--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sickness, insanity and death were the…" description: "\"Sickness, insanity and death were the angels that surrounded my cradle and they have followed me throughout my life.\" — Edvard Munch" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea1/edvard-munch-8669_angel_sickness-insanity-and-death-were-the-ang_1525652.png" --- # Sickness, insanity and death were the angels that… ![“Sickness, insanity and death were the angels that surrounded my cradle and they have followed me throughout my life.” quote by Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea1/edvard-munch-8669_angel_sickness-insanity-and-death-were-the-ang_1525652.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea1/edvard-munch-8669_angel_sickness-insanity-and-death-were-the-ang_1525652.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea1/edvard-munch-8669_angel_sickness-insanity-and-death-were-the-ang_1525652.png) > “Sickness, insanity and death were the angels that surrounded my cradle and they have followed me throughout my life.” [Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The artist sees illness, madness, and death as constant companions from birth, shaping his worldview. **In simple terms:** Life is haunted by suffering and mortality. Key Takeaway Acknowledge and confront personal shadows. Themes mortality mental health existentialism Mood somber contemplative Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - therapy sessions - creative expression - grief counseling - philosophical discourse Key Concepts symbolism psychological realism nihilism Questions to Reflect On - How do these themes manifest in your life? - Can you find moments of relief? A Different Perspective Focusing solely on darkness can hinder healing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Angel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angel/) [Angels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angels/) [Angels Surrounded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angels-surrounded-5649454/) [Cradle Followed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cradle-followed-4229406/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Followed Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/followed-life-733469/) [Insanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insanity/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [My life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-life/) [Sickness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sickness/) [Sickness Insanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sickness-insanity-4092223/) ## Related quotes > [Disease, insanity, and death were the angels that attended my cradle, and since then have followed me throughout my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/disease-insanity-and-death-were-the-angels-that-attended-my-cradle/) [Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/) > [As a whole part of "psychological education" it needs to be remembered that a neurosis can be valuable; also that "adjustment" to a sick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agee/as-a-whole-part-of-psychological-education-it-needs-to-be-remembered/) [James Agee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agee/) > [O virtue, I have followed you through life, and find you at last but a shade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euripides/o-virtue-i-have-followed-you-through-life-and-find-you-at-last-but-a/) [Euripides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euripides/) > [“When she came to the end of one life it must not be to face the next with the shrinking terror of something wholly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-maud-montgomery/when-she-came-to-the-end-of-one-life-it-must-not-be-to-face-the-next/) [Lucy Maud Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-maud-montgomery/) > [“Anne walked home very slowly in the moonlight. The evening had changed something for her. Life held a different meaning, a deeper purpose. On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-maud-montgomery/anne-walked-home-very-slowly-in-the-moonlight-the-evening-had-changed/) [Lucy Maud Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-maud-montgomery/) > [“Best followed now is this life, by hurrying, like itself, to a close. Few things remain. 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Maybe that was my sickness. We made love in nothing places and turned the lights off. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/i-would-have-done-anything-for-him-maybe-that-was-my-sickness-we-made/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [The creative strength is good enough and deep enough to bring itself to flower and to grow in spite of this sickness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-greenberg/the-creative-strength-is-good-enough-and-deep-enough-to-bring-itself/) [Joanne Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-greenberg/) > [“The suspense: the fearful, acute suspense: of standing idly by while the life of one we dearly love, is trembling in the balance; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/the-suspense-the-fearful-acute-suspense-of-standing-idly-by-while-the/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [The writings of latter-day prophets clearly teach that the sorrows and sufferings endured by Adam and Eve upon their leaving the Garden of Eden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-k-judd/the-writings-of-latter-day-prophets-clearly-teach-that-the-sorrows/) [Daniel K Judd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-k-judd/) > [It seems an insult to nature and to the Creator to imagine that pregnancy was ever intended to be a sickness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-bisbee-duffey/it-seems-an-insult-to-nature-and-to-the-creator-to-imagine-that/) [Eliza Bisbee Duffey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-bisbee-duffey/) ## More by Edvard Munch > [When I paint, I never think of selling. People simply fail to understand that we paint in order to experiment and to develop ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/when-i-paint-i-never-think-of-selling-people-simply-fail-to/) [Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/) > [For as long as I can remember I have suffered from a deep feeling of anxiety which I have tried to express in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/for-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-have-suffered-from-a-deep-feeling-of/) [Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/) > [The Academies of Art are nothing but great painting factories - those with talent are fed in at one end, and they come out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/the-academies-of-art-are-nothing-but-great-painting-factories-those/) [Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/) > [I