---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I always wondered if the good people who…"
description: "\"I always wondered if the good people who send us bibles really think that hookworm and hunger are healed by scripture? Our patients are illiterate.\" — ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/109/abraham-verghese-1533_bible_i-always-wondered-if-the-good-people-who_1211159.png"
---

#  I always wondered if the good people who send us bibles…

![“I always wondered if the good people who send us bibles really think that hookworm and hunger are healed by scripture? Our patients are illiterate.” quote by Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/109/abraham-verghese-1533_bible_i-always-wondered-if-the-good-people-who_1211159.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/109/abraham-verghese-1533_bible_i-always-wondered-if-the-good-people-who_1211159.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/109/abraham-verghese-1533_bible_i-always-wondered-if-the-good-people-who_1211159.png)

> “I always wondered if the good people who send us bibles really think that hookworm and hunger are healed by scripture? Our patients are illiterate.”

[Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/)

## About This Quote

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

Questioning whether religious texts can solve material hardships like hunger and disease.

**In simple terms:** Scripture alone can't fix physical needs.

Key Takeaway

Address basic needs first.

Themes

faith poverty health literacy

Mood

critical concerned

Type

analysis social commentary

When to use this quote

- medical missions
- NGO work
- public health policy
- community education

Key Concepts

social determinants of health faith-based aid

Questions to Reflect On

- What responsibilities do faith groups have in tangible aid?
- How can literacy improve health outcomes?

A Different Perspective

Spiritual comfort may not replace practical solutions.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible/) [Good people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-people/) [Hunger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hunger/) [Patience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patience/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Scripture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scripture/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

## Related quotes

> [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/)

[Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/)

> [“Helen Keller became deaf, dumb, and blind shortly after birth. Despite her greatest misfortune, she has written her name indelibly in the pages of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/helen-keller-became-deaf-dumb-and-blind-shortly-after-birth-despite/)

[Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/)

> [I shouldn't say bad stuff about illiterate people. I should write it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-shouldn-t-say-bad-stuff-about-illiterate-people-i-should-write-it/)

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

> [Having a financially illiterate society is dangerous, and we have to do something about that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mellody-hobson/having-a-financially-illiterate-society-is-dangerous-and-we-have-to/)

[Mellody Hobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mellody-hobson/)

> [Luckily, I'm not educated. If you act like an illiterate man, your learning will never stop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arunachalam-muruganantham/luckily-i-m-not-educated-if-you-act-like-an-illiterate-man-your/)

[Arunachalam Muruganantham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arunachalam-muruganantham/)

> [I admire Laura Bush because she's the only librarian who would marry an illiterate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-sparks/i-admire-laura-bush-because-she-s-the-only-librarian-who-would-marry/)

[Hal Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-sparks/)

> [Illiterate people on the computer and I don't go well together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/illiterate-people-on-the-computer-and-i-don-t-go-well-together/)

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

> [Ignorance and illiteracy are obviously not synonymous; even illiterate masses can cast their ballots with intelligence, once they are informed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-orville-douglas/ignorance-and-illiteracy-are-obviously-not-synonymous-even-illiterate/)

William Orville Douglas

> [“the illiterate of the future will not be those that cannot read or write. Rather, they will be those that cannot learn, unlearn and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-woodward/the-illiterate-of-the-future-will-not-be-those-that-cannot-read-or/)

[J.R. Woodward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-woodward/)

> [The basic scam in the Internet age is pretty easy even for the financially illiterate to grasp. It was as if banks like Goldman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-taibbi/the-basic-scam-in-the-internet-age-is-pretty-easy-even-for-the/)

[Matt Taibbi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-taibbi/)

> [“Those captivated by the cult of celebrity do not examine voting records or compare verbal claims with written and published facts and reports. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hedges/those-captivated-by-the-cult-of-celebrity-do-not-examine-voting/)

[Chris Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hedges/)

