--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Spending the day with you has been…" description: "\"Spending the day with you has been marginally better than watching mother die of cancer.\" — Arthur M. Jolly" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ab/arthur-m-jolly-37319_cancer_spending-the-day-with-you-has-been-margi_1308644.jpg" --- # Spending the day with you has been marginally better than… ![“Spending the day with you has been marginally better than watching mother die of cancer.” quote by Arthur M. Jolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ab/arthur-m-jolly-37319_cancer_spending-the-day-with-you-has-been-margi_1308644.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ab/arthur-m-jolly-37319_cancer_spending-the-day-with-you-has-been-margi_1308644.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ab/arthur-m-jolly-37319_cancer_spending-the-day-with-you-has-been-margi_1308644.jpg) > “Spending the day with you has been marginally better than watching mother die of cancer.” [Arthur M. Jolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-jolly/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker compares a modestly pleasant experience with an extreme tragedy, highlighting how even small comforts can feel significant when contrasted with profound loss. **In simple terms:** Even slight joys feel larger next to deep sorrow. Key Takeaway Appreciate small comforts. Themes contrast comfort loss perspective Mood bittersweet reflective Type personal humorous When to use this quote - personal relationships - coping with grief - finding meaning in everyday moments Key Concepts subjectivity relativism emotional comparison Questions to Reflect On - How do we balance gratitude with empathy? - When does humor become harmful? A Different Perspective The comparison may trivialize serious suffering. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cancer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cancer/) [Ending The Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ending-the-day/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) ## Related quotes > [British theatre is marginally better at casting the actor the director wants regardless of colour, but TV has always, falsely I believe, seen itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paterson-joseph/british-theatre-is-marginally-better-at-casting-the-actor-the/) [Paterson Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paterson-joseph/) > [“Those who can read, and don't, are only marginally better off than those who can't.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/verne-harnish/those-who-can-read-and-don-t-are-only-marginally-better-off-than/) Verne Harnish > [“I remember watching my mother emerge from her bedroom on a night when she and my father were going out, all dressed up in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/i-remember-watching-my-mother-emerge-from-her-bedroom-on-a-night-when/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) > [When I was younger, I wanted to grow up and be the man that my father should have been, and I learned that by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cedric-alexander/when-i-was-younger-i-wanted-to-grow-up-and-be-the-man-that-my-father/) [Cedric Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cedric-alexander/) > [“I've learned from watching my mother train to become a police officer that small steps add to giant leaps.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-kelly/i-ve-learned-from-watching-my-mother-train-to-become-a-police-officer/) [Scott Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-kelly/) > [My earliest memory of music has to be watching my mother play the santoor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ananya-birla/my-earliest-memory-of-music-has-to-be-watching-my-mother-play-the/) [Ananya Birla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ananya-birla/) > [I remember, when I was a kid, watching my mother jam herself into her girdle - a piece of equipment so rigid it could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-remember-when-i-was-a-kid-watching-my-mother-jam-herself-into-her/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [They say the definition of ambivalence is watching your mother-in-law drive over a cliff in your new Cadillac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/they-say-the-definition-of-ambivalence-is-watching-your-mother-in-law/) [David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/) > [There are a lot of sacrifices a mother makes when she's raising a child by herself. I saw it when I was growing up,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-applegate/there-are-a-lot-of-sacrifices-a-mother-makes-when-she-s-raising-a/) [Christina Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-applegate/) > [“Watching her mother’s decline had been slow and painful: the worst thing she had ever had to witness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-jenkins/watching-her-mother-s-decline-had-been-slow-and-painful-the-worst/) [Victoria Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-jenkins/) > [A career is a career, but you're a mother until you die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-eaton/a-career-is-a-career-but-you-re-a-mother-until-you-die/) [Shirley Eaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-eaton/) > [“I originally feared she might be dead, which felt like a sealed book that I would never be able to read. To have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-louise-stephenson/i-originally-feared-she-might-be-dead-which-felt-like-a-sealed-book/) Janet Louise Stephenson > [Watching a whole cluster of friends, and my own mother, die over quite a short space of time convinced me that purely materialist 'explanations'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-n-wilson/watching-a-whole-cluster-of-friends-and-my-own-mother-die-over-quite/) [A. N. