--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You think whatever is wrong with you is…" description: "\"“You think whatever is wrong with you is contagious, then?' She laughed again. 'Yes, but you have it already. You caught it from your mother. Death.”\" ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a1/gene-wolfe-2530_death_you-think-whatever-is-wrong-with-you-is_2096157.jpg" --- # You think whatever is wrong with you is contagious, then?'… ![“You think whatever is wrong with you is contagious, then?' She laughed again. 'Yes, but you have it already. You caught it from your mother. Death.” quote by Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a1/gene-wolfe-2530_death_you-think-whatever-is-wrong-with-you-is_2096157.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a1/gene-wolfe-2530_death_you-think-whatever-is-wrong-with-you-is_2096157.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a1/gene-wolfe-2530_death_you-think-whatever-is-wrong-with-you-is_2096157.jpg) > ““You think whatever is wrong with you is contagious, then?' She laughed again. 'Yes, but you have it already. You caught it from your mother. Death.”” [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote humorously suggests that personal flaws or misfortunes are inherited, likening them to a contagious disease passed from mother to child, ultimately culminating in death. **In simple terms:** Flaws are inherited, ending in death. Key Takeaway Recognize and break harmful cycles. Themes inheritance humor mortality family self-awareness Mood wry reflective Type satirical philosophical When to use this quote - family dynamics - personal growth - health counseling - grief support Key Concepts genetics psychology existentialism Questions to Reflect On - What inherited traits shape your life? - How can you change a perceived “contagious” flaw? A Different Perspective It oversimplifies complex personal and societal issues to a single cause. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Caught Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caught-mother-3048347/) [Contagious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contagious/) [Contagious Laughed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contagious-laughed-4166624/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Laughed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughed/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Wrong Contagious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrong-contagious-4166625/) ## Related quotes > [Getting caught is the mother of invention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-byrne/getting-caught-is-the-mother-of-invention/) [Robert Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-byrne/) > [“Sometimes I caught my mother digging through old photo albums or staring at the wall or out the window. She’d get that look on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/sometimes-i-caught-my-mother-digging-through-old-photo-albums-or/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [I doubt she likes the idea of seeing him put back in a cage.” “Maybe not,” he said. “But she knows that the Authority…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devon-monk/i-doubt-she-likes-the-idea-of-seeing-him-put-back-in-a-cage-maybe-not/) [Devon Monk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devon-monk/) > [“Why was he laughing? Did he know that he would survive? No. That's impossible. He realized that he would end his life here. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/captain-smoker/why-was-he-laughing-did-he-know-that-he-would-survive-no-that-s/) [Captain Smoker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/captain-smoker/) > [Attitudes truly are contagious, and from time to time we need to ask ourselves, 'Is mine worth catching?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mac-anderson/attitudes-truly-are-contagious-and-from-time-to-time-we-need-to-ask/) [Mac Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mac-anderson/) > [Courage, like cowardice, is undoubtedly contagious, but some persons are not liable to catch it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-d-prentice/courage-like-cowardice-is-undoubtedly-contagious-but-some-persons-are/) [George D. Prentice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-d-prentice/) > [Humor of all types is notoriously subjective. That's true not only between different people but even within an individual at different times. This subjectivity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mankoff/humor-of-all-types-is-notoriously-subjective-that-s-true-not-only/) [Robert Mankoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mankoff/) > [“Move aside Ebola, smallpox, and AIDS; make room for narcolepsy. I would become shunned and avoided. Perhaps the people at the casino thought that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-talmage-mathis/move-aside-ebola-smallpox-and-aids-make-room-for-narcolepsy-i-would/) [John-Talmage Mathis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-talmage-mathis/) > [“Remember: Research shows that emotions are contagious. How will you infect others at work today?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-kjerulf/remember-research-shows-that-emotions-are-contagious-how-will-you/) [Alexander Kjerulf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-kjerulf/) > [“And being at school was awful in the beginning. Every new class I had was like a new chance for kids to “not stare”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-j-palacio/and-being-at-school-was-awful-in-the-beginning-every-new-class-i-had/) [R.J. Palacio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-j-palacio/) > [“It was nice to meet you,” I say loudly in a more formal tone than I used when we were alone. And then I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-christine-parker/it-was-nice-to-meet-you-i-say-loudly-in-a-more-formal-tone-than-i/) [Amy Christine Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-christine-parker/) > [They say hitting is contagious, but I think defense is, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-crawford/they-say-hitting-is-contagious-but-i-think-defense-is-too/) [Brandon Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-crawford/) > [It's a great historical joke that when the Spanish met the Aztecs, it was a blind date made in serve-you-right heaven. At the time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/it-s-a-great-historical-joke-that-when-the-spanish-met-the-aztecs-it/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [Enthusiasm is by far the highest paid quality on earth, probably because it is one of the rarest; yet it is one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-bettger/enthusiasm-is-by-far-the-highest-paid-quality-on-earth-probably/) [Frank Bettger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-bettger/) > [The only activity a cynic will find contagious is yawning, that is, with other people, at other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/the-only-activity-a-cynic-will-find-contagious-is-yawning-that-is/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) ## More by Gene Wolfe > [Some writers say they cannot write in front of a window; many say they cannot function without almost perfect quiet. A writer with only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/some-writers-say-they-cannot-write-in-front-of-a-window-many-say-they/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“Sometimes driven aground by the photon storms, by the swirling of the galaxies, clockwise and counterclockwise, ticking with light down the dark sea-corridors lined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/sometimes-driven-aground-by-the-photon-storms-by-the-swirling-of-the/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [Ambiguity is necessary in some of my stories, not in all. In those, it certainly contributes to the richness of the story. I doubt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/ambiguity-is-necessary-in-some-of-my-stories-not-in-all-in-those-it/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“There are beings—and artifacts—against which we batter our intelligence raw, and in the end make peace with reality only by saying, “It was