---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Quite often the social doctors become…"
description: "\"Quite often the social doctors become part of the disease.\" — Eric Hoffer"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ef/eric-hoffer-343_disease_quite-often-the-social-doctors-become-pa_2268387.jpg"
---

#  Quite often the social doctors become part of the disease.

![“Quite often the social doctors become part of the disease.” quote by Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ef/eric-hoffer-343_disease_quite-often-the-social-doctors-become-pa_2268387.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ef/eric-hoffer-343_disease_quite-often-the-social-doctors-become-pa_2268387.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ef/eric-hoffer-343_disease_quite-often-the-social-doctors-become-pa_2268387.jpg)

> “Quite often the social doctors become part of the disease.”

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Social institutions meant to heal can become sources of harm when they adopt the very problems they aim to fix.

**In simple terms:** Helpers can become part of the problem.

Key Takeaway

Watch for unintended consequences.

Themes

power ethics social systems

Mood

cautious critical

Type

analytical philosophical

When to use this quote

- healthcare reform
- community leadership
- policy design

Key Concepts

institutional corruption role reversal

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we ensure institutions stay true to their mission?
- What safeguards prevent self‑defeating policies?

A Different Perspective

Even well‑intentioned actors may reinforce the disease they treat.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Disease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disease/) [Doctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctor/) [Doctors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctors/) [Doctors Disease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctors-disease-5247131/) [Medicine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medicine/) [Quite Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quite-social-1730279/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Social Doctors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-doctors-4581784/) [Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society/)

## Related quotes

> [But we have inherited a vast number of social ills which never came from Nature. They are the complicated products of all the tinkering,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-graham-sumner/but-we-have-inherited-a-vast-number-of-social-ills-which-never-came/)

[William Graham Sumner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-graham-sumner/)

> [I'm quite a social person, quite a communicator, and I like to have the work of other people around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-scully/i-m-quite-a-social-person-quite-a-communicator-and-i-like-to-have-the/)

[Sean Scully](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-scully/)

> [Though so trifling, the success of our first Buffalo hunt gave us quite a social lift.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-thompson-seton/though-so-trifling-the-success-of-our-first-buffalo-hunt-gave-us/)

[Ernest Thompson Seton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-thompson-seton/)

> [“THE MAXIMS OF MEDICINE Before you examine the body of a patient, Be patient to learn his story. For once you learn his story,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/the-maxims-of-medicine-before-you-examine-the-body-of-a-patient-be/)

[Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/)

> [The doctor is to be feared more than the disease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/latin-proverb/the-doctor-is-to-be-feared-more-than-the-disease/)

[Latin Proverb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/latin-proverb/)

> [To the sick the doctors wisely recommend a change of air and scenery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/to-the-sick-the-doctors-wisely-recommend-a-change-of-air-and-scenery/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [The thing about 'Doctor Who' is it's chased around the world, so there's 50 fans hanging out at every location.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-riley/the-thing-about-doctor-who-is-it-s-chased-around-the-world-so-there-s/)

[Tom Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-riley/)

> [Cancer begins and ends with people. In the midst of scientific abstraction, it is sometimes possible to forget this one basic fact. Doctors treat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-goodfield/cancer-begins-and-ends-with-people-in-the-midst-of-scientific/)

[June Goodfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-goodfield/)

> [COUGHS. These are symptoms, not diseases. Take them to your doctor and he can give you something serious to worry about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-morley/coughs-these-are-symptoms-not-diseases-take-them-to-your-doctor-and/)

[Robert Morley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-morley/)

> [No families take so little medicine as those of doctors, except those of apothecaries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr/no-families-take-so-little-medicine-as-those-of-doctors-except-those/)

[Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr/)

> [Time is generally the best doctor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/time-is-generally-the-best-doctor/)

[Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/)

> [“In quixotically trying to conquer death doctors all too frequently do no good for their patients’ “ease” but at the same time they do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kevorkian/in-quixotically-trying-to-conquer-death-doctors-all-too-frequently-do/)

[Jack Kevorkian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kevorkian/)

> [There are many good (medical) doctors, but very few good diagnostics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florya99/there-are-many-good-medical-doctors-but-very-few-good-diagnostics/)

[Florya99](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florya99/)

> [Heart surgeons do not have the world's smallest egos: when you ask them to name the world's three leading practitioners, they never can remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-paretsky/heart-surgeons-do-not-have-the-world-s-smallest-egos-when-you-ask/)

[Sara Paretsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-paretsky/)

> [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/)