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-n-wilson/) > [At one point, early on, some public figures even asked whether it 'made sense' to rebuild New Orleans. Would you let your own mother…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-piazza/at-one-point-early-on-some-public-figures-even-asked-whether-it-made/) [Tom Piazza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-piazza/) > [“Tell me Mother will I die? Yes, my child and so shall I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-isaak/tell-me-mother-will-i-die-yes-my-child-and-so-shall-i/) [Chris Isaak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-isaak/) ## More by Arthur M. Jolly > [I thought I would try my hand at sailing. It was too small and kept sinking, so I decided to try a boat instead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-jolly/i-thought-i-would-try-my-hand-at-sailing-it-was-too-small-and-kept/) [Arthur M. Jolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-jolly/) > [It’s always hard. If it was easy, everyone would do it rather than going around telling you their ideas and saying how they could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-jolly/it-s-always-hard-if-it-was-easy-everyone-would-do-it-rather-than/) [Arthur M. 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It's hard enough just milking the little beggars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-jolly/you-can-t-make-cheese-from-rats-it-s-hard-enough-just-milking-the/) [Arthur M. Jolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-jolly/) > [The only thing that matters is what you do now, here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-jolly/the-only-thing-that-matters-is-what-you-do-now-here/) [Arthur M. Jolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-jolly/) > [ I adore \[my son\]. I wouldn't trade him in for a Pulitzer - unless someone actually offered that as an option. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-jolly/i-adore-my-son-i-wouldn-t-trade-him-in-for-a-pulitzer-unless-someone/) [Arthur M. Jolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-jolly/) > [People who are intolerant, categorize and over-react... should all be dragged against a wall and shot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-jolly/people-who-are-intolerant-categorize-and-over-react-should-all-be/) [Arthur M. Jolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-jolly/) > [Writing is nothing less than thought transference, the ability to send one's ideas out into the world, beyond time and distance, taken at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-jolly/writing-is-nothing-less-than-thought-transference-the-ability-to-send/) [Arthur M. Jolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-jolly/) > [Don't cook that chicken - it still has feathers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-jolly/don-t-cook-that-chicken-it-still-has-feathers/) [Arthur M. Jolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-jolly/) [Explore all 12 Arthur M. Jolly quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-jolly/) ## More Cancer quotes > [Women still, when they have breast cancer, go to work; they still lead their lives. They have to. I just did what I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-potter/women-still-when-they-have-breast-cancer-go-to-work-they-still-lead/) [Monica Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-potter/) > [If one truly has lost hope, one would not be on hand to say so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bentley/if-one-truly-has-lost-hope-one-would-not-be-on-hand-to-say-so/) [Eric Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bentley/) > [Racism is a cancer. You cannot ignore it and it'll go away. If you ignore cancer, it simply metastasizes and consumes the whole body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/racism-is-a-cancer-you-cannot-ignore-it-and-it-ll-go-away-if-you/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [Historically, more people have died of religion than cancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-francis/historically-more-people-have-died-of-religion-than-cancer/) [Dick Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-francis/) > [“Our kind of love can go into remission, but it's always waiting to return. Like the world sweetest cancer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/our-kind-of-love-can-go-into-remission-but-it-s-always-waiting-to/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [Bollywood is a cancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-banerjee/bollywood-is-a-cancer/) [Victor Banerjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-banerjee/) > [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. 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Before I had cancer, I lived my life for my art. After I had cancer, I lived my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-halprin/aging-is-like-enlightenment-at-gunpoint-before-i-had-cancer-i-lived/) [Anna Halprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-halprin/) > [If you are a white male, you don't deserve to live. You are a cancer, you're a disease, white males have never contributed anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-ignatiev/if-you-are-a-white-male-you-don-t-deserve-to-live-you-are-a-cancer/) [Noel Ignatiev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-ignatiev/) > [The way I look at it is, cancer research is absolutely nonpartisan. Cancer is very democratic in the sense that it attacks people regardless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-h-koch/the-way-i-look-at-it-is-cancer-research-is-absolutely-nonpartisan/) [David H. Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-h-koch/) [Browse all 3,177 Cancer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cancer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Spending the day with you has been marginally better than watching mother die of cancer.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Arthur M. 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