--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That very afternoon, Taft fell seriously…" description: "\"“That very afternoon, Taft fell seriously ill with what doctors mistakenly diagnosed as dengue fever. He remained bedridden for ten days, and when he r..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e0/doris-kearns-goodwin-1951_seriously-ill_that-very-afternoon-taft-fell-seriously_695023.png" --- # That very afternoon, Taft fell seriously ill with what… ![“That very afternoon, Taft fell seriously ill with what doctors mistakenly diagnosed as dengue fever. He remained bedridden for ten days, and when he returned to work, severe rectal pain prevented him from sitting. At the same time, a fungal infection developed in his groin.” quote by Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e0/doris-kearns-goodwin-1951_seriously-ill_that-very-afternoon-taft-fell-seriously_695023.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e0/doris-kearns-goodwin-1951_seriously-ill_that-very-afternoon-taft-fell-seriously_695023.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e0/doris-kearns-goodwin-1951_seriously-ill_that-very-afternoon-taft-fell-seriously_695023.png) > ““That very afternoon, Taft fell seriously ill with what doctors mistakenly diagnosed as dengue fever. He remained bedridden for ten days, and when he returned to work, severe rectal pain prevented him from sitting. At the same time, a fungal infection developed in his groin.”” [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Taft’s sudden illness revealed how misdiagnosis and severe pain can derail a leader’s duties. **In simple terms:** Taft’s illness halted his work. Key Takeaway Plan for health contingencies in leadership roles. Themes leadership health misdiagnosis pain resilience Mood cautious reflective Type historical analytical When to use this quote - government work - public speaking - travel - medical emergencies Key Concepts medical error political impact Questions to Reflect On - How can leaders mitigate health risks? - What systems support leaders during illness? A Different Perspective Physical ailments can undermine authority and decision‑making. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Seriously Ill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seriously-ill/) ## Related quotes > [“There is currently no vaccine that can protect against dengue, nor is there any treatment when the illness strikes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-currently-no-vaccine-that-can-protect-against-dengue-nor-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think this spring as the mosquito populations start to increase, we should be especially cautious about locations where we've had locally-transmitted Dengue virus.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-harrington/i-think-this-spring-as-the-mosquito-populations-start-to-increase-we/) [Laura Harrington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-harrington/) > [Not having a roof over your head at night must be frightening, cold, lonely and depressing. To be seriously ill as well must be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-davey/not-having-a-roof-over-your-head-at-night-must-be-frightening-cold/) [Ed Davey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-davey/) > [“The dismemberment began in Texas, called Tejas back then. There, slavery had been outlawed. Sam Houston led the invasion that reestablished it. Houston and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/the-dismemberment-began-in-texas-called-tejas-back-then-there-slavery/) [Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/) > [Flu is easily transmitted, so if you are working with sick people - who are most at risk for getting seriously ill - you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-specter/flu-is-easily-transmitted-so-if-you-are-working-with-sick-people-who/) [Michael Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-specter/) > [No one in the United States has become seriously ill or has died because of any kind of accident at a civilian nuclear power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-barton/no-one-in-the-united-states-has-become-seriously-ill-or-has-died/) [Joe Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-barton/) > [“Behind them lies a simple explanation for why eating a hamburger can now make you seriously ill: There is shit in the meat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-schlosser/behind-them-lies-a-simple-explanation-for-why-eating-a-hamburger-can/) [Eric Schlosser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-schlosser/) > [ “So much in a relationship changes when a partner is seriously ill, helpless yet blameless, and indefatigably needy. I felt old. \[p. 99\] The… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/so-much-in-a-relationship-changes-when-a-partner-is-seriously-ill/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [I never understood that if you sweat as much as I used to every night, you drain your body of salts. So I got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-daltrey/i-never-understood-that-if-you-sweat-as-much-as-i-used-to-every-night/) [Roger Daltrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-daltrey/) > [But we are not going to stand by and go back to allowing people with preexisting conditions to be discriminated against, go back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-axelrod/but-we-are-not-going-to-stand-by-and-go-back-to-allowing-people-with/) [David Axelrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-axelrod/) > [Said after she had been seriously ill: The doctors were very brave about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/said-after-she-had-been-seriously-ill-the-doctors-were-very-brave/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [There is only one thing I want. I would like to be seriously ill, and to hear nothing more about him for at