--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is a certain solipsism to serious…" description: "\"There is a certain solipsism to serious illness which claims all of one's attention as certainly as an astronomical black hole seizes anything unlucky ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b3/dan-simmons-968_attention_there-is-a-certain-solipsism-to-serious_1664513.jpg" --- # There is a certain solipsism to serious illness which… ![“There is a certain solipsism to serious illness which claims all of one's attention as certainly as an astronomical black hole seizes anything unlucky enough to fall within its critical radius.” quote by Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b3/dan-simmons-968_attention_there-is-a-certain-solipsism-to-serious_1664513.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b3/dan-simmons-968_attention_there-is-a-certain-solipsism-to-serious_1664513.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b3/dan-simmons-968_attention_there-is-a-certain-solipsism-to-serious_1664513.jpg) > “There is a certain solipsism to serious illness which claims all of one's attention as certainly as an astronomical black hole seizes anything unlucky enough to fall within its critical radius.” [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Serious illness dominates attention like a black hole, isolating the sufferer from the world. **In simple terms:** Illness consumes focus completely. Key Takeaway Seek connection despite overwhelming challenges. Themes illness isolation attention Mood somber empathetic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - hospital recovery - chronic disease management - mental health support - caregiver communication Key Concepts Existential crisis psychology health adversity Questions to Reflect On - How can you maintain a sense of self when illness dominates? - What support systems can counteract the “black hole” effect? A Different Perspective May overlook resilience and coping strategies. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black/) [Black hole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-hole/) [Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) [Certain Solipsism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain-solipsism-792464/) [Certainly Astronomical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certainly-astronomical-792466/) [Claims](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/claims/) [Critical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/critical/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Fall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fall/) [Holes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holes/) [Illness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illness/) [Radius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/radius/) [Serious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serious/) [Serious illness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serious-illness/) [Solipsism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solipsism/) [Solipsism Illness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solipsism-illness-792465/) [Unlucky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unlucky/) ## Related quotes > [In 1966 Rolf Edberg wrote "This is mankind's home", "in the narrow borderland between the deathly heat beneath our feet and the coldness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-wallstrom/in-1966-rolf-edberg-wrote-this-is-mankind-s-home-in-the-narrow/) [Margot Wallstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-wallstrom/) > [The horizon of many people is a circle with a radius of zero. They call this their point of view.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-horizon-of-many-people-is-a-circle-with-a-radius-of-zero-they/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm big on taking the lady out to dinner. We have some candlelight romance every now and then. And our whole family is within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-grohl/i-m-big-on-taking-the-lady-out-to-dinner-we-have-some-candlelight/) [Dave Grohl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-grohl/) > [“Secure the radius!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-zweibel/secure-the-radius/) [Alan Zweibel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-zweibel/) > [Loneliness is equal to the radius of one's awareness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/loneliness-is-equal-to-the-radius-of-one-s-awareness/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [When I say I get inspiration from my real life, I think of my real life as extending about 300 meters radius around me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hayao-miyazaki/when-i-say-i-get-inspiration-from-my-real-life-i-think-of-my-real/) [Hayao Miyazaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hayao-miyazaki/) > [We thought everybody knew by now that barrel length has almost nothing to do with accuracy. I believe the myth of the superior accuracy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-cooper/we-thought-everybody-knew-by-now-that-barrel-length-has-almost/) [Jeff Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-cooper/) > [In a 50 mile radius around Chicago one can see the red aura of pain, agony, terror, anger from all the animals being butchered there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-besant/in-a-50-mile-radius-around-chicago-one-can-see-the-red-aura-of-pain/) [Annie Besant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-besant/) > [My father had been in the military and he was a weapons specialist, so he had an affinity for weapons but also for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupe-fiasco/my-father-had-been-in-the-military-and-he-was-a-weapons-specialist-so/) [Lupe Fiasco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupe-fiasco/) > [To the pure geometer the radius of curvature is an incidental characteristic - like the grin of the Cheshire cat. To the physicist it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-eddington/to-the-pure-geometer-the-radius-of-curvature-is-an-incidental/) [Arthur Eddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-eddington/) > [Even before I started going to movies, I loved the idea of them. When I started learning to read as a kid, I started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alonso-duralde/even-before-i-started-going-to-movies-i-loved-the-idea-of-them-when-i/) [Alonso Duralde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alonso-duralde/) > [The culture of New York is just impossible to replicate. Its such an incredible feeling to be walking on the streets of New York.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-schneider/the-culture-of-new-york-is-just-impossible-to-replicate-its-such-an/) [Max Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-schneider/) > [When you live in the projects, everything you need is in a mile radius: a basketball court, an indoor gym, a school, a grocery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheck-wes/when-you-live-in-the-projects-everything-you-need-is-in-a-mile-radius/) [Sheck Wes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheck-wes/) > [The friends who listen to us are the ones we move toward, and we want to sit in their radius.