---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Like most doctors, the fanciest ones, he…"
description: "\"“Like most doctors, the fanciest ones, he seemed offensively healthy, as if he kept the real secret of vitality to himself. He would live forever and p..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14b/ben-marcus-7492_death_like-most-doctors-the-fanciest-ones-he-s_1197181.jpg"
---

#  Like most doctors, the fanciest ones, he seemed…

![“Like most doctors, the fanciest ones, he seemed offensively healthy, as if he kept the real secret of vitality to himself. He would live forever and people would crumble and die around him. You were supposed to feel like death after seeing him, in terms of your complexion, your posture, your whole…” quote by Ben Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14b/ben-marcus-7492_death_like-most-doctors-the-fanciest-ones-he-s_1197181.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14b/ben-marcus-7492_death_like-most-doctors-the-fanciest-ones-he-s_1197181.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14b/ben-marcus-7492_death_like-most-doctors-the-fanciest-ones-he-s_1197181.jpg)

> ““Like most doctors, the fanciest ones, he seemed offensively healthy, as if he kept the real secret of vitality to himself. He would live forever and people would crumble and die around him. You were supposed to feel like death after seeing him, in terms of your complexion, your posture, your whole body. If necessary, this doctor would eat you to survive.””

[Ben Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-marcus/)

## About This Quote

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

The passage sat a character whose outward health masks a predatory, self‑preserving nature, suggesting that true vitality may be hidden and potentially harmful to others.

**In simple terms:** A healthy‑looking doctor is secretly dangerous.

Key Takeaway

Beware appearances; look deeper.

Themes

appearance danger vitality predation

Mood

uneasy thoughtful

Type

literary critical.

When to use this quote

- medical setting
- personal encounter
- social hierarchy
- ethical dilemma

Key Concepts

ethical ambiguity survival instinct power dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- What does true vitality mean to you?
- How do you discern hidden motives?

A Different Perspective

The metaphor may exaggerate, ignoring real medical ethics.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Doctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctor/) [Doctors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctors/) [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) [Illness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illness/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Live forever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-forever/) [Medicine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medicine/) [Physicians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physicians/) [Vitality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vitality/)

## Related quotes

> [“I don't like people much, and I like doctors even less.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/star-trek-the-next-generation-episode-guide-team/i-don-t-like-people-much-and-i-like-doctors-even-less/)

[Star Trek: The Next Generation Episode Guide Team](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/star-trek-the-next-generation-episode-guide-team/)

> [I like porterhouse steak, rib-eyes and New York strip. This works for me because I have very low cholesterol and low blood pressure. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-stone/i-like-porterhouse-steak-rib-eyes-and-new-york-strip-this-works-for/)

[Sharon Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-stone/)

> [“We do not like our doctors to be that human. We need to think they are secretly in touch with God. He”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-r-mason/we-do-not-like-our-doctors-to-be-that-human-we-need-to-think-they-are/)

E.R. Mason

> [“Great teachers should be paid like doctors or corporate attorneys. I worry about what will happen to our economy and our democracy if we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ninive-clements-calegari/great-teachers-should-be-paid-like-doctors-or-corporate-attorneys-i/)

Ninive Clements Calegari

> [“Like so many doctors,” Rieff recalls, “he spoke to us as if we were children but without the care that a sensible adult takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddhartha-mukherjee/like-so-many-doctors-rieff-recalls-he-spoke-to-us-as-if-we-were/)

[Siddhartha Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddhartha-mukherjee/)

> [I don't even like the show that much, I mean, it's about doctors. It's not like doctors are as important as actors anyway, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/i-don-t-even-like-the-show-that-much-i-mean-it-s-about-doctors-it-s/)

[Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/)

> [We cannot generalise anything in life. We cannot say media people are like this, film people are like this, or doctors are like this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/poonam-dhillon/we-cannot-generalise-anything-in-life-we-cannot-say-media-people-are/)

[Poonam Dhillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/poonam-dhillon/)

> [I really like my doctors. Some of them I love. I trust them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-grace/i-really-like-my-doctors-some-of-them-i-love-i-trust-them/)

[Nancy Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-grace/)

> [“But there was no gangrene or amputations like the doctors threatened, and we got a B, so I don’t see what all the noise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/but-there-was-no-gangrene-or-amputations-like-the-doctors-threatened/)

[Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/)

> [I actually like how doctors talk. I like the sound of science. I like how words you don't understand explain things you can't understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-actually-like-how-doctors-talk-i-like-the-sound-of-science-i-like/)

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

> [There are few of us who have not sometimes wakened before dawn, either after one of those dreamless nights that make one almost enamoured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/there-are-few-of-us-who-have-not-sometimes-wakened-before-dawn-either/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [To exist (in mathematics), said Henri Poincaré, is to be free from contradiction. But mere existence does not guarantee survival. To survive in mathematics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kac/to-exist-in-mathematics-said-henri-poincar-is-to-be-free-from/)

[Mark Kac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kac/)

> [You can measure a programmer's perspective by noting his attitude on the continuing vitality of FORTRAN.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-perlis/you-can-measure-a-programmer-s-perspective-by-noting-his-attitude-on/)

[Alan Perlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-perlis/)

> [It has always been cited as an irrepressible symptom of America's vitality that her people, in fair times and foul, believe in themselves and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cooke/it-has-always-been-cited-as-an-irrepressible-symptom-of-america-s/)

[Alistair Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cooke/)

> [Research is the live heart of the scientific life ... Greatness of position, respect for past accomplishments, the Nobel Prize itself -- none of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivian-gornick/research-is-the-live-heart-of-the-scientific-life-greatness-of/)

[Vivian Gornick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivian-gornick/)

## More by Ben Marcus

> [To refrain from storytelling is perhaps one of the highest forms of respect we can pay. Those people, with no stories to circle them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-marcus/to-refrain-from-storytelling-is-perhaps-one-of-the-highest-forms-of/)

[Ben Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-marcus/)

> [My goal, with whatever I'm working on, is to lose track of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-marcus/my-goal-with-whatever-i-m-working-on-is-to-lose-track-of-time/)

[Ben Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-marcus/)

> [“..., and he told a story once after intercourse, to the person who had just politely hoisted him while he hyperventilated in their space…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-marcus/and-he-told-a-story-once-after-intercourse-to-the-person-who-had-just/)

[Ben Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-marcus/)

> [“Terms BEN MARCUS, THE 1. False map, scroll, caul, or parchment. It is comprised of the first skin. In ancient times, it hung from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-marcus/terms-ben-marcus-the-1-false-map-scroll-caul-or-parchment-it-is/)

[Ben Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-marcus/)

> [“We can contain such secret misery, perversion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-marcus/we-can-contain-such-secret-misery-perversion/)

[Ben Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-marcus/)

> [“Loud people have thin, hollow bones. They can be broken in half and discarded into a pit. They snap as easily as children do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-marcus/loud-people-have-thin-hollow-bones-they-can-be-broken-in-half-and/)

[Ben Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-marcus/)

> [I like big doses of grief when I read: Richard Yates, Flannery O'Connor, Kenzabaro Oe, Thomas Bernhard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-marcus/i-like-big-doses-of-grief-when-i-read-richard-yates-flannery-o-connor/)

[Ben Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-marcus/)

> [“This first. To understand this. Then maybe." Julian was impressed. The doctor had devised a pretty good tombstone. This first. To understand this. Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-marcus/this-first-to-understand-this-then-maybe-julian-was-impressed-the/)

[Ben Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-marcus/)

> [“Who is setting the bar for what you call accessibility? The definition of “accessible” is “easy to understand,” and so much of the fiction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-marcus/who-is-setting-the-bar-for-what-you-call-accessibility-the-definition/)

[Ben Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-marcus/)

> [“People are considered as areas that resist light, mistakes in the air, collision sweet spots.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-marcus/people-are-considered-as-areas-that-resist-light-mistakes-in-the-air/)

[Ben Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-marcus/)

> [“The true elitists in the literary world are the ones who have become annoyed by literary ambition in any form, who have converted the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-marcus/the-true-elitists-in-the-literary-world-are-the-ones-who-have-become/)

[Ben Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-marcus/)

> [“Together we were something less, which felt like such a relief, to not be ourselves for a while.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-marcus/together-we-were-something-less-which-felt-like-such-a-relief-to-not/)

[Ben Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-marcus/)

