--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If I didn't have this affliction, I would…" description: "\"If I didn't have this affliction, I would be the first. As a rule the if-clause contains an unfulfillable condition, or the patient's own arrangement, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bc/alfred-adler-4921_affliction_if-i-didn-t-have-this-affliction-i-would_2490227.jpg" --- # If I didn't have this affliction, I would be the first. As… ![“If I didn't have this affliction, I would be the first. As a rule the if-clause contains an unfulfillable condition, or the patient's own arrangement, which only he can change.” quote by Alfred Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bc/alfred-adler-4921_affliction_if-i-didn-t-have-this-affliction-i-would_2490227.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bc/alfred-adler-4921_affliction_if-i-didn-t-have-this-affliction-i-would_2490227.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bc/alfred-adler-4921_affliction_if-i-didn-t-have-this-affliction-i-would_2490227.jpg) > “If I didn't have this affliction, I would be the first. As a rule the if-clause contains an unfulfillable condition, or the patient's own arrangement, which only he can change.” [Alfred Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-adler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A hypothetical condition that cannot be met highlights personal responsibility for change **In simple terms:** Unrealizable conditions stress personal agency Key Takeaway Recognize self‑imposed limits and act to change them Themes psychology personal responsibility motivation Mood analytical encouraging Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - therapy sessions - coaching - self‑help workshops - education planning Key Concepts self‑efficacy cognitive reframing goal setting Questions to Reflect On - What conditions do you set that you cannot fulfill? - How can you transform impossible clauses into actionable steps? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on internal control can ignore external constraints ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Affliction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affliction/) [Affliction Rule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affliction-rule-957755/) [Clause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clause/) [Clauses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clauses/) [Condition Patient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/condition-patient-957756/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Patience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patience/) [Patient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patient/) [Patient Arrangement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patient-arrangement-957757/) [Unfulfillable Condition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unfulfillable-condition-957754/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/) ## Related quotes > [I would have had a clause in my contract; I would've definitely put some fine print in my contract that said, "If the president…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-budden/i-would-have-had-a-clause-in-my-contract-i-would-ve-definitely-put/) [Joe Budden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-budden/) > [If the baby is sick, you won't find me showing up to play my gigs. If I have a contract, there is going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-snow/if-the-baby-is-sick-you-won-t-find-me-showing-up-to-play-my-gigs-if-i/) [Phoebe Snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-snow/) > [ \[Y\]ou wonder why anyone would make the mistake of calling it the Commerce Clause instead of the 'Hey, you -can-do-whatever-you-feel-like Clause? ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-kozinski/y-ou-wonder-why-anyone-would-make-the-mistake-of-calling-it-the/) [Alex Kozinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-kozinski/) > [Every president since George Washington has respected this clause in the Constitution. We want to avoid that Constitutional potential crisis. And the way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-todd/every-president-since-george-washington-has-respected-this-clause-in/) [Chuck Todd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-todd/) > [Long ago I added to the true old adage of "What is everybody's business is nobody's business," another clause which, I think, morethan any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clara-barton/long-ago-i-added-to-the-true-old-adage-of-what-is-everybody-s/) [Clara Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clara-barton/) > [A dependent clause (a sentence fragment set off by commas, dontcha know) helps you explore your story by moving you deeper into the sentence.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/a-dependent-clause-a-sentence-fragment-set-off-by-commas-dontcha-know/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [ \[The necessary and proper clause\] neither enlarges any power specifically granted; nor is it a grant of any new power to Congress; But it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-story/the-necessary-and-proper-clause-neither-enlarges-any-power/) [Joseph Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-story/) > [In no part of the Constitution is more wisdom to be found than in the clause which confides the question of war or peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/in-no-part-of-the-constitution-is-more-wisdom-to-be-found-than-in-the/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [I don't have a crazy rider clause saying I have to stay at fancy hotels. I don't have a problem with staying at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ronson/i-don-t-have-a-crazy-rider-clause-saying-i-have-to-stay-at-fancy/) [Mark Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ronson/) > [There's another way to edit the sentence, which is to add a comma before the second 'which.' The survivor is struggling toward 'some resolution,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anderson/there-s-another-way-to-edit-the-sentence-which-is-to-add-a-comma/) [Robert Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anderson/) > [“If I were a doctor, I would diagnose his condition thus: "The patient is suffering from nostalgic insufficiency.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/if-i-were-a-doctor-i-would-diagnose-his-condition-thus-the-patient-is/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Orthodoxy: That peculiar condition where the patient can neither eliminate an old idea nor absorb a new one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/orthodoxy-that-peculiar-condition-where-the-patient-can-neither/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [Remember. You are a physician. You are not a policeman nor are you a minister of religion. You must take people as they come.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/remember-you-are-a-physician-you-are-not-a-policeman-nor-are-you-a/) [Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/) > [The Supreme Court, in 2005, emphasized and contrasted the great power of Congress under the Commerce Clause to regulate interstate commerce versus much more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ann-radnofsky/the-supreme-court-in-2005-emphasized-and-contrasted-the-great-power/) [Barbara Ann Radnofsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ann-radnofsky/) > [Money is speech. It's incongruous to say a multimillionaire can spend as much on his own campaign as he wants, but you can only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-stone/money-is-speech-it-s-incongruous-to-say-a-multimillionaire-can-spend/) [Roger Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-stone/) ## More by Alfred Adler > [Play is a child's work and this is not a trivial pursuit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-adler/play-is-a-child-s-work-and-this-is-not-a-trivial-pursuit/) [Alfred Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-adler/) > [There is a law that man should love his neighbor as himself. In a few hundred years it should be as natural to mankind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-adler/there-is-a-law-that-man-should-love-his-neighbor-as-himself-in-a-few/) [Alfred Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-adler/) > [Nobody adopts antisocial behaviour unless they fear that they will fail if they remain on the social side of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-adler/nobody-adopts-antisocial-behaviour-unless-they-fear-that-they-will/) [Alfred Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-adler/) > [What person, confined in a small room with nothing but a tea-cosy, will not eventually put the tea-cosy on their head?