---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Grietje said that when the illness is…"
description: "\"“Grietje said that when the illness is advanced, you might walk right past a mirror without recognizing it’s you. She said she hoped she’d think to her..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c5/hendrik-groen-3652_past-mirror_grietje-said-that-when-the-illness-is-ad_3009587.jpg"
---

#  Grietje said that when the illness is advanced, you might…

![“Grietje said that when the illness is advanced, you might walk right past a mirror without recognizing it’s you. She said she hoped she’d think to herself, “My, what a nice-looking woman!” quote by Hendrik Groen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c5/hendrik-groen-3652_past-mirror_grietje-said-that-when-the-illness-is-ad_3009587.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c5/hendrik-groen-3652_past-mirror_grietje-said-that-when-the-illness-is-ad_3009587.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c5/hendrik-groen-3652_past-mirror_grietje-said-that-when-the-illness-is-ad_3009587.jpg)

> ““Grietje said that when the illness is advanced, you might walk right past a mirror without recognizing it’s you. She said she hoped she’d think to herself, “My, what a nice-looking woman!””

[Hendrik Groen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrik-groen/)

## About This Quote

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

The character uses a mirror metaphor to illustrate how illness can erode self-recognition, yet hopes for a moment of self-appreciation.

**In simple terms:** Illness can obscure self-identity, but hope persists.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate self‑compassion despite challenges.

Themes

health identity hope

Mood

empathetic hopeful

Type

fiction inspirational

When to use this quote

- patient care
- mental health support
- personal reflection

Key Concepts

psychology self‑esteem illness perception

Questions to Reflect On

- What moments help you feel yourself?
- How can you foster positive self‑image in adversity?

A Different Perspective

Self‑recognition may be fleeting during illness.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

## Related quotes

> [“Maybe from as early as when you're five or six, there's been a whisper going at the back of your head, saying: “One day,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/maybe-from-as-early-as-when-you-re-five-or-six-there-s-been-a-whisper/)

[Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/)

> [Looking past the mirror when you feel yourself so I never got lost as much as I have](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/looking-past-the-mirror-when-you-feel-yourself-so-i-never-got-lost-as/)

Mak\_786

> [“The excitement that filled Usaeil could barely be contained. She knew it wouldn’t take Taraeth long to corner Rhi. As she walked past a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-grant/the-excitement-that-filled-usaeil-could-barely-be-contained-she-knew/)

[Donna Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-grant/)

> [I like what I see when I’m looking at me when I’m walking past the mirror,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-j-blige/i-like-what-i-see-when-i-m-looking-at-me-when-i-m-walking-past-the/)

[Mary J. Blige](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-j-blige/)

> [Look Past The Mirror . Look At Your Soul . Only Then You Will See YOUSELF As Truley YOU Are](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angel-eyes/look-past-the-mirror-look-at-your-soul-only-then-you-will-see-youself/)

Angel\_eyes

> [I don't look at myself in the mirror. I'll flash past a mirror in the morning to check how I'm dressed, that's it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elle-macpherson/i-don-t-look-at-myself-in-the-mirror-i-ll-flash-past-a-mirror-in-the/)

[Elle Macpherson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elle-macpherson/)

> [I'm looking for a woman with the body of Kelly Brook and the mind of Stephen Fry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-merchant/i-m-looking-for-a-woman-with-the-body-of-kelly-brook-and-the-mind-of/)

[Stephen Merchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-merchant/)

> [I'm looking for a woman who's head is mixed up like mine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/i-m-looking-for-a-woman-who-s-head-is-mixed-up-like-mine/)

[Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/)

> [There are two types of men in this world--one is looking for a woman to make his life complete and the other is looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/there-are-two-types-of-men-in-this-world-one-is-looking-for-a-woman/)

[Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/)

> [“When people say, ‘She’s a good-looking woman,’ they usually mean, ‘She used to be a good-looking woman.’ But when I say that about Margaret,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/when-people-say-she-s-a-good-looking-woman-they-usually-mean-she-used/)

[Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/)

> [You know, if you really think about it! You would have made a damn good looking woman!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stone-cold-steve-austin/you-know-if-you-really-think-about-it-you-would-have-made-a-damn-good/)

