---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And history s fingers never relax their…"
description: "\"And history s fingers never relax their grip, never leave us unmolested, can touch us even when we would never imagine their presence.\" — Robert Fisk"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/robert-fisk-7244_fingers_and-history-s-fingers-never-relax-their_624273.jpg"
---

#  And history s fingers never relax their grip, never leave…

![“And history s fingers never relax their grip, never leave us unmolested, can touch us even when we would never imagine their presence.” quote by Robert Fisk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/robert-fisk-7244_fingers_and-history-s-fingers-never-relax-their_624273.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/robert-fisk-7244_fingers_and-history-s-fingers-never-relax-their_624273.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/robert-fisk-7244_fingers_and-history-s-fingers-never-relax-their_624273.jpg)

> “And history s fingers never relax their grip, never leave us unmolested, can touch us even when we would never imagine their presence.”

[Robert Fisk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fisk/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

History's influence persists, affecting us even when we don't notice its presence.

**In simple terms:** History still shapes us unseen.

Key Takeaway

Stay aware of past forces shaping the present.

Themes

history influence awareness

Mood

thoughtful somber

Type

philosophical reflective

When to use this quote

- policy making
- education
- media analysis
- personal reflection

Key Concepts

causality collective memory political power

Questions to Reflect On

- What hidden histories affect your life?
- How can we break cycles of past oppression?

A Different Perspective

It may overstate inevitability, ignoring human agency.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/)

## Related quotes

> [Your pretty empire took so long to build, now, with a snap of history's fingers, down it goes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/your-pretty-empire-took-so-long-to-build-now-with-a-snap-of-history-s/)

[Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/)

> [He who puts out his hand to stop the wheel of history will have his fingers crushed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lech-walesa/he-who-puts-out-his-hand-to-stop-the-wheel-of-history-will-have-his/)

[Lech Walesa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lech-walesa/)

> [But hands are sacred things. Touch is personal, fingers of love, feelers of blind eyes, tongues of those who cannot talk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keri-hulme/but-hands-are-sacred-things-touch-is-personal-fingers-of-love-feelers/)

[Keri Hulme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keri-hulme/)

> [I just want some time, Mikhail, to think things through. It’s frightening, the way I am about you. I think about you every minute;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-feehan/i-just-want-some-time-mikhail-to-think-things-through-it-s/)

[Christine Feehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-feehan/)

> [Find someone who will tremble for your touch, someone whose fingers are a poem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/find-someone-who-will-tremble-for-your-touch-someone-whose-fingers/)

[Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/)

> [You must find a boy your own age. Someone mild and beautiful to be your lover. Someone who will tremble for your touch, offer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/you-must-find-a-boy-your-own-age-someone-mild-and-beautiful-to-be/)

[Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/)

> [Then something unexpected happens. At least, I don't expect it because I don't think of District 12 as a place that cares about me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/then-something-unexpected-happens-at-least-i-don-t-expect-it-because/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [His hand touches my waist, steadies me. The touch sends a shock through my body, and all my insides burn like his fingers ignited…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/his-hand-touches-my-waist-steadies-me-the-touch-sends-a-shock-through/)

[Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/)

> [I want you to take a red-hot bath as hot as you can bear it, and just relax your nerves. You can read in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/i-want-you-to-take-a-red-hot-bath-as-hot-as-you-can-bear-it-and-just/)

[F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/)

> [People think I am the crazy person on stage, but I know how to relax.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-forsyth/people-think-i-am-the-crazy-person-on-stage-but-i-know-how-to-relax/)

[Bruce Forsyth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-forsyth/)

> [Nothing costs as little and is worth as much as a smile. Relax, let yourself smile, and see the light come back to you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nothing-costs-as-little-and-is-worth-as-much-as-a-smile-relax-let/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I like to sit down, relax, have a cup of coffee on the terrace and read a book. I like to travel the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-vos/i-like-to-sit-down-relax-have-a-cup-of-coffee-on-the-terrace-and-read/)

[Marianne Vos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-vos/)

> [With every year of playing, you want to relax one more muscle. Why? Because the more tense you are, the less you can hear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yo-yo-ma/with-every-year-of-playing-you-want-to-relax-one-more-muscle-why/)

