--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Given the ease with which health infuses…" description: "\"“Given the ease with which health infuses life with meaning and purpose, it is shocking how swiftly illness steals away those certainties.”\" — Elisabet..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba3/elisabeth-tova-bailey-23990_health_given-the-ease-with-which-health-infuses_962032.jpg" --- # Given the ease with which health infuses life with meaning… ![“Given the ease with which health infuses life with meaning and purpose, it is shocking how swiftly illness steals away those certainties.” quote by Elisabeth Tova Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba3/elisabeth-tova-bailey-23990_health_given-the-ease-with-which-health-infuses_962032.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba3/elisabeth-tova-bailey-23990_health_given-the-ease-with-which-health-infuses_962032.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba3/elisabeth-tova-bailey-23990_health_given-the-ease-with-which-health-infuses_962032.jpg) > ““Given the ease with which health infuses life with meaning and purpose, it is shocking how swiftly illness steals away those certainties.”” [Elisabeth Tova Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-tova-bailey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Health gives life meaning, while illness can abruptly remove that certainty. **In simple terms:** Health adds purpose; illness removes it. Key Takeaway Cherish health, prepare for vulnerability. Themes health illness meaning uncertainty Mood reflective empathetic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - caregiving - personal health crises - aging - spiritual growth Key Concepts existential reflection fragility of life Questions to Reflect On - What does health mean to you? - How can you find purpose during illness? A Different Perspective Illness may also bring new insights, not just loss. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ease Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ease-health-1786164/) [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) [Illness Steals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illness-steals-1786166/) [Infuses Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infuses-life-1786167/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life With Meaning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-with-meaning/) [Swiftly Illness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/swiftly-illness-1786165/) ## Related quotes > [“Given the ease with which health infuses life with meaning and purpose, it is shocking how swiftly illness steals away those certainties…Time unused and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-tova-bailey/given-the-ease-with-which-health-infuses-life-with-meaning-and-2/) [Elisabeth Tova Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-tova-bailey/) > [Why strive to be 'elite'? Because it infuses your life with purpose and meaning that does not depend on anyone or anything that can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justine-musk/why-strive-to-be-elite-because-it-infuses-your-life-with-purpose-and/) [Justine Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justine-musk/) > [Belief is so valuable and living that it infuses with life everything it enters! It transforms the fleeting glimmer of transitory life into eternal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/said-nursi/belief-is-so-valuable-and-living-that-it-infuses-with-life-everything/) [Said Nursi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/said-nursi/) > [“The joy of the bee tribes infuses my life with sweetness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-leigh-mercree/the-joy-of-the-bee-tribes-infuses-my-life-with-sweetness/) [Amy Leigh Mercree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-leigh-mercree/) > [Work infuses my whole life. My creative life is my real life, so it's hard to separate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-leigh/work-infuses-my-whole-life-my-creative-life-is-my-real-life-so-it-s/) [Julia Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-leigh/) > [The meaning of life, Nikodemos, is to live life with meaning. The purpose of life is merely to live it, perhaps to give it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-morris/the-meaning-of-life-nikodemos-is-to-live-life-with-meaning-the/) [Janet Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-morris/) > [Living a life with meaning means spreading the word. Even if you can't move, you can have a powerful effect with what you say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/living-a-life-with-meaning-means-spreading-the-word-even-if-you-can-t/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [“Most people write me off when they see me. They do not know my story. They say I am just an African. They judge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idowu-koyenikan/most-people-write-me-off-when-they-see-me-they-do-not-know-my-story/) [idowu koyenikan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idowu-koyenikan/) > [“a blink of an eye in itself is nothing. But the eye that blinks, that is something. A span of life is nothing, But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaim-potok/a-blink-of-an-eye-in-itself-is-nothing-but-the-eye-that-blinks-that-2/) [Chaim Potok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaim-potok/) > [A man must fill his life with meaning, meaning is not automatically given to life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaim-potok/a-man-must-fill-his-life-with-meaning-meaning-is-not-automatically/) [Chaim Potok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaim-potok/) > [I learned a long time ago, Reuven, that a blink of an eye in itself is nothing. But the eye that blinks, that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaim-potok/i-learned-a-long-time-ago-reuven-that-a-blink-of-an-eye-in-itself-is/) [Chaim Potok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaim-potok/) > [“Takuan had taught him: the truly brave man is one who loves life, cherishing it as a treasure that once forfeited can never be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eiji-yoshikawa/takuan-had-taught-him-the-truly-brave-man-is-one-who-loves-life/) [Eiji Yoshikawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eiji-yoshikawa/) > [The key to contentedness is not the absence of work; neither is it to cap each day with the witless abandon of hollow entertainment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-williams/the-key-to-contentedness-is-not-the-absence-of-work-neither-is-it-to/) [Andrew Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-williams/) > [Hold tightly to your passion and never let go. Let it infuse your life with meaning and purpose and become the motivator for everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashida-rowe/hold-tightly-to-your-passion-and-never-let-go-let-it-infuse-your-life/) [Rashida Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashida-rowe/) > [Life is. I am. Anything might happen. And I believe I may invest my life with meaning. The uncertainty is a blessing in disguise.