---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In the brute physical world, and the one…"
description: "\"In the brute physical world, and the one encompassed by medicine, there are all too many things that could kill you, don't kill you, and then leave you..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd9/christopher-hitchens-117_brutes_in-the-brute-physical-world-and-the-one_2658374.jpg"
---

#  In the brute physical world, and the one encompassed by…

![“In the brute physical world, and the one encompassed by medicine, there are all too many things that could kill you, don't kill you, and then leave you considerably weaker.” quote by Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd9/christopher-hitchens-117_brutes_in-the-brute-physical-world-and-the-one_2658374.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd9/christopher-hitchens-117_brutes_in-the-brute-physical-world-and-the-one_2658374.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd9/christopher-hitchens-117_brutes_in-the-brute-physical-world-and-the-one_2658374.jpg)

> “In the brute physical world, and the one encompassed by medicine, there are all too many things that could kill you, don't kill you, and then leave you considerably weaker.”

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

## About This Quote

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

Physical dangers can weaken you, even if they don't cause death, highlighting hidden costs of survival.

**In simple terms:** Surviving can still leave you damaged.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and address hidden harms.

Themes

risk vulnerability resilience

Mood

cautious reflective serious

Type

philosophical advice

When to use this quote

- workplace safety
- environmental hazards
- medical treatment

Key Concepts

biology medicine psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- What unseen threats affect you daily?
- How do you recover from non‑fatal setbacks?

A Different Perspective

Ignoring subtle injuries can lead to long‑term decline.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Medicine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medicine/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [One of the most noble things you can do is kill the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-a-zembiec/one-of-the-most-noble-things-you-can-do-is-kill-the-enemy/)

Douglas A. Zembiec

> [You kill -- You die." That was probably the most naive thing I've ever said. The fact is -- in most cases, NOW, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kirkman/you-kill-you-die-that-was-probably-the-most-naive-thing-i-ve-ever/)

[Robert Kirkman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kirkman/)

> [“It had worked. She understood. Things can kill you. All kinds of things, like toys, or older brothers. And as she'd grown up, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/it-had-worked-she-understood-things-can-kill-you-all-kinds-of-things/)

[Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/)

> [“After all,' he said, “I suppose there are things that nothing can kill and that remain forever intact. It’s as if nothing could ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romain-gary/after-all-he-said-i-suppose-there-are-things-that-nothing-can-kill/)

[Romain Gary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romain-gary/)

> [While the things I do kill me, they just tell me to relax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-adams/while-the-things-i-do-kill-me-they-just-tell-me-to-relax/)

[Ryan Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-adams/)

> [“If you want to live big, then don't let the small things kill you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becos-mushenkye/if-you-want-to-live-big-then-don-t-let-the-small-things-kill-you/)

Becos Mushenkye

> [“Dependency on stuff, on people and on things is one of the greatest things that could kill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/dependency-on-stuff-on-people-and-on-things-is-one-of-the-greatest/)

[Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/)

> [“Lots of things could kill you. Fire. Ice. Why not sadness?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-martinez/lots-of-things-could-kill-you-fire-ice-why-not-sadness/)

[Jessica Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-martinez/)

> [The thing that scares me is a place like the Amazon - which is the size of the continental U.S. and mostly unexplored and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oren-peli/the-thing-that-scares-me-is-a-place-like-the-amazon-which-is-the-size/)

[Oren Peli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oren-peli/)

> [Things that kill me, make me feel alive, and some one dump me make me to fly high](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yashraj-suman/things-that-kill-me-make-me-feel-alive-and-some-one-dump-me-make-me/)

[Yashraj Suman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yashraj-suman/)

> [The substance of grief is not imaginary. It's as real as rope or the absence of air, and like both those things, it can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/the-substance-of-grief-is-not-imaginary-it-s-as-real-as-rope-or-the/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [“Usually the things that kill us are the things we do every single day.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/usually-the-things-that-kill-us-are-the-things-we-do-every-single-day/)

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

> [There are only three things that can kill a farmer: lightning, rolling over in a tractor, and old age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/there-are-only-three-things-that-can-kill-a-farmer-lightning-rolling/)

[Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/)

> [“Things can kill you. All kinds of things, like toys, or older brothers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/things-can-kill-you-all-kinds-of-things-like-toys-or-older-brothers/)

[Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/)

> [Isn't it ironic? The things we do to feel alive are the things that can kill us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/isn-t-it-ironic-the-things-we-do-to-feel-alive-are-the-things-that/)