[Yo-Yo Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yo-yo-ma/)

> [Jobs and money are never the primary cause of stress. Thinking, negative thinking causes stress. The real cause of all problems lie in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/jobs-and-money-are-never-the-primary-cause-of-stress-thinking/)

[Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/)

> [I train my muscles, and I do a lot of stretching, and try to kick higher. But for me, practicing kung-fu is a way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chow/i-train-my-muscles-and-i-do-a-lot-of-stretching-and-try-to-kick/)

[Stephen Chow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chow/)

## More by Robert Fisk

> [Wasn't Saddam destroyed? Wasn't Gaddafi liquidated? Didn't Milosevic go to the Hague? All true. But Stalin survived. Kim Jong-un isn't doing too badly, either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fisk/wasn-t-saddam-destroyed-wasn-t-gaddafi-liquidated-didn-t-milosevic-go/)

[Robert Fisk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fisk/)

> [And I think, in the end, that is the best definition of journalism I have heard; to challenge authority - all authority - especially…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fisk/and-i-think-in-the-end-that-is-the-best-definition-of-journalism-i/)

[Robert Fisk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fisk/)

> [Bin Laden was constantly revolving in his mind the fact that he had got rid of the Russians; therefore, the Americans can be got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fisk/bin-laden-was-constantly-revolving-in-his-mind-the-fact-that-he-had/)

[Robert Fisk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fisk/)

> [How could believers, people who regard themselves as true Muslims, get on those planes, quoting the words of God delivered through the Prophet to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fisk/how-could-believers-people-who-regard-themselves-as-true-muslims-get/)

[Robert Fisk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fisk/)

> [American power in the Middle East is collapsing. It doesn't need much more than a shove, and it will - and that's not going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fisk/american-power-in-the-middle-east-is-collapsing-it-doesn-t-need-much/)

[Robert Fisk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fisk/)

> [The Second World War is and was constantly being drudged up by Blair and Bush to rationalize the invasion of Iraq.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fisk/the-second-world-war-is-and-was-constantly-being-drudged-up-by-blair/)

[Robert Fisk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fisk/)

> [I'm not sure whether I've been happy. After my last book tour, I sat on my balcony with a cup of tea. I thought:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fisk/i-m-not-sure-whether-i-ve-been-happy-after-my-last-book-tour-i-sat-on/)

[Robert Fisk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fisk/)

> [“Terrorism” is a word that has become a plague on our vocabulary, the excuse and reason and moral permit for state-sponsored violence— our violence—which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fisk/terrorism-is-a-word-that-has-become-a-plague-on-our-vocabulary-the/)

[Robert Fisk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fisk/)

> [In just one year in Bosnia, thirty of my colleagues died. There is a little Somme waiting for all innocent journalists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fisk/in-just-one-year-in-bosnia-thirty-of-my-colleagues-died-there-is-a/)

[Robert Fisk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fisk/)

> [Israel lost its war. Will Assad's enemies lose, too?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fisk/israel-lost-its-war-will-assad-s-enemies-lose-too/)

[Robert Fisk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fisk/)

> [President Bush cruelly manipulated the grief of the American people - and the sympathy of the rest of the world - to introduce a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fisk/president-bush-cruelly-manipulated-the-grief-of-the-american-people/)

[Robert Fisk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fisk/)

> [I was very struck by the fact that Colin Powell said he would produce evidence of Osama bin Laden fault and then never produced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fisk/i-was-very-struck-by-the-fact-that-colin-powell-said-he-would-produce/)

[Robert Fisk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fisk/)

> [I've never seen a single demonstration in Pakistan, in the streets of Gaza, in the West Bank, in which the people have come out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fisk/i-ve-never-seen-a-single-demonstration-in-pakistan-in-the-streets-of/)

[Robert Fisk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fisk/)

> [There is nothing so satisfying as to be shot at without effect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fisk/there-is-nothing-so-satisfying-as-to-be-shot-at-without-effect/)

[Robert Fisk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fisk/)

> [President Bush will come here and there will be new "friends" of America to open a new relationship with the world, new economic fortunes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fisk/president-bush-will-come-here-and-there-will-be-new-friends-of/)