> [“I prefer men who don't fall down and weep, who absorb a blow, who do not scamper and yell when chased, but stand firm,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-marcus/i-prefer-men-who-don-t-fall-down-and-weep-who-absorb-a-blow-who-do/)

[Ben Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-marcus/)

> [I love the way dates in a text make us think that truth will follow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-marcus/i-love-the-way-dates-in-a-text-make-us-think-that-truth-will-follow/)

[Ben Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-marcus/)

> [Judaism to me, as badly as I practiced it, what I've always loved about it was its total embrace of complexity, its admission of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-marcus/judaism-to-me-as-badly-as-i-practiced-it-what-i-ve-always-loved-about/)

[Ben Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-marcus/)

[Explore all 90 Ben Marcus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-marcus/)

## More Death quotes

> [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/)

[Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/)

> [I do not want to live at the cost of the life even of a snake. I should let him bite me to death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-not-want-to-live-at-the-cost-of-the-life-even-of-a-snake-i/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [“It was beautiful. He thought he had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life; that, having seen it, he could die content,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/it-was-beautiful-he-thought-he-had-never-seen-anything-so-beautiful/)

[Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/)

> [Retirement? You're talking about death, right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-altman/retirement-you-re-talking-about-death-right/)

[Robert Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-altman/)

> [With multiplayer, permanent death, and an ever-changing world to explore and conquer, 'A Valley Without Wind' might be the place you're looking for if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-manuel/with-multiplayer-permanent-death-and-an-ever-changing-world-to/)

[Rob Manuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-manuel/)

> [“What did you see?” she asked gently. His brow furrowed, as if he could not understand the question. Then his eyes turned to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-anthony-torino/what-did-you-see-she-asked-gently-his-brow-furrowed-as-if-he-could/)

J. Anthony Torino

> [Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/those-whose-life-is-long-still-strive-for-gain-and-for-all-mortals/)

[Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/)

> [“I practice Dying--every night-- But have not learned to, still-- Though Talented--by Mortal bones-- For such a common Skill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-powers/i-practice-dying-every-night-but-have-not-learned-to-still-though/)

Alan W. Powers

> [“You must understand the pain and grief of losing someone is nothing more than a function of survival.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-cooper/you-must-understand-the-pain-and-grief-of-losing-someone-is-nothing/)

[Steven Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-cooper/)

> [I am not a depressive person at all, but I reflect a lot on my life, and life in general, from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-am-not-a-depressive-person-at-all-but-i-reflect-a-lot-on-my-life/)

[Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/)

> [“Death is a reality that calls the rest of life and all of our assorted strivings into sharp relief.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/death-is-a-reality-that-calls-the-rest-of-life-and-all-of-our/)

[Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/)

> [I love life. I love life to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuelle-riva/i-love-life-i-love-life-to-death/)

[Emmanuelle Riva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuelle-riva/)

> [I think when you’re dying you start looking for important things in the corners. You can’t let anything that seems even semi-important pass, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/i-think-when-you-re-dying-you-start-looking-for-important-things-in/)

[Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/)

[Browse all 39,127 Death quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Like most doctors, the fanciest ones, he seemed offensively healthy, as if he kept the real secret of vitality to himself. He would live forever and people would crumble and die around him. You were supposed to feel like death after seeing him, in terms of your complexion, your posture, your whole body. If necessary, this doctor would eat you to survive.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ben Marcus"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-marcus/like-most-doctors-the-fanciest-ones-he-seemed-offensively-healthy-as/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Death"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-marcus/like-most-doctors-the-fanciest-ones-he-seemed-offensively-healthy-as/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14b/ben-marcus-7492_death_like-most-doctors-the-fanciest-ones-he-s_1197181.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14b/ben-marcus-7492_death_like-most-doctors-the-fanciest-ones-he-s_1197181.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14b/ben-marcus-7492_death_like-most-doctors-the-fanciest-ones-he-s_1197181.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Like most doctors, the fanciest ones, he seemed offensively healthy, as if he kept the real secret of…” — Ben Marcus",
                "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": "Ben Marcus",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-marcus/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Like most doctors, the fanciest ones,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-marcus/like-most-doctors-the-fanciest-ones-he-seemed-offensively-healthy-as/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-marcus/like-most-doctors-the-fanciest-ones-he-seemed-offensively-healthy-as/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
