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With me, it was my liver that was out of order. […] I had…

“With me, it was my liver that was out of order. […] I had the symptoms, beyond all mistake, the chief among them being "a general disinclination to work of any kind." What I suffer in that way no tongue can tell. From my earliest infancy I have been a martyr to it. As a boy, the disease hardly…” quote by Jerome K. Jerome
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““With me, it was my liver that was out of order. […] I had the symptoms, beyond all mistake, the chief among them being "a general disinclination to work of any kind." What I suffer in that way no tongue can tell. From my earliest infancy I have been a martyr to it. As a boy, the disease hardly ever left me for a day. They did not know, then, that it was my liver. Medical science was in a far less advanced state than now, and they used to put it down to laziness.””

Jerome K. Jerome

About This Quote

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

The narrator blames chronic laziness on a liver condition, satirically depicting depression as a physical ailment.

In simple terms: Depression feels like a bodily illness.

Key Takeaway

Seek help, not blame.

Themes

mental health depression stigma

Mood

empathetic thoughtful

Type

satirical insightful

When to use this quote

  • workplace
  • personal relationships
  • medical diagnosis
  • therapy

Key Concepts

psychosomatic self‑perception

Questions to Reflect On

  • How does humor affect stigma?
  • What are healthier explanations?
A Different Perspective

Attributing mental illness to a physical organ oversimplifies it.

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