[Robert Fisk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fisk/)

[Explore all 92 Robert Fisk quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fisk/)

## More Fingers 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/)

> [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/)

[Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/)

> [Yes yes you can count on me - Fingers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/yes-yes-you-can-count-on-me-fingers/)

[Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/)

> [The nineteenth century lynching mob cuts off ears, toes, and fingers, strips off flesh, and distributes portions of the body as souvenirs among the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ida-b-wells/the-nineteenth-century-lynching-mob-cuts-off-ears-toes-and-fingers/)

[Ida B. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ida-b-wells/)

> [The child who ran weeping to you with a cut finger is now brought home, smiling gamely, with a broken collarbone and incredible contusions-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pam-brown/the-child-who-ran-weeping-to-you-with-a-cut-finger-is-now-brought/)

[Pam Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pam-brown/)

> [Sam reached his hand toward mine and I automatically put my fingers in his. With a guilty little smile he pulled my hand toward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/sam-reached-his-hand-toward-mine-and-i-automatically-put-my-fingers/)

[Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/)

> [I take the seashell from my jeans pocket and rub my fingers across its silken, indented surface, shallow as my own open hand. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katrina-kenison/i-take-the-seashell-from-my-jeans-pocket-and-rub-my-fingers-across/)

[Katrina Kenison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katrina-kenison/)

> [The world belongs to those who think and act with it, who keep a finger on its pulse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ralph-inge/the-world-belongs-to-those-who-think-and-act-with-it-who-keep-a/)

[William Ralph Inge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ralph-inge/)

> [Shhh.” He put a finger to her lips. “Hear me out. I cannot deny that I would've liked to have made babies with you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hoyt/shhh-he-put-a-finger-to-her-lips-hear-me-out-i-cannot-deny-that-i/)

[Elizabeth Hoyt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hoyt/)

> [ \[Sport officials\] blocked their support of us. But those individuals \[ Muhammad Ali, the Jim Browns, the Bill Russells, Kareem Abdul Jabbar \] were… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-carlos/sport-officials-blocked-their-support-of-us-but-those-individuals/)

[John Carlos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-carlos/)

> [Jazz is the music of the body. The breath comes through brass. It is the body's breath, and the strings' wails and moans are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/jazz-is-the-music-of-the-body-the-breath-comes-through-brass-it-is/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [You hit somebody with your fist and not with your fingers spread.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinz-guderian/you-hit-somebody-with-your-fist-and-not-with-your-fingers-spread/)

[Heinz Guderian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinz-guderian/)

> [I would have touched it like a child But knew my finger could but have touched Cold stone and water. I grew wild, Even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/i-would-have-touched-it-like-a-child-but-knew-my-finger-could-but/)

[William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/)

> [The trees change their voices in autumn as well as their shapes. No longer do they whisper to one another in muffled tones as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patience-strong/the-trees-change-their-voices-in-autumn-as-well-as-their-shapes-no/)

[Patience Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patience-strong/)

> [Some people are born skinny, and that's just the way it is. You can't point a finger at them and say they're ill or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-klum/some-people-are-born-skinny-and-that-s-just-the-way-it-is-you-can-t/)

[Heidi Klum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-klum/)

Browse all 2,537 Fingers quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "And history s fingers never relax their grip, never leave us unmolested, can touch us even when we would never imagine their presence.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Robert Fisk"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fisk/and-history-s-fingers-never-relax-their-grip-never-leave-us/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Fingers"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fisk/and-history-s-fingers-never-relax-their-grip-never-leave-us/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/robert-fisk-7244_fingers_and-history-s-fingers-never-relax-their_624273.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/robert-fisk-7244_fingers_and-history-s-fingers-never-relax-their_624273.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/robert-fisk-7244_fingers_and-history-s-fingers-never-relax-their_624273.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“And history s fingers never relax their grip, never leave us unmolested, can touch us even when we would…” — Robert Fisk",
                "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": "Robert Fisk",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fisk/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "And history s fingers never relax...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fisk/and-history-s-fingers-never-relax-their-grip-never-leave-us/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fisk/and-history-s-fingers-never-relax-their-grip-never-leave-us/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
