--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But time heals. Or at least it forms scabs." description: "\"“But time heals. Or at least it forms scabs.”\" — Neil Gaiman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b0/neil-gaiman-29_heal_but-time-heals-or-at-least-it-forms-scab_998829.jpg" --- # But time heals. Or at least it forms scabs. ![“But time heals. Or at least it forms scabs.” quote by Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b0/neil-gaiman-29_heal_but-time-heals-or-at-least-it-forms-scab_998829.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b0/neil-gaiman-29_heal_but-time-heals-or-at-least-it-forms-scab_998829.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b0/neil-gaiman-29_heal_but-time-heals-or-at-least-it-forms-scab_998829.jpg) > ““But time heals. Or at least it forms scabs.”” [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Time may not erase wounds, but it creates protective layers that allow healing to continue. **In simple terms:** Time forms scabs, not cures. Key Takeaway Accept healing is gradual. Themes healing time resilience Mood thoughtful hopeful Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - grief recovery - physical injury - emotional trauma - long‑term projects Key Concepts psychology metaphor Questions to Reflect On - How do you tend to your emotional scabs? - What does healing look like for you? A Different Perspective Scabs can hide deeper issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Forms Scabs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forms-scabs-2094555/) [Heal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heal/) [Heals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heals/) [Heals Forms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heals-forms-2094554/) [Scabs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scabs/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time heals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-heals/) ## Related quotes > [Time heals everything. Time corrects everything. Time is the solution to every problem, I believe. A lot of things can happen with time. All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehcad-brooks/time-heals-everything-time-corrects-everything-time-is-the-solution/) [Mehcad Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehcad-brooks/) > [Time, we like to say, cures all. But maybe the old saying doesn’t mean time heals. Time cures a secret in its brine, keeping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-hampl/time-we-like-to-say-cures-all-but-maybe-the-old-saying-doesn-t-mean/) [Patricia Hampl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-hampl/) > [I tell myself time heals. It really does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-king/i-tell-myself-time-heals-it-really-does/) [Rodney King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-king/) > [Who said that time heals all wounds? It would be better to say that time heals everything - except wounds. With time, the hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-marker/who-said-that-time-heals-all-wounds-it-would-be-better-to-say-that/) [Chris Marker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-marker/) > [If you keep picking a scab it will bleed and never heal. If you keep dragging the pain of the past up, it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-keep-picking-a-scab-it-will-bleed-and-never-heal-if-you-keep/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It has been said, 'time heals all wounds.' I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-has-been-said-time-heals-all-wounds-i-do-not-agree-the-wounds/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Time heals without prescriptions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamerlan-kuzgov/time-heals-without-prescriptions/) [Tamerlan Kuzgov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamerlan-kuzgov/) > [They Say Time Heals All Wounds, But All It's Done Is Give Me More Time To Think About How Much I Miss You.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sangfroid-stalker/they-say-time-heals-all-wounds-but-all-it-s-done-is-give-me-more-time/) [SangFroid Stalker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sangfroid-stalker/) > [Some say time heals the broken, but I say it gives answers for the unanswered questions and thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/some-say-time-heals-the-broken-but-i-say-it-gives-answers-for-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It won't always feel like this," she says. "Time heals all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-henry/it-won-t-always-feel-like-this-she-says-time-heals-all/) [Emily Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-henry/) > [“They say time heals all wounds. They lied.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/addison-moore/they-say-time-heals-all-wounds-they-lied/) [Addison Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/addison-moore/) > [“It's funny the things people say when someone dies. He's in a better place. How do you know that? Life goes on. That's supposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/it-s-funny-the-things-people-say-when-someone-dies-he-s-in-a-better/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [“Time heals nothing. Wounds fester and ooze. Life drags you by a rope over rocks and stones and one day you look up, look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-thurber/time-heals-nothing-wounds-fester-and-ooze-life-drags-you-by-a-rope/) [Bob Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-thurber/) > [“Time heals nothing; it merely manages the hurt through a lens of unreality. The only salvation is to walk into your reality”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-j-blizzard/time-heals-nothing-it-merely-manages-the-hurt-through-a-lens-of/) [R.J. Blizzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-j-blizzard/) > [“Time heals without a prescription.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamerlan-kuzgov/time-heals-without-a-prescription/) [Tamerlan Kuzgov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamerlan-kuzgov/) ## More by Neil Gaiman > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Like all sentient beings, Fat Charlie had a weirdness quotient. 