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-a-menninger/the-friends-who-listen-to-us-are-the-ones-we-move-toward-and-we-want/) [Karl A. Menninger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-a-menninger/) > [An Osage tribal study found that between $41 million to $50 million left a 50-mile radius around their own casino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-warren-kindt/an-osage-tribal-study-found-that-between-41-million-to-50-million/) [John Warren Kindt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-warren-kindt/) ## More by Dan Simmons > [“That’s all! Now either leave us alone or join us as a father rather than a receiver of sacrifices. You have the choice of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/that-s-all-now-either-leave-us-alone-or-join-us-as-a-father-rather/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [“The Song of Kali is with us. It has been with us for a very long time. Its chorus grows and grows and grows.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/the-song-of-kali-is-with-us-it-has-been-with-us-for-a-very-long-time/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [“In the end, thought Sol, past logic and hope, it is dreams and the love of those dearest to us that form Abraham’s answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/in-the-end-thought-sol-past-logic-and-hope-it-is-dreams-and-the-love/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [“After seven centuries of existence and at least four centuries where few citizens existed without it, the datasphere – including the All Thing and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/after-seven-centuries-of-existence-and-at-least-four-centuries-where/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [Context is to data what water is to a dolphin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/context-is-to-data-what-water-is-to-a-dolphin/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [Pain is an interesting and off-putting thing. Few if any things in life concentrate our attention so completely and terribly, and few things are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/pain-is-an-interesting-and-off-putting-thing-few-if-any-things-in/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [Luckily, even as a young man not yet become himself, John Bridgens had two things besides indecision that kept him from self-destruction - books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/luckily-even-as-a-young-man-not-yet-become-himself-john-bridgens-had/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [“To be a poet, I realized, a true poet, was to become the Avatar of humanity incarnate; to accept the mantle of poet is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/to-be-a-poet-i-realized-a-true-poet-was-to-become-the-avatar-of/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [Those who ignore history's lessons in the ultimate folly of war are forced to do more than relive them ... they may be forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/those-who-ignore-history-s-lessons-in-the-ultimate-folly-of-war-are/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [“The day before the Queen's Ball, Father had a visitor--a very young girl with literary aspirations, someone Lord Lytton had recommended visit Father and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/the-day-before-the-queen-s-ball-father-had-a-visitor-a-very-young/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [You've probably heard about the theory of steam-engine time - that even after the steam engine had been invented, it had to wait until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/you-ve-probably-heard-about-the-theory-of-steam-engine-time-that-even/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [“THERE WILL BE NO FURTHER MISUSE OF THIS CHANNEL. YOU ARE DISTURBING OTHERS WHO ARE USING IT TO SERIOUS PURPOSE. ACCESS WILL BE RESTORED…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/there-will-be-no-further-misuse-of-this-channel-you-are-disturbing/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [“I know the fucking Bible, and there ain't no fucking Book of Leviathan.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/i-know-the-fucking-bible-and-there-ain-t-no-fucking-book-of-leviathan/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [I loved you backward and forward in time. I loved you beyond boundaries of time and space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/i-loved-you-backward-and-forward-in-time-i-loved-you-beyond/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [ “Men who read a lot have a more sensitive disposition, added Fowler. \[...\] I did not know what to say to this. Maybe reading… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/men-who-read-a-lot-have-a-more-sensitive-disposition-added-fowler-i/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) [Explore all 307 Dan Simmons quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) ## More Attention quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [What people don't normally know about us is the hustle is very real, and it's sorely driven a lot by how we consider ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lzzy-hale/what-people-don-t-normally-know-about-us-is-the-hustle-is-very-real/) [Lzzy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lzzy-hale/) > [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/) [Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray. Thanksgiving will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-murray/let-us-thank-god-heartily-as-often-as-we-pray-that-we-have-his-spirit/) [Andy Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-murray/) > [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [We must have a welfare system that we can afford, which will mean giving greater attention to directing the welfare program toward its primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/we-must-have-a-welfare-system-that-we-can-afford-which-will-mean/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) > [The director's job should give you a sense of music without drawing attention to itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/the-director-s-job-should-give-you-a-sense-of-music-without-drawing/) [Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/) [Browse all 10,153 Attention quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is a certain solipsism to serious illness which claims all of one's attention as certainly as an astronomical black hole seizes anything unlucky enough to fall within its critical radius.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dan Simmons" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/there-is-a-certain-solipsism-to-serious-illness-which-claims-all-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Attention" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/there-is-a-certain-solipsism-to-serious-illness-which-claims-all-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b3/dan-simmons-968_attention_there-is-a-certain-solipsism-to-serious_1664513.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b3/dan-simmons-968_attention_there-is-a-certain-solipsism-to-serious_1664513.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b3/dan-simmons-968_attention_there-is-a-certain-solipsism-to-serious_1664513.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There is a certain solipsism to serious illness which claims all of one's attention as certainly as an…” — Dan Simmons", "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": "Dan Simmons", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There is a certain solipsism to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/there-is-a-certain-solipsism-to-serious-illness-which-claims-all-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/there-is-a-certain-solipsism-to-serious-illness-which-claims-all-of/#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 } } ] } ```