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

## More by Christopher Hitchens

> [“The spirit of our accurate and exact philosophy is outraged by conclusions that contradict each other so glaringly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/the-spirit-of-our-accurate-and-exact-philosophy-is-outraged-by/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [“Many governments employ torture but this was the first time that the element of Saturnalia and pornography in the process had been made so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/many-governments-employ-torture-but-this-was-the-first-time-that-the/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [ It's \[Los Angeles\] mostly full of nonsense and delusion and egomania. They think they'll be young and beautiful forever, even though most of them… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-los-angeles-mostly-full-of-nonsense-and-delusion-and-egomania/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [To be against rationalization is not the same as to be opposed to reasoning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/to-be-against-rationalization-is-not-the-same-as-to-be-opposed-to/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [ \[Religion\] attacks us in our deepest integrity - the core of our self-respect. Religion says that we would not know right from wrong, we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/religion-attacks-us-in-our-deepest-integrity-the-core-of-our-self/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [“In the very recent past, we have seen the Church of Rome befouled by its complicity with the unpardonable sin of child rape, or,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/in-the-very-recent-past-we-have-seen-the-church-of-rome-befouled-by/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [It's surprising to me how many of my friends send Christmas cards, or holiday cards, including my atheist and secular friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-surprising-to-me-how-many-of-my-friends-send-christmas-cards-or/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [Suppose there were groups of secularists at hospitals who went round the terminally ill and urged them to adopt atheism: 'Don't be a mug…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/suppose-there-were-groups-of-secularists-at-hospitals-who-went-round/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [There are, after all, atheists who say they wish the fable were true but are unable to suspend the requisite disbelief, or who have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/there-are-after-all-atheists-who-say-they-wish-the-fable-were-true/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [“It isn’t so long since a test of Anglican orthodoxy was applied to anyone seeking to study or teach at Oxford and Cambridge universities.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-isn-t-so-long-since-a-test-of-anglican-orthodoxy-was-applied-to/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [Gullibility and credulity are considered undesireable qualities in every department of human life - except religion ... Why are we praised by godly men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/gullibility-and-credulity-are-considered-undesireable-qualities-in/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [It's much worse to see a woman drunk than a man: I don't know quite why this is true but it just is. Don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-much-worse-to-see-a-woman-drunk-than-a-man-i-don-t-know-quite/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [It's true that obscenity is a matter of taste and in the eye of the beholder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-true-that-obscenity-is-a-matter-of-taste-and-in-the-eye-of-the/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [I worked out early on to give up things I couldn't do well at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-worked-out-early-on-to-give-up-things-i-couldn-t-do-well-at-all/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [Writing is what's important to me, and anything that helps me do that - or enhances and prolongs and deepens and sometimes intensifies argument…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/writing-is-what-s-important-to-me-and-anything-that-helps-me-do-that/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

[Explore all 1,241 Christopher Hitchens quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

## More Brutes quotes

> [Et tu Brute! (You too, Brutus!)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/et-tu-brute-you-too-brutus/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [Agnosticism is the natural attitude of the evolutionist. How can a brute mind comprehend spiritual things?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-jennings-bryan/agnosticism-is-the-natural-attitude-of-the-evolutionist-how-can-a/)

[William Jennings Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-jennings-bryan/)

> [War with all its glorification of brute force is essentially a degrading thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/war-with-all-its-glorification-of-brute-force-is-essentially-a/)

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

> [The philosophic spirit of inquiry may be traced to brute curiosity, and that to the habit of examining all things in search of food.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-winwood-reade/the-philosophic-spirit-of-inquiry-may-be-traced-to-brute-curiosity/)

[William Winwood Reade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-winwood-reade/)

> [A good soldier is a blind, heartless, soulless, murderous machine. He is not a man. His is not a brute, for brutes kill only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/a-good-soldier-is-a-blind-heartless-soulless-murderous-machine-he-is/)

[Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/)

> [In order to increase his pleasures, man has intentionally added to the number and pressure of his needs, which in their original state were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/in-order-to-increase-his-pleasures-man-has-intentionally-added-to-the/)

[Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/)

> [LAOCOON, n. A famous piece of antique scripture representing a priest of that name and his two sons in the folds of two enormous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/laocoon-n-a-famous-piece-of-antique-scripture-representing-a-priest/)

[Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/)

> [What took me decades to learn, these kids can get on the Internet...What I learned by brute force, dealing out hands, they learn on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doyle-brunson/what-took-me-decades-to-learn-these-kids-can-get-on-the-internet-what/)

[Doyle Brunson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doyle-brunson/)

> [In the code of the satyagrahi, there is no such thing as surrender to brute force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/in-the-code-of-the-satyagrahi-there-is-no-such-thing-as-surrender-to/)

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

> [The civil magistrate cannot function without some ethical guidance, without some standard of good and evil. If that standard is not to be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-civil-magistrate-cannot-function-without-some-ethical-guidance/)

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

> [Our reverence for the nobility of manhood will not be lessened by the knowledge that man is in substance and in structure, one with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/our-reverence-for-the-nobility-of-manhood-will-not-be-lessened-by-the/)

[Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/)

> [They were conquerors, and for that you want only brute force--nothing to boast of, when you have it, since your strength is just an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/they-were-conquerors-and-for-that-you-want-only-brute-force-nothing/)

[Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/)

> [When under the influence of certain (or some) reasons (or causes) (alcohol, war, etc - added Spir here) the low instincts are unbridled (or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/african-spir/when-under-the-influence-of-certain-or-some-reasons-or-causes-alcohol/)

[African Spir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/african-spir/)

> [I was broken in body, soul, and spirit. My natural elasticity was crushed, my intellect languished, the disposition to read departed, the cheerful spark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-was-broken-in-body-soul-and-spirit-my-natural-elasticity-was/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [The more a man cultivates the arts the less he fornicates. A more and more apparent cleavage occurs between the spirit and the brute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/the-more-a-man-cultivates-the-arts-the-less-he-fornicates-a-more-and/)

[Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/)

Browse all 375 Brutes quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "In the brute physical world, and the one encompassed by medicine, there are all too many things that could kill you, don't kill you, and then leave you considerably weaker.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Christopher Hitchens"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/in-the-brute-physical-world-and-the-one-encompassed-by-medicine-there/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Brutes"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/in-the-brute-physical-world-and-the-one-encompassed-by-medicine-there/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd9/christopher-hitchens-117_brutes_in-the-brute-physical-world-and-the-one_2658374.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd9/christopher-hitchens-117_brutes_in-the-brute-physical-world-and-the-one_2658374.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd9/christopher-hitchens-117_brutes_in-the-brute-physical-world-and-the-one_2658374.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“In the brute physical world, and the one encompassed by medicine, there are all too many things that could…” — Christopher Hitchens",
                "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": "Christopher Hitchens",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "In the brute physical world, and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/in-the-brute-physical-world-and-the-one-encompassed-by-medicine-there/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/in-the-brute-physical-world-and-the-one-encompassed-by-medicine-there/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```