was walking along a road one evening – on one side lay the city, and below me was the fjord. The sun went…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/i-was-walking-along-a-road-one-evening-on-one-side-lay-the-city-and/) [Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/) > [I was walking along the road with two friends. The sun set. I felt a tinge of melancholy. Suddenly the sky became a bloody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/i-was-walking-along-the-road-with-two-friends-the-sun-set-i-felt-a/) [Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/) > [The notes I have made are not a diary in the ordinary sense, but partly lengthy records of my spiritual experiences, and partly poems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/the-notes-i-have-made-are-not-a-diary-in-the-ordinary-sense-but/) [Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/) > [A work of art comes only from inside a human being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/a-work-of-art-comes-only-from-inside-a-human-being/) [Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/) > [I sense a scream passing through nature. I painted ... the clouds as actual blood. The colour shrieked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/i-sense-a-scream-passing-through-nature-i-painted-the-clouds-as/) [Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/) > [Youth must go ahead and prosper. These young painters are all very talented people, but they all paint frescoes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/youth-must-go-ahead-and-prosper-these-young-painters-are-all-very/) [Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/) > [ But can they \[great works\] get rid of the worm that lies gnawing at the roots of my heart? No, never. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/but-can-they-great-works-get-rid-of-the-worm-that-lies-gnawing-at-the/) [Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/) > [My fear of life is necessary to me, as is my illness. Without anxiety and illness, I am a ship without a rudder. My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/my-fear-of-life-is-necessary-to-me-as-is-my-illness-without-anxiety/) [Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/) > [It would be quite amusing to preach a bit to all those people who for many years now have been looking at our paintings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/it-would-be-quite-amusing-to-preach-a-bit-to-all-those-people-who-for/) [Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/) > [The viewers must come to understand the sacredness of painting, so they will remove their hats as if they were in church.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/the-viewers-must-come-to-understand-the-sacredness-of-painting-so/) [Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/) > [The way one sees is also dependent upon one's emotional state of mind. This is why a motif can be looked at in so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/the-way-one-sees-is-also-dependent-upon-one-s-emotional-state-of-mind/) [Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/) > [It is better to have a good painting with ten holes than ten bad paintings without any holes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/it-is-better-to-have-a-good-painting-with-ten-holes-than-ten-bad/) [Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/) [Explore all 79 Edvard Munch quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/) ## More Angel quotes > [A man walks down the street. It's a street in a strange world. Maybe it's the third world. Maybe it's his first time around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-man-walks-down-the-street-it-s-a-street-in-a-strange-world-maybe-it/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [If I wer an angel,i would make all your wishes come true..but I'm only a girl a girl who loves you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nix/if-i-wer-an-angel-i-would-make-all-your-wishes-come-true-but-i-m-only/) [Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nix/) > [Peace is the first thing the angels sang. Peace is the mark of the children of God. Peace is the nurse of love. Peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-i/peace-is-the-first-thing-the-angels-sang-peace-is-the-mark-of-the/) [Pope Leo I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-i/) > [“Every child is born as angel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/every-child-is-born-as-angel/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [“Behind my eyelids, I saw him dancing in spirals of coloured light, emerald, blue, and brilliant purple, enfolding him like the wings of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-hall/behind-my-eyelids-i-saw-him-dancing-in-spirals-of-coloured-light/) [Alexis Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-hall/) > [All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/all-that-i-am-or-ever-hope-to-be-i-owe-to-my-angel-mother/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [I don't think people will ever forget I was an 'Angel,' anymore than they'll forget Sally Field was 'The Flying Nun.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-ladd/i-don-t-think-people-will-ever-forget-i-was-an-angel-anymore-than/) [Cheryl Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-ladd/) > [It's a great story for us whenever an entrepreneur makes a crazy amount of money and we get to tell the world about it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-lacy/it-s-a-great-story-for-us-whenever-an-entrepreneur-makes-a-crazy/) [Sarah Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-lacy/) > [I believe in UFOs, I believe in extraterrestrials, and I believe in angels. And maybe they'll protect all of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-maclaine/i-believe-in-ufos-i-believe-in-extraterrestrials-and-i-believe-in/) [Shirley MacLaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-maclaine/) > [Sometimes we have the absolute certainty there's something inside us that's so hideous and monstrous that if we ever search it out we won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/sometimes-we-have-the-absolute-certainty-there-s-something-inside-us/) [Hubert Selby, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-selby-jr/) > [Flowers are the alphabet of angels, whereby they write on the hills and fields mysterious truths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/flowers-are-the-alphabet-of-angels-whereby-they-write-on-the-hills/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [You should never feel lonely, neglected, fearful, or defeated when you remember that there are the shining ones. 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