--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There came an awful day when I picked up…" description: "\"“There came an awful day when I picked up the phone and knew at once, as one does with some old friends even before they speak, that it was Edward. He ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/071/christopher-hitchens-117_depression_there-came-an-awful-day-when-i-picked-up_2597721.jpg" --- # There came an awful day when I picked up the phone and… ![“There came an awful day when I picked up the phone and knew at once, as one does with some old friends even before they speak, that it was Edward. He sounded as if he were calling from the bottom of a well. I still thank my stars that I didn't say what I nearly said, because the good professor's…” quote by Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/071/christopher-hitchens-117_depression_there-came-an-awful-day-when-i-picked-up_2597721.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/071/christopher-hitchens-117_depression_there-came-an-awful-day-when-i-picked-up_2597721.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/071/christopher-hitchens-117_depression_there-came-an-awful-day-when-i-picked-up_2597721.jpg) > ““There came an awful day when I picked up the phone and knew at once, as one does with some old friends even before they speak, that it was Edward. He sounded as if he were calling from the bottom of a well. I still thank my stars that I didn't say what I nearly said, because the good professor's phone pals were used to cheering or teasing him out of bouts of pessimism and insecurity when he would sometimes say ridiculous things like: 'I hope you don't mind being disturbed by some mere wog and upstart.' The remedy for this was not to indulge it but to reply with bracing and satirical stuff which would soon get the gurgling laugh back into his throat. But I'm glad I didn't say, 'What, Edward, splashing about again in the waters of self-pity?' because this time he was calling to tell me that he had contracted a rare strain of leukemia. Not at all untypically, he used the occasion to remind me that it was very important always to make and keep regular appointments with one’s physician.”” [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. A friend’s illness reminds us of the importance of regular health check‑ups and compassionate communication. **In simple terms:** Health vigilance and empathy matter. Key Takeaway Prioritize health and supportive dialogue. Themes health friendship mortality Mood serious empathetic Type essay reflective When to use this quote - doctor visits - supporting ill friends - health reminders Key Concepts caregiver responsibility medical adherence Questions to Reflect On - How often do you schedule health exams? - How can you better support a sick friend? A Different Perspective People may avoid confronting illness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Awful Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awful-day/) [Depression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depression/) [Edward Sounded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/edward-sounded-1918008/) [Edward-said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/edward-said/) [Friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friends/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Good Professor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-professor-1918010/) [Insecurity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insecurity/) [Leukemia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leukemia/) [Old friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-friends/) [Pessimism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pessimism/) [Professor Phone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/professor-phone-1918009/) [Say Edward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-edward-990318/) [Self pity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-pity/) [Speak Edward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speak-edward-1918007/) ## Related quotes > [“I was to grow used to hearing, around New York, the annoying way in which people would say: 'Edward Said, such a suave and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-was-to-grow-used-to-hearing-around-new-york-the-annoying-way-in/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“True artists, whatever smiling faces they may show you, are obsessive, driven people--whether driven by some mania or driven by some high, noble vision…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/true-artists-whatever-smiling-faces-they-may-show-you-are-obsessive-2/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > ['Jane Eyre,' when I think of that book, it conjures up the best moments of college English courses. 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And I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-certainly-didn-t-concur-with-edward-on-everything-but-i-was-damned/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“I resolutely refuse to believe that the state of Edward's health had anything to do with this, and I don't say this only because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-resolutely-refuse-to-believe-that-the-state-of-edward-s-health-had/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“Though he never actually joined it, he was close to some civilian elements of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/though-he-never-actually-joined-it-he-was-close-to-some-civilian/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“As he defended the book one evening in the early 1980s at the Carnegie Endowment in New York, I knew that some of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/as-he-defended-the-book-one-evening-in-the-early-1980s-at-the/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“Edward genially enough did not dis agree with what I said, but he didn't seem to admit my point, either. I wanted to press…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/edward-genially-enough-did-not-dis-agree-with-what-i-said-but-he-didn/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) ## 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. 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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. 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