## More by Eric Hoffer

> [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [When grubbing for necessities man is still an animal. He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous and extravagant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/when-grubbing-for-necessities-man-is-still-an-animal-he-becomes/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [“We lie the loudest when we lie to ourselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/we-lie-the-loudest-when-we-lie-to-ourselves/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [Our originality shows itself most strikingly not in what we wholly originate but in what we do with that which we borrow from others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/our-originality-shows-itself-most-strikingly-not-in-what-we-wholly/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [The creative mind is the playful mind. Philosophy is the play and dance of ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-creative-mind-is-the-playful-mind-philosophy-is-the-play-and/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [It is also plausible that those movements with the greatest inner contradiction and between profession and practice - that is to say with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/it-is-also-plausible-that-those-movements-with-the-greatest-inner/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [The best part of the art of living is to know how to grow old gracefully.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-best-part-of-the-art-of-living-is-to-know-how-to-grow-old/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [“In the alchemy of man's soul almost all noble attributes--courage, honor, love, hope, faith, duty, loyalty, etc.--can be transmuted into ruthlessness. Compassion alone stands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/in-the-alchemy-of-man-s-soul-almost-all-noble-attributes-courage/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [The act of self-denial seems to confer on us the right to be harsh and merciless toward others. The impression somehow prevails that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-act-of-self-denial-seems-to-confer-on-us-the-right-to-be-harsh/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [A nation without dregs and malcontents, is orderly, decent, peaceful and pleasant, but perhaps without the seed of things to come](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/a-nation-without-dregs-and-malcontents-is-orderly-decent-peaceful-and/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [Compassion alone stands apart from the continuous traffic between good and evil proceeding within us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/compassion-alone-stands-apart-from-the-continuous-traffic-between/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [There are many who find a good alibi far more attractive than an achievement. For an achievement does not settle anything permanently. We still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/there-are-many-who-find-a-good-alibi-far-more-attractive-than-an/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [A war is not won if the defeated enemy has not been turned into a friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/a-war-is-not-won-if-the-defeated-enemy-has-not-been-turned-into-a/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [Man is the only creature that strives to surpass himself, and yearns for the impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/man-is-the-only-creature-that-strives-to-surpass-himself-and-yearns/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [This food-and-shelter theory concerning man's efforts is without insight. The desire for praise is more imperative than the desire for food and shelter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/this-food-and-shelter-theory-concerning-man-s-efforts-is-without/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

[Explore all 658 Eric Hoffer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

## More Disease quotes

> [Women still, when they have breast cancer, go to work; they still lead their lives. They have to. I just did what I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-potter/women-still-when-they-have-breast-cancer-go-to-work-they-still-lead/)

[Monica Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-potter/)

> [The strains and stresses suffered by the individual in society are grounded in the normal functioning of that society (and of the individual!) rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-marcuse/the-strains-and-stresses-suffered-by-the-individual-in-society-are/)

[Herbert Marcuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-marcuse/)

> [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/)

[John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/)

> [If japa is maintained, no useless talk during work will be possible. The mind will always remain peaceful. Modern day diseases are mostly psychosomatic.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/if-japa-is-maintained-no-useless-talk-during-work-will-be-possible/)

[Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/)

> [The doctor who diagnosed me with ALS, or motor neuron disease, told me that it would kill me in two or three years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/the-doctor-who-diagnosed-me-with-als-or-motor-neuron-disease-told-me/)

[Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/)

> [“As a special branch of general philosophy, pathogenesis had never been explored. In my opinion it had never been approached in a strictly scientific…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-cendrars/as-a-special-branch-of-general-philosophy-pathogenesis-had-never-been/)

[Blaise Cendrars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-cendrars/)

> [Ask God for temp'rance. That's th' appliance only Which your disease requires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/ask-god-for-temp-rance-that-s-th-appliance-only-which-your-disease/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [Ring out false pride in place and blood, The civic slander and the spite; Ring in the love of truth and right, Ring in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-the-great/ring-out-false-pride-in-place-and-blood-the-civic-slander-and-the/)

[Alfred the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-the-great/)

> [My identity shifted when I got into # recovery . That's who I am now, and it actually gives me greater pleasure to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-clapton/my-identity-shifted-when-i-got-into-recovery-that-s-who-i-am-now-and/)

[Eric Clapton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-clapton/)

> [If you are a white male, you don't deserve to live. You are a cancer, you're a disease, white males have never contributed anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-ignatiev/if-you-are-a-white-male-you-don-t-deserve-to-live-you-are-a-cancer/)

[Noel Ignatiev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-ignatiev/)

> [Jesus never met a disease he could not cure, a birth defect he could not reverse, a demon he could not exorcise. But he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/jesus-never-met-a-disease-he-could-not-cure-a-birth-defect-he-could/)

[Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/)

> [Religion is a disease. It is born of fear; it compensates through hate in the guise of authority, revelation. Religion, enthroned in a powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-amos-dorsey/religion-is-a-disease-it-is-born-of-fear-it-compensates-through-hate/)

[George Amos Dorsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-amos-dorsey/)

> [To some degree Satanism is purely a kind of disease of Christianity. You've got to really be Christian to believe in Satan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/to-some-degree-satanism-is-purely-a-kind-of-disease-of-christianity/)

[Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/)

> [People do not realize that Alzheimer's is not old age. It is a progressive and fatal disease, and staggering amounts of people develop Alzheimer's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-kanakaredes/people-do-not-realize-that-alzheimer-s-is-not-old-age-it-is-a/)

[Melina Kanakaredes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-kanakaredes/)

> [Religious work is one of the best ways to keep from facing your reality if you are Christian, if you are using it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-miller/religious-work-is-one-of-the-best-ways-to-keep-from-facing-your/)

[Keith Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-miller/)

[Browse all 3,549 Disease quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disease/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Quite often the social doctors become part of the disease.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Eric Hoffer"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/quite-often-the-social-doctors-become-part-of-the-disease/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Disease"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/quite-often-the-social-doctors-become-part-of-the-disease/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ef/eric-hoffer-343_disease_quite-often-the-social-doctors-become-pa_2268387.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ef/eric-hoffer-343_disease_quite-often-the-social-doctors-become-pa_2268387.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ef/eric-hoffer-343_disease_quite-often-the-social-doctors-become-pa_2268387.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Quite often the social doctors become part of the disease.” — Eric Hoffer",
                "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": "Eric Hoffer",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Quite often the social doctors become...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/quite-often-the-social-doctors-become-part-of-the-disease/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/quite-often-the-social-doctors-become-part-of-the-disease/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
