--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You know, when I was diagnosed with…" description: "\"You know, when I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997 I realized I had spent too long arranging my attitude.\" — Carly Simon" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74a/carly-simon-9969_arranging_you-know-when-i-was-diagnosed-with-breas_428903.jpg" --- # You know, when I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997… ![“You know, when I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997 I realized I had spent too long arranging my attitude.” quote by Carly Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74a/carly-simon-9969_arranging_you-know-when-i-was-diagnosed-with-breas_428903.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74a/carly-simon-9969_arranging_you-know-when-i-was-diagnosed-with-breas_428903.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74a/carly-simon-9969_arranging_you-know-when-i-was-diagnosed-with-breas_428903.jpg) > “You know, when I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997 I realized I had spent too long arranging my attitude.” [Carly Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-simon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Realizing that focusing on attitude was a distraction from confronting illness. **In simple terms:** Attitude was less important than facing reality. Key Takeaway Prioritize confronting reality over managing attitude. Themes health self-awareness priorities Mood reflective serious Type personal motivational When to use this quote - cancer diagnosis - personal crisis - medical treatment - support groups Key Concepts psychology coping mechanisms acceptance Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance mindset with practical steps? - When does focusing on attitude hinder progress? A Different Perspective Attitude can be a useful tool but may delay necessary action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attitude/) [Breast cancer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breast-cancer/) [Cancer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cancer/) ## Related quotes > [I lost my sister Telsche to ovarian cancer in 1997 and my grandparents on my mother's side both had cancer but well into their 70s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charley-boorman/i-lost-my-sister-telsche-to-ovarian-cancer-in-1997-and-my/) [Charley Boorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charley-boorman/) > [Shortly before I turned 37 and my older daughter turned 3, I was diagnosed with breast cancer: stage III of IV.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-corrigan/shortly-before-i-turned-37-and-my-older-daughter-turned-3-i-was/) [Kelly Corrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-corrigan/) > [Someone like me shouldnt be diagnosed with breast cancer, thats what was going through my mind. I wasnt thinking about a diagnosis. I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-crow/someone-like-me-shouldnt-be-diagnosed-with-breast-cancer-thats-what/) [Sheryl Crow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-crow/) > [It's shocking to learn that thousands of men are expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer each year and that hundreds may die. Education…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bel-edwards/it-s-shocking-to-learn-that-thousands-of-men-are-expected-to-be/) [John Bel Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bel-edwards/) > [I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-ziskin/i-was-diagnosed-with-breast-cancer-in-2004/) [Laura Ziskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-ziskin/) > [I have been through a lot of medical trauma. I was diagnosed with breast cancer .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lurlene-mcdaniel/i-have-been-through-a-lot-of-medical-trauma-i-was-diagnosed-with/) [Lurlene McDaniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lurlene-mcdaniel/) > [When I was a junior in high school, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. To see her struggle and go through chemo, radiation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-olsen/when-i-was-a-junior-in-high-school-my-mom-was-diagnosed-with-breast/) [Greg Olsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-olsen/) > [About 80% of women diagnosed with breast cancer do not have a single relative with breast cancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristi-funk/about-80-of-women-diagnosed-with-breast-cancer-do-not-have-a-single/) [Kristi Funk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristi-funk/) > [My mom was actually diagnosed with breast cancer when I was five.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/normani-kordei/my-mom-was-actually-diagnosed-with-breast-cancer-when-i-was-five/) [Normani Kordei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/normani-kordei/) > [My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was 13 and it was something we weren't really aware of as a family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rima-fakih/my-mom-was-diagnosed-with-breast-cancer-when-i-was-13-and-it-was/) [Rima Fakih](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rima-fakih/) > [I think a lot of people just aren't aware how young you can be and be diagnosed with breast cancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-walsh/i-think-a-lot-of-people-just-aren-t-aware-how-young-you-can-be-and-be/) [Kate Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-walsh/) > [The most surprising fact that people do not know about breast cancer is that about 80% of women diagnosed with breast cancer do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristi-funk/the-most-surprising-fact-that-people-do-not-know-about-breast-cancer/) [Kristi Funk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristi-funk/) > [I am joining the more than 200,000 women who will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year. We