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fulghum/life-is-i-am-anything-might-happen-and-i-believe-i-may-invest-my-life/) [Robert Fulghum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fulghum/) ## More by Elisabeth Tova Bailey > [“The snail had been a true mentor; its tiny existence had sustained me. Late one winter night I wrote in my journal: A last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-tova-bailey/the-snail-had-been-a-true-mentor-its-tiny-existence-had-sustained-me/) [Elisabeth Tova Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-tova-bailey/) > [“It seemed far more reasonable to belong to a species that had evolved natural tooth replacement than to belong to one that had developed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-tova-bailey/it-seemed-far-more-reasonable-to-belong-to-a-species-that-had-evolved/) [Elisabeth Tova Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-tova-bailey/) > [“Those of us with illnesses are the holders of the silent fears of those with good health.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-tova-bailey/those-of-us-with-illnesses-are-the-holders-of-the-silent-fears-of/) [Elisabeth Tova Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-tova-bailey/) > [“The life of a snail is as full of tasty food, comfortable beds of sorts, and a mix of pleasant and not-so-pleasant adventures as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-tova-bailey/the-life-of-a-snail-is-as-full-of-tasty-food-comfortable-beds-of/) [Elisabeth Tova Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-tova-bailey/) > [“There was no woodsy fragrance blowing through my room, and the snail, especially while it lived in the pot of violets, must have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-tova-bailey/there-was-no-woodsy-fragrance-blowing-through-my-room-and-the-snail/) [Elisabeth Tova Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-tova-bailey/) > [“There is a certain depth of illness that is piercing in its isolation: the only rule of existence is uncertainty, and the only movement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-tova-bailey/there-is-a-certain-depth-of-illness-that-is-piercing-in-its-isolation/) [Elisabeth Tova Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-tova-bailey/) > [“The crucial first step to survival in all organisms is habitat selection. If you get to the right place, everything else is likely to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-tova-bailey/the-crucial-first-step-to-survival-in-all-organisms-is-habitat/) [Elisabeth Tova Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-tova-bailey/) > [“I liked the sound of the word 'snail' every time I said it; the word was as small and simple as the creature itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-tova-bailey/i-liked-the-sound-of-the-word-snail-every-time-i-said-it-the-word-was/) [Elisabeth Tova Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-tova-bailey/) > [“Survival often depends on a specific focus: A relationship, a belief, or a hope balanced on the edge of possibility. Or something more ephemeral:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-tova-bailey/survival-often-depends-on-a-specific-focus-a-relationship-a-belief-or/) [Elisabeth Tova Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-tova-bailey/) > [“Millions of centuries of voyaging via animals, water, and wind brought my snail's family to colonize the woods near where I was staying. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-tova-bailey/millions-of-centuries-of-voyaging-via-animals-water-and-wind-brought/) [Elisabeth Tova Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-tova-bailey/) > [“I find that nothing is quite as I remember; in my absence, the world has changed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-tova-bailey/i-find-that-nothing-is-quite-as-i-remember-in-my-absence-the-world/) [Elisabeth Tova Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-tova-bailey/) > [“My bed was an island within the desolate sea of my room. Yet I knew that there were other people homebound from illness or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-tova-bailey/my-bed-was-an-island-within-the-desolate-sea-of-my-room-yet-i-knew/) [Elisabeth Tova Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-tova-bailey/) > [“THERE IS A CERTAIN depth of illness that is piercing in its isolation; the only rule of existence is uncertainty, and the only movement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-tova-bailey/there-is-a-certain-depth-of-illness-that-is-piercing-in-its-isolation-2/) [Elisabeth Tova Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-tova-bailey/) > [“We are all hostages of time. We each have the same number of minutes and hours to live within a day, yet to me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-tova-bailey/we-are-all-hostages-of-time-we-each-have-the-same-number-of-minutes/) [Elisabeth Tova Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-tova-bailey/) > [“As the snail's world grew more familiar, my own human world became less so; my species was so large, so rushed, and so confusing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-tova-bailey/as-the-snail-s-world-grew-more-familiar-my-own-human-world-became/) [Elisabeth Tova Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-tova-bailey/) [Explore all 25 Elisabeth Tova Bailey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-tova-bailey/) ## More Health quotes > [A thing of beauty is a joy for ever;It's loveliness increase;it will never pass into nothingness;but still will keep a bower quiet for us,and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/a-thing-of-beauty-is-a-joy-for-ever-it-s-loveliness-increase-it-will/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [Water is life, and clean water means health.