--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am only half there when I am ill, and…" description: "\"I am only half there when I am ill, and so there is only half a man to suffer. To suffer in one's whole self is so great a violation, that it is not to..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c7/d-h-lawrence-426_half_i-am-only-half-there-when-i-am-ill-and-s_1548344.jpg" --- # I am only half there when I am ill, and so there is only… ![“I am only half there when I am ill, and so there is only half a man to suffer. To suffer in one's whole self is so great a violation, that it is not to be endured.” quote by D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c7/d-h-lawrence-426_half_i-am-only-half-there-when-i-am-ill-and-s_1548344.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c7/d-h-lawrence-426_half_i-am-only-half-there-when-i-am-ill-and-s_1548344.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c7/d-h-lawrence-426_half_i-am-only-half-there-when-i-am-ill-and-s_1548344.jpg) > “I am only half there when I am ill, and so there is only half a man to suffer. To suffer in one's whole self is so great a violation, that it is not to be endured.” [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Illness reduces a person's capacity, making suffering feel incomplete and intolerable. **In simple terms:** Being sick halves one's ability to endure pain. Key Takeaway Recognize the need for holistic care. Themes health suffering humanity Mood reflective somber Type philosophical empathetic When to use this quote - chronic illness - mental health - caregiver support - patient advocacy Key Concepts existentialism well‑being Questions to Reflect On - How does partial health affect one's identity? - What can restore wholeness? A Different Perspective Recovery requires both physical and emotional support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ill/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Violation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violation/) ## Related quotes > [You, the other half of me, the half ill never be, the half that drives me CRAA-AZZY!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-the-other-half-of-me-the-half-ill-never-be-the-half-that-drives/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Suffer more now, suffer less later.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/suffer-more-now-suffer-less-later/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [“Those who truly suffer don’t form a group or go around as a mob. Those who suffer, suffer alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/those-who-truly-suffer-don-t-form-a-group-or-go-around-as-a-mob-those/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [We feel and weigh soon enough what we suffer from others: but how much others suffer from us, of this we take no heed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-kempis/we-feel-and-weigh-soon-enough-what-we-suffer-from-others-but-how-much/) [Thomas a Kempis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-kempis/) > [If we live, we live; if we die, we die; if we suffer, we suffer; if we are terrified, we are terrified. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/if-we-live-we-live-if-we-die-we-die-if-we-suffer-we-suffer-if-we-are/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [When you learn how to suffer, you suffer much less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/when-you-learn-how-to-suffer-you-suffer-much-less/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [Don't pretend to be someone your not. It is better to suffer being who you are than it is to suffer trying to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-pretend-to-be-someone-your-not-it-is-better-to-suffer-being-who/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To suffer with the other and for others; to suffer for the sake of truth and justice; to suffer out of love and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/to-suffer-with-the-other-and-for-others-to-suffer-for-the-sake-of/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [Never laugh at those who suffer; suffer sometimes those who laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/never-laugh-at-those-who-suffer-suffer-sometimes-those-who-laugh/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [The lot of man-to suffer and die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/the-lot-of-man-to-suffer-and-die/) [Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/) > [I discovered when we suffer, we suffer as equals, and in their capacity to suffer, a dog, is a pig, is a bear, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-wollen/i-discovered-when-we-suffer-we-suffer-as-equals-and-in-their-capacity/) [Philip Wollen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-wollen/) > [The way I suffer after a defeat is not for all, because I suffer. I suffer. But those who know me know that, after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-conte/the-way-i-suffer-after-a-defeat-is-not-for-all-because-i-suffer-i/) [Antonio Conte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-conte/) > [Suffer what there is to suffer. Enjoy what there is to enjoy. Regard both suffering and joy as facts of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nichiren/suffer-what-there-is-to-suffer-enjoy-what-there-is-to-enjoy-regard/) [Nichiren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nichiren/) > [To suffer together is to suffer with beauty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-russell-agodon/to-suffer-together-is-to-suffer-with-beauty/) [Kelli Russell Agodon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-russell-agodon/) > [“Sink, suffer, self-destruct Rise stronger, reconstruct”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamb-of-god/sink-suffer-self-destruct-rise-stronger-reconstruct/) [Lamb of God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamb-of-god/) ## More by D. H. Lawrence > [Not I, not I, but the wind that blows through me! A fine wind is blowing the new direction of Time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/not-i-not-i-but-the-wind-that-blows-through-me-a-fine-wind-is-blowing/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [and Venus among the fishes skips and is a she-dolphin she is the gay, delighted porpoise sporting with love and the sea she is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/and-venus-among-the-fishes-skips-and-is-a-she-dolphin-she-is-the-gay/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [If I had my way, I would build a lethal chamber as big as the Crystal Palace, with a military band playing softly, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/if-i-had-my-way-i-would-build-a-lethal-chamber-as-big-as-the-crystal/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [Now it is autumn and the falling fruit and the long journey towards oblivion. The apples falling like great drops of dew to bruise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/now-it-is-autumn-and-the-falling-fruit-and-the-long-journey-towards/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [We have to hate our immediate predecessors to get free of their authority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/we-have-to-hate-our-immediate-predecessors-to-get-free-of-their/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [Reach me a gentian, give me a torch! Let me guide myself with the blue, forked torch of a flower down the darker and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/reach-me-a-gentian-give-me-a-torch-let-me-guide-myself-with-the-blue/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [The war is dreadful. It is the business of the artist to follow it home to the heart of the individual fighters - not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/the-war-is-dreadful-it-is-the-business-of-the-artist-to-follow-it/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [The nearer a conception comes towards finality, the nearer does the dynamic relation, out of which this concept has arisen, draw to a close.