> [Our legal system, including the police, is anti-Dalit and anti-poor. The death penalty laws' wrathful majesty, in blood-shot equality, deals the fatal blow on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-r-krishna-iyer/our-legal-system-including-the-police-is-anti-dalit-and-anti-poor-the/)

V. R. Krishna Iyer

> [You can't have people making decisions about the future of the world who are scientifically illiterate. That's a recipe for disaster. And I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/you-can-t-have-people-making-decisions-about-the-future-of-the-world/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [It's a great lesson in modesty that you realize you're illiterate in a field that you think you're an expert in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wim-wenders/it-s-a-great-lesson-in-modesty-that-you-realize-you-re-illiterate-in/)

[Wim Wenders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wim-wenders/)

> [The road to ignorance is paved with good editions. Only the illiterate can afford to buy good books now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-road-to-ignorance-is-paved-with-good-editions-only-the-illiterate/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

## More by Abraham Verghese

> [I've never bought this idea of taking a therapeutic distance. If I see a student or house staff cry, I take great faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/i-ve-never-bought-this-idea-of-taking-a-therapeutic-distance-if-i-see/)

[Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/)

> [I love to read poetry but I haven't written anything that I'm willing to show anybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/i-love-to-read-poetry-but-i-haven-t-written-anything-that-i-m-willing/)

[Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/)

> [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/)

> [I think America is really in denial about the degree to which residents, particularly foreign medical graduates, man the county hospitals of this country,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/i-think-america-is-really-in-denial-about-the-degree-to-which/)

[Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/)

> [“Do they listen?" He held up a finger. "Every year one does," he said, ginning, "But that one makes it worthwhile. Even Jesus only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/do-they-listen-he-held-up-a-finger-every-year-one-does-he-said/)

[Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/)

> [“It seems we humans never learn. And so we relearn the lesson every generation and then want to write epistles. We proselytize to our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/it-seems-we-humans-never-learn-and-so-we-relearn-the-lesson-every/)

[Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/)

> [It was all I had, all I've ever had, the only currency, the only proof that I was alive. Memory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/it-was-all-i-had-all-i-ve-ever-had-the-only-currency-the-only-proof/)

[Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/)

> [“There it was, Hema must have thought; it was both the sorry and the thank-you that was so long overdue, and the funny thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/there-it-was-hema-must-have-thought-it-was-both-the-sorry-and-the/)

[Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/)

> [“This is my life, I thought, as my taxi slogged through heavy traffic and inched through the tunnel to Logan Airport. I have excised…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/this-is-my-life-i-thought-as-my-taxi-slogged-through-heavy-traffic/)

[Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/)

> [“I could see that the almost mystical aura of this legendary surgeon -- the single-mindedness, the dedication, the skill -- was mere surface. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/i-could-see-that-the-almost-mystical-aura-of-this-legendary-surgeon/)

[Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/)

> [“As a child I'd longed for Thomas Stone or at least the idea of him. So many mornings I waited for him at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/as-a-child-i-d-longed-for-thomas-stone-or-at-least-the-idea-of-him-so/)

[Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/)

> [“The reader, knowing nothing about the ‘dark continent,’ filled in the blanks. Pictured Stone in a tent, kerosene lamp held up by a Hottentot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/the-reader-knowing-nothing-about-the-dark-continent-filled-in-the/)

[Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/)

> [“This was what growing up was about: hide the corpse, don't bare your heart, do make assumptions about the motives of others. They're certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/this-was-what-growing-up-was-about-hide-the-corpse-don-t-bare-your/)

[Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/)

> [“And as for my father? No, he wouldn't ever walk through those gates; I now knew that. Whatever Thomas Stone had, wherever he was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/and-as-for-my-father-no-he-wouldn-t-ever-walk-through-those-gates-i/)

[Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/)

> [“... telling herself stories about herself in a singsong voice, creating her own mythology.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/telling-herself-stories-about-herself-in-a-singsong-voice-creating/)

[Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/)

[Explore all 230 Abraham Verghese quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/)

