Skip to content

You may have a wen or a cancer upon your person and not be…

“You may have a wen or a cancer upon your person and not be able to cut it out lest you bleed to death; but surely it is no way tocure it, to engraft it and spread it over your whole body.” quote by Abraham Lincoln
Download Open image
“You may have a wen or a cancer upon your person and not be able to cut it out lest you bleed to death; but surely it is no way tocure it, to engraft it and spread it over your whole body.”

Abraham Lincoln

About This Quote

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

Describes a disease that cannot be cured by removal, only by spreading throughout the body, illustrating futile attempts to fix problems by worsening them.

In simple terms: Trying to fix something by spreading it worsens the issue.

Key Takeaway

Avoid solutions that expand the problem.

Themes

health medicine problem solving

Mood

cautious reflective

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

  • medical treatment
  • public health policy
  • personal crises
  • organizational change

Key Concepts

disease spread systemic failure

Questions to Reflect On

  • Is there a problem you’re trying to fix by expanding it?
  • What are the risks of a “solution” that spreads?
A Different Perspective

Sometimes removal is the only cure; spreading can be destructive.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet

More by Abraham Lincoln

Explore all 1,437 Abraham Lincoln quotes

More Able quotes

Browse all 17,257 Able quotes