are a testament to the importance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-crow/i-am-joining-the-more-than-200-000-women-who-will-be-diagnosed-with/) [Sheryl Crow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-crow/) > [In mid-July 2007, after a routine mammogram, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. As cancer diagnoses go, mine wasn't particularly scary. The affected area…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/in-mid-july-2007-after-a-routine-mammogram-i-was-diagnosed-with/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [Women who have been recently diagnosed with breast cancer can learn a tremendous amount from women who have already been treated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-wojcicki/women-who-have-been-recently-diagnosed-with-breast-cancer-can-learn-a/) [Anne Wojcicki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-wojcicki/) ## More by Carly Simon > [Sometimes, but the year I lived in France I started to write songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-simon/sometimes-but-the-year-i-lived-in-france-i-started-to-write-songs/) [Carly Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-simon/) > [I remember being onstage once when I didn't have fear: I got so scared I didn't have fear that it brought on an anxiety…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-simon/i-remember-being-onstage-once-when-i-didn-t-have-fear-i-got-so-scared/) [Carly Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-simon/) > [I'm still more comfortable with standards than with my own songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-simon/i-m-still-more-comfortable-with-standards-than-with-my-own-songs/) [Carly Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-simon/) > [The advancements that women have made are very threatening to men in the job place. There haven't been that many women in politics. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-simon/the-advancements-that-women-have-made-are-very-threatening-to-men-in/) [Carly Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-simon/) > [As a singer I tried on all these hats, these voices, these clothes, and eventually out came me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-simon/as-a-singer-i-tried-on-all-these-hats-these-voices-these-clothes-and/) [Carly Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-simon/) > [We change our opinions of ourselves so often. What the outside world thinks is only a small part of our image.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-simon/we-change-our-opinions-of-ourselves-so-often-what-the-outside-world/) [Carly Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-simon/) > [You usually can't tell what's inspiring until you look back on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-simon/you-usually-can-t-tell-what-s-inspiring-until-you-look-back-on-it/) [Carly Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-simon/) > [I had some dreams, they were clouds in my coffee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-simon/i-had-some-dreams-they-were-clouds-in-my-coffee/) [Carly Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-simon/) > [I had this terrible stammer, so I couldn't really speak properly until I was 16 or 17.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-simon/i-had-this-terrible-stammer-so-i-couldn-t-really-speak-properly-until/) [Carly Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-simon/) > [Do you know how many concerts I've done in my whole life, in more than 35 years of performing? Sixty-four.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-simon/do-you-know-how-many-concerts-i-ve-done-in-my-whole-life-in-more-than/) [Carly Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-simon/) > [Sometimes my boyfriend would write the lyrics and I would write the melody, and other times I would start from scratch. Or sometimes I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-simon/sometimes-my-boyfriend-would-write-the-lyrics-and-i-would-write-the/) [Carly Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-simon/) > [Life is a dream even in its most painful moments, it's a dream that we can dance to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-simon/life-is-a-dream-even-in-its-most-painful-moments-it-s-a-dream-that-we/) [Carly Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-simon/) > [But when we listened to the radio, it was Bill Haley and the Comets or the Everly Brothers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-simon/but-when-we-listened-to-the-radio-it-was-bill-haley-and-the-comets-or/) [Carly Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-simon/) > [It's like The Mold in Dr. Florey's Coat, about the discovery of penicillin. Out of these strange accidents come huge discoveries. A certain purple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-simon/it-s-like-the-mold-in-dr-florey-s-coat-about-the-discovery-of/) [Carly Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-simon/) > [You know, people want to honor me, and on the one hand I just don't want to be a poster child; but on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-simon/you-know-people-want-to-honor-me-and-on-the-one-hand-i-just-don-t/) [Carly Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-simon/) [Explore all 69 Carly Simon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-simon/) ## More Arranging quotes > [Figures often beguile me, particularly when I have the arranging of them myself; in which case the remark attributed to Disraeli would often apply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/figures-often-beguile-me-particularly-when-i-have-the-arranging-of/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [My central claim is that we become like Christ by doing one thing-by following Him in the overall style of life He chose for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/my-central-claim-is-that-we-become-like-christ-by-doing-one-thing-by/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [I love arranging my music, not in alphabetical order but by mood, creating playlists for when I have energy and want to work out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-bedingfield/i-love-arranging-my-music-not-in-alphabetical-order-but-by-mood/) [Natasha Bedingfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-bedingfield/) > [The most important preliminary to the task of arranging one's life so that one may live fully and comfortably within one's daily budget of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/the-most-important-preliminary-to-the-task-of-arranging-one-s-life-so/) [Arnold Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-bennett/) > [All the words I use in my stories can be found in the dictionary-it's just a matter of arranging them into the right sentences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/all-the-words-i-use-in-my-stories-can-be-found-in-the-dictionary-it-s/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [I don't want any production credit. I think producers are overrated. They're for people who, first of all, don't know anything about music or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-verlaine/i-don-t-want-any-production-credit-i-think-producers-are-overrated/) [Tom Verlaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-verlaine/) > [Technology is the knack of so arranging the world that we don't have to experience it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-frisch/technology-is-the-knack-of-so-arranging-the-world-that-we-don-t-have/) [Max Frisch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-frisch/) > [Beautiful and minimalist, the traditional Japanese art of ikebana - arranging bouquets of cut flowers and leaves using very few elements - ideally corresponded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-claude-ellena/beautiful-and-minimalist-the-traditional-japanese-art-of-ikebana/) [Jean-Claude Ellena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-claude-ellena/) > [There is the first satisfaction of arranging it on a bit of paper; after many, many false tries, false moves, finally you have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/there-is-the-first-satisfaction-of-arranging-it-on-a-bit-of-paper/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [My mother was a wonderful, wonderful woman with a lovely voice who hated housework, hated cooking even more and loved her children. She was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-forrester/my-mother-was-a-wonderful-wonderful-woman-with-a-lovely-voice-who/) [Maureen Forrester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-forrester/) > [I just play music by listening and responding, so I don't know anything about writing songs or arranging and all of this stuff. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaimoe/i-just-play-music-by-listening-and-responding-so-i-don-t-know/) [Jaimoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaimoe/) > [The real accomplishment of modern science and technology consists in taking ordinary men, informing them narrowly and deeply and then, through appropriate organization, arranging…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/the-real-accomplishment-of-modern-science-and-technology-consists-in/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Management is about arranging and telling. Leadership is about nurturing and enhancing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/management-is-about-arranging-and-telling-leadership-is-about/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [The analysis of variance is not a mathematical theorem, but rather a convenient method of arranging the arithmetic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-fisher/the-analysis-of-variance-is-not-a-mathematical-theorem-but-rather-a/) [Ronald Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-fisher/) > [I became friends on a social basis with a music professor (Dr. Alan Stein) who took a real interest in my work. He encouraged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keltonic/i-became-friends-on-a-social-basis-with-a-music-professor-dr-alan/) [John Keltonic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keltonic/) Browse all 122 Arranging quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You know, when I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997 I realized I had spent too long arranging my attitude.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Carly Simon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-simon/you-know-when-i-was-diagnosed-with-breast-cancer-in-1997-i-realized-i/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Arranging" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-simon/you-know-when-i-was-diagnosed-with-breast-cancer-in-1997-i-realized-i/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74a/carly-simon-9969_arranging_you-know-when-i-was-diagnosed-with-breas_428903.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74a/carly-simon-9969_arranging_you-know-when-i-was-diagnosed-with-breas_428903.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74a/carly-simon-9969_arranging_you-know-when-i-was-diagnosed-with-breas_428903.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You know, when I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997 I realized I had spent too long arranging my…” — Carly Simon", "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": "Carly Simon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-simon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You know, when I was diagnosed...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-simon/you-know-when-i-was-diagnosed-with-breast-cancer-in-1997-i-realized-i/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-simon/you-know-when-i-was-diagnosed-with-breast-cancer-in-1997-i-realized-i/#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 } } ] } ```