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-adler/what-person-confined-in-a-small-room-with-nothing-but-a-tea-cosy-will/) [Alfred Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-adler/) > [I am grateful for the idea that has used me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-adler/i-am-grateful-for-the-idea-that-has-used-me/) [Alfred Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-adler/) > [The feeling of inferiority rules the mental life and can be clearly recognized in the sense of incompleteness and un-fulfillment, and in the uninterrupted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-adler/the-feeling-of-inferiority-rules-the-mental-life-and-can-be-clearly/) [Alfred Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-adler/) > [Far more unwaveringly, the neurotic keeps before his eye his God, his idol, his ideal of personality and clings to his guiding principle, losing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-adler/far-more-unwaveringly-the-neurotic-keeps-before-his-eye-his-god-his/) [Alfred Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-adler/) > [The test of one's behavior pattern is their relationship to society, relationship to work and relationship to sex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-adler/the-test-of-one-s-behavior-pattern-is-their-relationship-to-society/) [Alfred Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-adler/) > [There are thousands of degrees and variations, but it is always clearly the attitude of a person who finds his superiority in solving the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-adler/there-are-thousands-of-degrees-and-variations-but-it-is-always/) [Alfred Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-adler/) > [You can be healed of depression if every day you begin the first thing in the morning to consider how you will bring a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-adler/you-can-be-healed-of-depression-if-every-day-you-begin-the-first/) [Alfred Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-adler/) > [It is very obvious that we are not influenced by "facts" but by our interpretation of the facts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-adler/it-is-very-obvious-that-we-are-not-influenced-by-facts-but-by-our/) [Alfred Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-adler/) > [In God's nature, religious mankind perceives the way to height. In His call it hears again the innate voice of life which must have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-adler/in-god-s-nature-religious-mankind-perceives-the-way-to-height-in-his/) [Alfred Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-adler/) > [Man knows much more than he understands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-adler/man-knows-much-more-than-he-understands/) [Alfred Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-adler/) > [Every pampered child becomes a hated child… There is no greater evil than the pampering of children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-adler/every-pampered-child-becomes-a-hated-child-there-is-no-greater-evil/) [Alfred Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-adler/) > [Every neurotic is partly in the right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-adler/every-neurotic-is-partly-in-the-right/) [Alfred Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-adler/) [Explore all 105 Alfred Adler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-adler/) ## More Affliction quotes > [I don't feel insecure about any of this work anymore. Maybe I don't have what I had when I was younger. I'm not really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/i-don-t-feel-insecure-about-any-of-this-work-anymore-maybe-i-don-t/) [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) > [Every man will have his own criterion in forming his judgment of others. I depend very much on the effect of affliction. I consider…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cecil/every-man-will-have-his-own-criterion-in-forming-his-judgment-of/) [Richard Cecil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cecil/) > [WHANGDEPOOTENAWAH, n. In the Ojibwa tongue, disaster; an unexpected affliction that strikes hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/whangdepootenawah-n-in-the-ojibwa-tongue-disaster-an-unexpected/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [There is nothing in afflictions which ought to disturb our joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/there-is-nothing-in-afflictions-which-ought-to-disturb-our-joy/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [Come, then, affliction, if my Father wills, and be my frowning friend. A friend that frowns is better than a smiling enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/come-then-affliction-if-my-father-wills-and-be-my-frowning-friend-a/) [George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/) > [Henceforth, I'll bear Affliction till it do cry out itself, 'Enough, enough, and die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/henceforth-i-ll-bear-affliction-till-it-do-cry-out-itself-enough/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [New materials are one of the great afflictions of contemporary art. Some artists confuse new materials with new ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-lewitt/new-materials-are-one-of-the-great-afflictions-of-contemporary-art/) [Sol LeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-lewitt/) > [Aimee Parkison offers a distinct new voice to contemporary fiction. Her seductive stories explore childhood as a realm of sorrows, and reveal the afflictions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-anshaw/aimee-parkison-offers-a-distinct-new-voice-to-contemporary-fiction/) [Carol Anshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-anshaw/) > [May I strike my heart's keys clearly, and may none fail because of slack, uncertain, or fraying strings. May the tears that stream down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/may-i-strike-my-heart-s-keys-clearly-and-may-none-fail-because-of/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [We are infinitely more than our limitations and afflictions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/we-are-infinitely-more-than-our-limitations-and-afflictions/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [God measures out affliction to our need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-john-chrysostom/god-measures-out-affliction-to-our-need/) [Saint John Chrysostom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-john-chrysostom/) > [Afflictions make the heart more deep, more experimental, more knowing and profound, and so, more able to hold, to contain, and beat more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bunyan/afflictions-make-the-heart-more-deep-more-experimental-more-knowing/) [John Bunyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bunyan/) > [Religion prescribes to every miserable man the means of bettering his condition; nay, it shows him that the bearing of his afflictions as he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/religion-prescribes-to-every-miserable-man-the-means-of-bettering-his/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Short-term amnesia is not the worst affliction if you have an Irish flair for the sauce.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/short-term-amnesia-is-not-the-worst-affliction-if-you-have-an-irish/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [Revolution will free society of its afflictions, while science will free the individual of his.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/revolution-will-free-society-of-its-afflictions-while-science-will/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) [Browse all 598 Affliction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affliction/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If I didn't have this affliction, I would be the first. 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