least…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-braun/there-is-only-one-thing-i-want-i-would-like-to-be-seriously-ill-and/) [Eva Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-braun/) > [I'm sure that my father becoming seriously ill when I was 14 had a lot to do with my going from chubby to fat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafe-spall/i-m-sure-that-my-father-becoming-seriously-ill-when-i-was-14-had-a/) [Rafe Spall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafe-spall/) > [Some people think in their own minds that they are invincible because; of their money, education, rank in the place were they live, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/some-people-think-in-their-own-minds-that-they-are-invincible-because/) [Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/) > [“The medical literature on the causes of food poisoning is full of euphemisms and dry scientific terms: coliform levels, aerobic plate counts, sorbitol, MacConkey…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-schlosser/the-medical-literature-on-the-causes-of-food-poisoning-is-full-of/) [Eric Schlosser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-schlosser/) ## More by Doris Kearns Goodwin > [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [What I think I've learned is that you're never going to get it all right, and you can't obsess about having a fact wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/what-i-think-i-ve-learned-is-that-you-re-never-going-to-get-it-all/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [I wish we could go back to the time when the private lives of our public figures were relevant only if they directly affected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-wish-we-could-go-back-to-the-time-when-the-private-lives-of-our/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [People will love him (Theodore Roosevelt) for the enemies he has made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/people-will-love-him-theodore-roosevelt-for-the-enemies-he-has-made/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [“This extreme treatment was among the proliferating regimens developed in response to the stunning increase in nervous disorders diagnosed around the turn of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/this-extreme-treatment-was-among-the-proliferating-regimens-developed/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [“I could carve out of a banana a judge with more backbone than that,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-could-carve-out-of-a-banana-a-judge-with-more-backbone-than-that/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [“And Lincoln, as would be evidenced throughout his presidency, was a master of timing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/and-lincoln-as-would-be-evidenced-throughout-his-presidency-was-a/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [“Don’t hit till you have to; but, when you do hit, hit hard.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/don-t-hit-till-you-have-to-but-when-you-do-hit-hit-hard/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [“After ministering each day to the hundreds of young men who had endured ghastly wounds, submitted to amputations without anesthesia, and often died without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/after-ministering-each-day-to-the-hundreds-of-young-men-who-had/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [The value that I found in interviewing was for an educational experience, just to know that history itself is subjective, that you can't say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/the-value-that-i-found-in-interviewing-was-for-an-educational/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [Excitement about things became a habit, a part of my personality, and the expectation that I should enjoy new experiences often engendered the enjoyment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/excitement-about-things-became-a-habit-a-part-of-my-personality-and/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [“All the cartoonists at heart liked him, and there was seldom or never anything bitter or really unfriendly in their portrayals of him; they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/all-the-cartoonists-at-heart-liked-him-and-there-was-seldom-or-never/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [I think that's still what the American Dream means: that with perseverance, with hard work, you can become something, that the classes won't prevent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-think-that-s-still-what-the-american-dream-means-that-with/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [I shall always be grateful for this curious love of history, allowing me to spend a lifetime looking back into the past, allowing me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-shall-always-be-grateful-for-this-curious-love-of-history-allowing/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [“Simon Cameron: “I loved my brother, as only the poor and lonely can love those with whom they have toiled and struggled up the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/simon-cameron-i-loved-my-brother-as-only-the-poor-and-lonely-can-love/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) [Explore all 196 Doris Kearns Goodwin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) ## More Seriously Ill quotes > [“The medical literature on the causes of food poisoning is full of euphemisms and dry scientific terms: coliform levels, aerobic plate counts, sorbitol, MacConkey…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-schlosser/the-medical-literature-on-the-causes-of-food-poisoning-is-full-of/) [Eric Schlosser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-schlosser/) > [But we are not going to stand by and go back to allowing people with preexisting conditions to be discriminated against, go back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-axelrod/but-we-are-not-going-to-stand-by-and-go-back-to-allowing-people-with/) [David Axelrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-axelrod/) > [Not having a roof over your head at night must be frightening, cold, lonely and depressing. To be seriously ill as well must be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-davey/not-having-a-roof-over-your-head-at-night-must-be-frightening-cold/) [Ed Davey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-davey/) > [Some people think in their own minds that they are invincible because; of their money, education, rank in the place were they live, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/some-people-think-in-their-own-minds-that-they-are-invincible-because/) [Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/) > [I'm sure that my father becoming seriously ill when I was 14 had a lot to do with my going from chubby to fat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafe-spall/i-m-sure-that-my-father-becoming-seriously-ill-when-i-was-14-had-a/) [Rafe Spall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafe-spall/) > [There is only one thing I want. I would like to be seriously ill, and to hear nothing more about him for at least…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-braun/there-is-only-one-thing-i-want-i-would-like-to-be-seriously-ill-and/) [Eva Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-braun/) > [Said after she had been seriously ill: The doctors were very brave about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/said-after-she-had-been-seriously-ill-the-doctors-were-very-brave/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [I never understood that if you sweat as much as I used to every night, you drain your body of salts. So I got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-daltrey/i-never-understood-that-if-you-sweat-as-much-as-i-used-to-every-night/) [Roger Daltrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-daltrey/) > [ “So much in a relationship changes when a partner is seriously ill, helpless yet blameless, and indefatigably needy. I felt old. \[p. 99\] The… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/so-much-in-a-relationship-changes-when-a-partner-is-seriously-ill/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [“Behind them lies a simple explanation for why eating a hamburger can now make you seriously ill: There is shit in the meat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-schlosser/behind-them-lies-a-simple-explanation-for-why-eating-a-hamburger-can/) [Eric Schlosser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-schlosser/) > [No one in the United States has become seriously ill or has died because of any kind of accident at a civilian nuclear power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-barton/no-one-in-the-united-states-has-become-seriously-ill-or-has-died/) [Joe Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-barton/) > [Flu is easily transmitted, so if you are working with sick people - who are most at risk for getting seriously ill - you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-specter/flu-is-easily-transmitted-so-if-you-are-working-with-sick-people-who/) [Michael Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-specter/) > [“The dismemberment began in Texas, called Tejas back then. There, slavery had been outlawed. Sam Houston led the invasion that reestablished it. Houston and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/the-dismemberment-began-in-texas-called-tejas-back-then-there-slavery/) [Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/) > [“She sleeps a lot these days ” Matt explained. “And she’s emotional to boot. If I didn’t love her so much I’d probably strangle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lori-foster/she-sleeps-a-lot-these-days-matt-explained-and-she-s-emotional-to/) [Lori Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lori-foster/) > [If you subscribe to the idea that # addiction is a disease, it is startling to see how many of these children - paranoid,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/if-you-subscribe-to-the-idea-that-addiction-is-a-disease-it-is/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) [Browse all 32 Seriously Ill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seriously-ill/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“That very afternoon, Taft fell seriously ill with what doctors mistakenly diagnosed as dengue fever. He remained bedridden for ten days, and when he returned to work, severe rectal pain prevented him from sitting. At the same time, a fungal infection developed in his groin.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Doris Kearns Goodwin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/that-very-afternoon-taft-fell-seriously-ill-with-what-doctors/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Seriously Ill" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/that-very-afternoon-taft-fell-seriously-ill-with-what-doctors/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e0/doris-kearns-goodwin-1951_seriously-ill_that-very-afternoon-taft-fell-seriously_695023.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e0/doris-kearns-goodwin-1951_seriously-ill_that-very-afternoon-taft-fell-seriously_695023.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e0/doris-kearns-goodwin-1951_seriously-ill_that-very-afternoon-taft-fell-seriously_695023.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“That very afternoon, Taft fell seriously ill with what doctors mistakenly diagnosed as dengue fever. He…” — Doris Kearns Goodwin", "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": "Doris Kearns Goodwin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“That very afternoon, Taft fell seriously...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/that-very-afternoon-taft-fell-seriously-ill-with-what-doctors/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/that-very-afternoon-taft-fell-seriously-ill-with-what-doctors/#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 } } ] } ```