an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/there-are-beings-and-artifacts-against-which-we-batter-our/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [Science has so accustomed us to devising and accepting theories to account for the facts we observe, however fantastic, that our minds must begin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/science-has-so-accustomed-us-to-devising-and-accepting-theories-to/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“The experienced feel love or desire, or both. The inexperienced are sick with a thousand feelings, most of them unformed: fearful that they may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/the-experienced-feel-love-or-desire-or-both-the-inexperienced-are/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“For those who have never attended a science fiction convention, masquerades are features of most of the larger ones. Awards are presented for best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/for-those-who-have-never-attended-a-science-fiction-convention/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“He had a wild yellow beard and long, tangled hair that stood out from his head in a way that made it seem too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/he-had-a-wild-yellow-beard-and-long-tangled-hair-that-stood-out-from/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [ ...in some situations winning consist\[s\] of disentangling oneself. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/in-some-situations-winning-consist-s-of-disentangling-oneself/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“For after all, if the lives of most men are examined in detail, it will be found that they have been experts of immense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/for-after-all-if-the-lives-of-most-men-are-examined-in-detail-it-will/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [You never learn how to write a novel. You just learn how to write the novel that you're writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/you-never-learn-how-to-write-a-novel-you-just-learn-how-to-write-the/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [There is no magic. There is only knowledge, more or less hidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/there-is-no-magic-there-is-only-knowledge-more-or-less-hidden/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“...the progress of science depends much less upon either theoretical considerations or systematic investigation than is commonly believed, but rather on the transmittal of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/the-progress-of-science-depends-much-less-upon-either-theoretical/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“Whatever we may say, all of us suffer from disturbed sleep at times. Some in truth hardly sleep, though some who sleep copiously swear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/whatever-we-may-say-all-of-us-suffer-from-disturbed-sleep-at-times/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“. . .Consciousness came and went. Consciousness went and came like the errant winds of spring, and I, who so often have had difficulty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/consciousness-came-and-went-consciousness-went-and-came-like-the/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) [Explore all 160 Gene Wolfe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) ## More Contagious quotes > [The only activity a cynic will find contagious is yawning, that is, with other people, at other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/the-only-activity-a-cynic-will-find-contagious-is-yawning-that-is/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [Enthusiasm is by far the highest paid quality on earth, probably because it is one of the rarest; yet it is one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-bettger/enthusiasm-is-by-far-the-highest-paid-quality-on-earth-probably/) [Frank Bettger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-bettger/) > [It's a great historical joke that when the Spanish met the Aztecs, it was a blind date made in serve-you-right heaven. At the time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/it-s-a-great-historical-joke-that-when-the-spanish-met-the-aztecs-it/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [They say hitting is contagious, but I think defense is, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-crawford/they-say-hitting-is-contagious-but-i-think-defense-is-too/) [Brandon Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-crawford/) > [“It was nice to meet you,” I say loudly in a more formal tone than I used when we were alone. And then I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-christine-parker/it-was-nice-to-meet-you-i-say-loudly-in-a-more-formal-tone-than-i/) [Amy Christine Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-christine-parker/) > [“And being at school was awful in the beginning. Every new class I had was like a new chance for kids to “not stare”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-j-palacio/and-being-at-school-was-awful-in-the-beginning-every-new-class-i-had/) [R.J. Palacio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-j-palacio/) > [“Remember: Research shows that emotions are contagious. How will you infect others at work today?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-kjerulf/remember-research-shows-that-emotions-are-contagious-how-will-you/) [Alexander Kjerulf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-kjerulf/) > [“Move aside Ebola, smallpox, and AIDS; make room for narcolepsy. I would become shunned and avoided. Perhaps the people at the casino thought that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-talmage-mathis/move-aside-ebola-smallpox-and-aids-make-room-for-narcolepsy-i-would/) [John-Talmage Mathis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-talmage-mathis/) > [Humor of all types is notoriously subjective. That's true not only between different people but even within an individual at different times. This subjectivity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mankoff/humor-of-all-types-is-notoriously-subjective-that-s-true-not-only/) [Robert Mankoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mankoff/) > [Courage, like cowardice, is undoubtedly contagious, but some persons are not liable to catch it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-d-prentice/courage-like-cowardice-is-undoubtedly-contagious-but-some-persons-are/) [George D. Prentice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-d-prentice/) > [Attitudes truly are contagious, and from time to time we need to ask ourselves, 'Is mine worth catching?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mac-anderson/attitudes-truly-are-contagious-and-from-time-to-time-we-need-to-ask/) [Mac Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mac-anderson/) > [“Putting this all together, Moore and Reiber predicted that the germ would prod people to seek out the company of others early in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-mcauliffe/putting-this-all-together-moore-and-reiber-predicted-that-the-germ/) [Kathleen McAuliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-mcauliffe/) > [You really watch basketball and study basketball, the more you realize, the pass really is beautiful. I'm not just talking about the pass where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-gasol/you-really-watch-basketball-and-study-basketball-the-more-you-realize/) [Marc Gasol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-gasol/) > [How to Piss Off A Woman : After sex tell her the doctor assured you it isn't contagious. Then faint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/how-to-piss-off-a-woman-after-sex-tell-her-the-doctor-assured-you-it/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [Nothing is so contagious as enthusiasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nothing-is-so-contagious-as-enthusiasm/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 451 Contagious quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contagious/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“You think whatever is wrong with you is contagious, then?' She laughed again. 'Yes, but you have it already. 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