Respect for the fragility and importance of an individual life is still the mark of an educated man.
Norman CousinsRead
Never deny a diagnosis, but do deny the negative verdict that may go with it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Acknowledge medical diagnoses but maintain a positive mindset despite potentially negative implications.
This quote emphasizes the importance of recognizing medical diagnoses as a reality, while simultaneously advocating for a rejection of any negative outcomes that may be associated with them. It suggests that awareness of one's health condition should not lead to despair, and instead encourages individuals to focus on maintaining a hopeful outlook and pursuing positive possibilities.
Themes
DiagnosisNegativityHealthHopeMindset
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational talk about overcoming health challenges.
More from Norman Cousins
All quotes βAlthough a man may have no jurisdiction over the fact of his existence, he can hold supreme command over the meaning of existence for him.
Norman CousinsRead
People are never more insecure than when they become obsessed with their fears at the expense of their dreams.
Norman CousinsRead
Reverence for life is more than solicitude or sensitivity for life. It is a sense of the whole, a capacity for inspired response, a respect for the intricate universe of individual life. It is the supreme awareness of awareness itself.
Norman CousinsRead
Drugs are not always necessary. Belief in recovery always is.
Norman CousinsRead
The individual is capable of both great compassion and great indifference. He has it within his means to nourish the former and outgrow the latter.
Norman CousinsRead
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