## More Bible quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/)

[Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/)

> [“God hates Hell. He hates the idea of people going there. He hates it so much that He was willing to take on human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-minton/god-hates-hell-he-hates-the-idea-of-people-going-there-he-hates-it-so/)

[Evan Minton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-minton/)

> [“The Devil can cite Scripture for his purpose, Sergeant,’ Anthony Payne replied. ‘That is from The Merchant of Venice, but it holds great truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-arnold/the-devil-can-cite-scripture-for-his-purpose-sergeant-anthony-payne/)

Michael Arnold

> [When you put your hand on the Bible, you are saying something much stronger than just telling your peers that you're going to tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-greenwood/when-you-put-your-hand-on-the-bible-you-are-saying-something-much/)

[Lee Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-greenwood/)

> [“Scripture also teaches that human beings are morally responsible creatures”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-peterson/scripture-also-teaches-that-human-beings-are-morally-responsible/)

Robert A. Peterson

> [“The wife of a junior officer cooped up in a horrible canvas partition in steerage for five months wrote: "I had enjoyed much peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-taylor/the-wife-of-a-junior-officer-cooped-up-in-a-horrible-canvas-partition/)

Stephen Taylor

> [O Word of God incarnate . . . It is the golden casket Where gems of truth are stored; It is the heaven-drawn picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walsham-how/o-word-of-god-incarnate-it-is-the-golden-casket-where-gems-of-truth/)

Walsham How

> [How can I trust that the Bible is reliable?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-horton/how-can-i-trust-that-the-bible-is-reliable/)

[Michael Horton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-horton/)

> [Every plant which my heavenly father has not planted with be uprooted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesus-christ/every-plant-which-my-heavenly-father-has-not-planted-with-be-uprooted/)

[Jesus Christ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesus-christ/)

> [Where I come from you're not raised to think on your own. It's not that you're pushed to read the Bible. The Bible is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abel-ferrara/where-i-come-from-you-re-not-raised-to-think-on-your-own-it-s-not/)

[Abel Ferrara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abel-ferrara/)

> [“I felt like praying or something, when I was in bed, but I couldn't do it. I can't always pray when I feel like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-felt-like-praying-or-something-when-i-was-in-bed-but-i-couldn-t-do/)

[J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/)

> [What comes to mind when you think of heaven? Heaven is referred to in fifty-four of the Bible's sixty-six books, and the final two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-jeremiah/what-comes-to-mind-when-you-think-of-heaven-heaven-is-referred-to-in/)

[David Jeremiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-jeremiah/)

> [“While it is in one sense a result of God’s presence within us, the New Testament also describes a process involved in our “putting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/while-it-is-in-one-sense-a-result-of-god-s-presence-within-us-the-new/)

[Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/)

> [The definition of a Church is crystal clear in the New Testament. We see the picture of it. They came together the first day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/the-definition-of-a-church-is-crystal-clear-in-the-new-testament-we/)

[John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/)

[Browse all 8,465 Bible quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I always wondered if the good people who send us bibles really think that hookworm and hunger are healed by scripture? Our patients are illiterate.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Abraham Verghese"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/i-always-wondered-if-the-good-people-who-send-us-bibles-really-think/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bible"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/i-always-wondered-if-the-good-people-who-send-us-bibles-really-think/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/109/abraham-verghese-1533_bible_i-always-wondered-if-the-good-people-who_1211159.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/109/abraham-verghese-1533_bible_i-always-wondered-if-the-good-people-who_1211159.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/109/abraham-verghese-1533_bible_i-always-wondered-if-the-good-people-who_1211159.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I always wondered if the good people who send us bibles really think that hookworm and hunger are healed by…” — Abraham Verghese",
                "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": "Abraham Verghese",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I always wondered if the good...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/i-always-wondered-if-the-good-people-who-send-us-bibles-really-think/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/i-always-wondered-if-the-good-people-who-send-us-bibles-really-think/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