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/the-nearer-a-conception-comes-towards-finality-the-nearer-does-the/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [It is our business to go as we are impelled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/it-is-our-business-to-go-as-we-are-impelled/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [Ours is essentially a tragic age, so we refuse to take it tragically.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/ours-is-essentially-a-tragic-age-so-we-refuse-to-take-it-tragically/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [If only we could live two lives: the first in which to make one's mistakes, and the second in which to profit by them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/if-only-we-could-live-two-lives-the-first-in-which-to-make-one-s/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [They say geniuses mostly have great mothers. They mostly have sad fates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/they-say-geniuses-mostly-have-great-mothers-they-mostly-have-sad-fates/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [When one jumps over the edge, one is bound to land somewhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/when-one-jumps-over-the-edge-one-is-bound-to-land-somewhere/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [The living moment is everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/the-living-moment-is-everything/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [If a woman's got nothing but her fair fame to feed on, why, it's thin tack, and a donkey would die of it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/if-a-woman-s-got-nothing-but-her-fair-fame-to-feed-on-why-it-s-thin/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) [Explore all 570 D. H. Lawrence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) ## More Half quotes > [When you listen to someone improvise, the notes that are played are only half the story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-laws/when-you-listen-to-someone-improvise-the-notes-that-are-played-are/) Hubert Laws > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [Half the misery of human life might be extinguished if men would alleviate the general curse they lie under by mutual offices of compassion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/half-the-misery-of-human-life-might-be-extinguished-if-men-would/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [I genuinely did not expect more than half our nation to choose to walk away from our long-term allies into the arms of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-reade/i-genuinely-did-not-expect-more-than-half-our-nation-to-choose-to/) Brian Reade > [Being blonde, for me, means never having to say: 'I'll have the honey-striped half-head of highlights for £200,' to a bored colourist in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-johnson/being-blonde-for-me-means-never-having-to-say-i-ll-have-the-honey/) [Rachel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-johnson/) > [In the movie, the stars above the ship bear no correspondence to any constellations in a real sky. Worse yet, while the heroine bobs...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-movie-the-stars-above-the-ship-bear-no-correspondence-to-any/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [For the glory born of Goodness Never dies, And its flag is not half-masted In the skies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-harte/for-the-glory-born-of-goodness-never-dies-and-its-flag-is-not-half/) [Bret Harte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-harte/) > [But the effect of her being on those around her was incalculably diffusive: for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/but-the-effect-of-her-being-on-those-around-her-was-incalculably/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [I with borrow'd silver shine, What you see is none of mine. First I show you but a quarter, Like the bow that guards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/i-with-borrow-d-silver-shine-what-you-see-is-none-of-mine-first-i/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [If you want to change something by Tuesday, theater is no good. Journalism is what does that. But, if you want to just alter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/if-you-want-to-change-something-by-tuesday-theater-is-no-good/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [I spend a lot of time loathing the sentences that I put down on the page. Once I'm past that phase, it doesn't really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-link/i-spend-a-lot-of-time-loathing-the-sentences-that-i-put-down-on-the/) [Kelly Link](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-link/) > [I usually write from the rhythm section...If a drummer got a funky beat on some things - like a half-shuffle or a shuffle or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miles-davis/i-usually-write-from-the-rhythm-section-if-a-drummer-got-a-funky-beat/) [Miles Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miles-davis/) > [The wisdom of our actions in the first three years of peace will determine the course of world history for half a century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-wallace/the-wisdom-of-our-actions-in-the-first-three-years-of-peace-will/) [Henry A. Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-wallace/) > [The thing about living alone is that it gives you a lot of time to think. You don't necessarily reach any conclusions, because wisdom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-tropper/the-thing-about-living-alone-is-that-it-gives-you-a-lot-of-time-to/) [Jonathan Tropper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-tropper/) > [In a couple of decades you have half of the wells that are drilled right now, and you're talking about numbers in the millions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-fox/in-a-couple-of-decades-you-have-half-of-the-wells-that-are-drilled/) [Josh Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-fox/) Browse all 8,570 Half quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I am only half there when I am ill, and so there is only half a man to suffer. To suffer in one's whole self is so great a violation, that it is not to be endured.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "D. H. Lawrence" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/i-am-only-half-there-when-i-am-ill-and-so-there-is-only-half-a-man-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Half" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/i-am-only-half-there-when-i-am-ill-and-so-there-is-only-half-a-man-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c7/d-h-lawrence-426_half_i-am-only-half-there-when-i-am-ill-and-s_1548344.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c7/d-h-lawrence-426_half_i-am-only-half-there-when-i-am-ill-and-s_1548344.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c7/d-h-lawrence-426_half_i-am-only-half-there-when-i-am-ill-and-s_1548344.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I am only half there when I am ill, and so there is only half a man to suffer. To suffer in one's whole self…” — D. H. Lawrence", "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": "D. H. Lawrence", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I am only half there when...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/i-am-only-half-there-when-i-am-ill-and-so-there-is-only-half-a-man-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/i-am-only-half-there-when-i-am-ill-and-so-there-is-only-half-a-man-to/#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 } } ] } ```