-and-most-sovereign-reason-like-sweet-bells-jangled/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [ I became an instant fan of the show \[Underground\] seconds into the opening frames of the pilot. When that drone shot carried us through… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aisha-hinds/i-became-an-instant-fan-of-the-show-underground-seconds-into-the/) [Aisha Hinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aisha-hinds/) > [This world o' God's is brighter Than we ever dream or know; Its burdens growin' lighter- An' it's Love that makes 'em so! An'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lebby-stanton/this-world-o-god-s-is-brighter-than-we-ever-dream-or-know-its-burdens/) [Frank Lebby Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lebby-stanton/) > [Believe it or not, Mexican cooking, for those of you who have not gone farther south than Taco Bell, uses a lot of vegetables.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/believe-it-or-not-mexican-cooking-for-those-of-you-who-have-not-gone/) [Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/) [Browse all 790 Bells quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bells/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When the heart is cut or cracked or broken Do not clutch it Let the wound lie open Let the wind from the good old sea blow in to bathe the wound with salt and let it sting. 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