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-hepburn/water-is-life-and-clean-water-means-health/) [Audrey Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-hepburn/) > [Advances in technology will continue to reach far into every sector of our economy. Future job and economic growth in industry, defense, transportation, agriculture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bond/advances-in-technology-will-continue-to-reach-far-into-every-sector/) [Christopher Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bond/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) [Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/) > [I believe in taxation and health care that is outside the usual libertarian mandate, because I don't want people to have to suffer. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-peart/i-believe-in-taxation-and-health-care-that-is-outside-the-usual/) [Neil Peart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-peart/) > [It is irresponsible to set an arbitrary cap on how much therapy a Medicare beneficiary can receive. It ignores the health needs of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ensign/it-is-irresponsible-to-set-an-arbitrary-cap-on-how-much-therapy-a/) [John Ensign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ensign/) > [The vast majority of organizations today have more than enough intelligence, experience and knowledge to be successful. What they lack is organizational health.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-lencioni/the-vast-majority-of-organizations-today-have-more-than-enough/) [Patrick Lencioni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-lencioni/) > [Leaders need to compromise, negotiate with members of both parties and ideologies, and reform health care the right way - by developing a strong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-boustany/leaders-need-to-compromise-negotiate-with-members-of-both-parties-and/) [Charles Boustany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-boustany/) > [I listen to my body, I give it things it wants and I eliminate things it doesn't want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/britt-ekland/i-listen-to-my-body-i-give-it-things-it-wants-and-i-eliminate-things/) [Britt Ekland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/britt-ekland/) > [As an adventurer...I try to protect against the downside. I make sure I have covered as many eventualities as I can. In the end,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/as-an-adventurer-i-try-to-protect-against-the-downside-i-make-sure-i/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [Mental health is an issue close to my heart - an issue, indeed, I've covered repeatedly for Channel 4 News.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-newman/mental-health-is-an-issue-close-to-my-heart-an-issue-indeed-i-ve/) [Cathy Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-newman/) > [If you’re going to die on screen, you’ve got to be strong and in good health.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-garbo/if-you-re-going-to-die-on-screen-you-ve-got-to-be-strong-and-in-good/) [Greta Garbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-garbo/) > [Every patient carries her or his own doctor inside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/every-patient-carries-her-or-his-own-doctor-inside/) [Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/) > [Making sure that people have access to preventive medicine for the first time ever as a nation? That's a big deal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-schneider/making-sure-that-people-have-access-to-preventive-medicine-for-the/) [Brad Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-schneider/) > [Not only is a healthy America a strong America - it's vital to our national defense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-e-james/not-only-is-a-healthy-america-a-strong-america-it-s-vital-to-our/) [John E. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-e-james/) [Browse all 17,127 Health quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Given the ease with which health infuses life with meaning and purpose, it is shocking how swiftly illness steals away those certainties.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Elisabeth Tova Bailey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-tova-bailey/given-the-ease-with-which-health-infuses-life-with-meaning-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Health" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-tova-bailey/given-the-ease-with-which-health-infuses-life-with-meaning-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba3/elisabeth-tova-bailey-23990_health_given-the-ease-with-which-health-infuses_962032.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba3/elisabeth-tova-bailey-23990_health_given-the-ease-with-which-health-infuses_962032.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba3/elisabeth-tova-bailey-23990_health_given-the-ease-with-which-health-infuses_962032.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Given the ease with which health infuses life with meaning and purpose, it is shocking how swiftly illness…” — Elisabeth Tova Bailey", "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": "Elisabeth Tova Bailey", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-tova-bailey/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Given the ease with which health...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-tova-bailey/given-the-ease-with-which-health-infuses-life-with-meaning-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-tova-bailey/given-the-ease-with-which-health-infuses-life-with-meaning-and/#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 } } ] } ```