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If all you have is a beginning, then once you've written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-need-more-than-a-beginning-if-you-re-going-to-start-a-book-if-all/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [You can tell the date of an old science fiction novel by every word on the page. Nothing dates harder and faster and more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-can-tell-the-date-of-an-old-science-fiction-novel-by-every-word/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“The quickest way is sometimes the longest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-quickest-way-is-sometimes-the-longest/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“They were spells, spelled with words to make worlds, waiting for me, in the pages of books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/they-were-spells-spelled-with-words-to-make-worlds-waiting-for-me-in/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Finish what you're writing. Whatever you have to do to finish it, finish it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/finish-what-you-re-writing-whatever-you-have-to-do-to-finish-it/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [What do stars do? They shine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/what-do-stars-do-they-shine/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“What," asked Mr Croup, "do you want?" "What," asked the Marquis de Carabas, a little more rhetorically, "does anyone want?" "Dead things," suggested Mr…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/what-asked-mr-croup-do-you-want-what-asked-the-marquis-de-carabas-a/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [You get on with your own life. Lettie gave it to you. You just have to grow up and try and be worth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-get-on-with-your-own-life-lettie-gave-it-to-you-you-just-have-to/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Eyes will not see you. Minds will not hold you. Where you are is nothing and nobody”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/eyes-will-not-see-you-minds-will-not-hold-you-where-you-are-is/) [neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) [Explore all 2,526 Neil Gaiman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) ## More Heal quotes > [A poet is wounded into speech, and he examines these wounds, meticulously, to discover how to heal them. The bad poet harangues at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/a-poet-is-wounded-into-speech-and-he-examines-these-wounds/) [Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/) > [ I guarantee you \[Hillary Clinton\] is smoking in humiliation over the idea that she needs to heal and that \[Donald\] Trump's the guy to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/i-guarantee-you-hillary-clinton-is-smoking-in-humiliation-over-the/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [“ving self and others is an every second of every day of every week, of every month, of every year gift that should not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjo-jendayi/ving-self-and-others-is-an-every-second-of-every-day-of-every-week-of/) [Sanjo Jendayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjo-jendayi/) > [“Our irises are galaxies; our pupils are black holes if we allow ourselves to bottle up everything inside us instead of allowing ourselves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaclyn-johnston/our-irises-are-galaxies-our-pupils-are-black-holes-if-we-allow/) [Jaclyn Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaclyn-johnston/) > [Spirituality does not have to be serious. You are spirituality. Fun laughter heal you faster than anything. Introduce fun back into your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-moorjani/spirituality-does-not-have-to-be-serious-you-are-spirituality-fun/) [Anita Moorjani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-moorjani/) > [What's to become of the morally sound? Left out in the cold, I suppose. We must heal the sick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/what-s-to-become-of-the-morally-sound-left-out-in-the-cold-i-suppose/) [Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/) > [There's nothing that the road cannot heal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/there-s-nothing-that-the-road-cannot-heal/) [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) > [If you don't feel free and be yourself, you can't connect. Find people who accept your quirks. They'll heal your soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/if-you-don-t-feel-free-and-be-yourself-you-can-t-connect-find-people/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [Time does not heal anything, it just teaches us how to live with THE PAIN…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suman-rai/time-does-not-heal-anything-it-just-teaches-us-how-to-live-with-the/) [Suman Rai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suman-rai/) > [“Sleep deeply, the sleep of our people, chosen one of my sister,that you will heal completely and wake refreshed and in full strength.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-feehan/sleep-deeply-the-sleep-of-our-people-chosen-one-of-my-sister-that-you/) [Christine Feehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-feehan/) > [Time doesn't heal, time helps heal and learning helps heal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-izzo/time-doesn-t-heal-time-helps-heal-and-learning-helps-heal/) [Tom Izzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-izzo/) > [“A heart that bleeds instead of beats in thousands of broken bits - pick one up and the sharp shard scrapes your hand; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-kowalski/a-heart-that-bleeds-instead-of-beats-in-thousands-of-broken-bits-pick/) [Martha Kowalski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-kowalski/) > [We come unbidden into this life, and if we are lucky we find a purpose beyond starvation, misery, and early death which, lest we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/we-come-unbidden-into-this-life-and-if-we-are-lucky-we-find-a-purpose/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) > [There are some - called 'death fatigue' - people who just grow so tired of death, so they don't want to keep perpetuating death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-claiborne/there-are-some-called-death-fatigue-people-who-just-grow-so-tired-of/) [Shane Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-claiborne/) > [Art is love creating the new world and justice is love rolling up its sleeves to heal the old one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright-2/art-is-love-creating-the-new-world-and-justice-is-love-rolling-up-its/) [N. T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright-2/) [Browse all 2,227 Heal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But time heals. 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