[Stone Cold Steve Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stone-cold-steve-austin/)

> [Im not looking for a woman. Im looking for second part of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhael-sams/im-not-looking-for-a-woman-im-looking-for-second-part-of-me/)

Mikhael Sams

> [“She was what is called a fine looking woman for her time of life,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/she-was-what-is-called-a-fine-looking-woman-for-her-time-of-life/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“When we see a good-looking woman with a not-so-good-looking man, we assume that the man must have a good bank balance. When we see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/when-we-see-a-good-looking-woman-with-a-not-so-good-looking-man-we/)

[Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/)

> [ When I look at him \[Edward Heath\] and he looks at me, I don't feel that it is a man looking at a woman.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/when-i-look-at-him-edward-heath-and-he-looks-at-me-i-don-t-feel-that/)

[Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/)

## More by Hendrik Groen

> [“I’m determined to be a big spender in my old age. I want to empty my savings account before I no longer know what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-groen/i-m-determined-to-be-a-big-spender-in-my-old-age-i-want-to-empty-my/)

[Hendrik Groen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrik-groen/)

> [“It was one of those days when you're dragging life along behind you like a bag full of sand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-groen/it-was-one-of-those-days-when-you-re-dragging-life-along-behind-you/)

[Hendrik Groen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrik-groen/)

> [“Good Friday. When I was young we had to observe a moment of silence at three o’clock to think about poor Jesus. If in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-groen/good-friday-when-i-was-young-we-had-to-observe-a-moment-of-silence-at/)

[Hendrik Groen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrik-groen/)

> [“Old plants should not be repotted,” Mrs. Schaap kept bleating at anyone who would listen. The fact that she compares herself to a plant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-groen/old-plants-should-not-be-repotted-mrs-schaap-kept-bleating-at-anyone/)

[Hendrik Groen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrik-groen/)

> [“And after that trip, I'll have to come up with another plan. As long as there are plans, there's life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-groen/and-after-that-trip-i-ll-have-to-come-up-with-another-plan-as-long-as/)

[Hendrik Groen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrik-groen/)

> [“I tend to choose the path of least confrontation. My specialty: wanting to please everybody.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-groen/i-tend-to-choose-the-path-of-least-confrontation-my-specialty-wanting/)

[Hendrik Groen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrik-groen/)

> [“Mrs. Aupers is relatively new here. She has taken to reading aloud the newspaper obituaries at coffee every morning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-groen/mrs-aupers-is-relatively-new-here-she-has-taken-to-reading-aloud-the/)

[Hendrik Groen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrik-groen/)

> [“Mrs. Surmann decided to dry her wet slippers in the microwave. She set the timer for twenty minutes and then went to watch TV.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-groen/mrs-surmann-decided-to-dry-her-wet-slippers-in-the-microwave-she-set/)

[Hendrik Groen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrik-groen/)

> [“So indeed, yesterday I attended Feel Good Fitness. It was my first time. And also my last. When it was over and the instructor—“Call…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-groen/so-indeed-yesterday-i-attended-feel-good-fitness-it-was-my-first-time/)

[Hendrik Groen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrik-groen/)

> [“He couldn’t get over it: some Chinese man paid €310,000 for a Belgian prize pigeon.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-groen/he-couldn-t-get-over-it-some-chinese-man-paid-310-000-for-a-belgian/)

[Hendrik Groen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrik-groen/)

> [“There was a resident who made a habit of staying in bed all day on Friday the thirteenth, just to make sure nothing bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-groen/there-was-a-resident-who-made-a-habit-of-staying-in-bed-all-day-on/)

[Hendrik Groen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrik-groen/)

> [“My scooter now runs at a top speed of fifteen miles per hour, I think. Cyclists and even some motorcyclists are startled to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-groen/my-scooter-now-runs-at-a-top-speed-of-fifteen-miles-per-hour-i-think/)

[Hendrik Groen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrik-groen/)

> [“I’ve been a bit constipated lately, you see, and the Virgin Mary calendar hangs in the bathroom. It has passages from the Bible but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-groen/i-ve-been-a-bit-constipated-lately-you-see-and-the-virgin-mary/)

[Hendrik Groen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrik-groen/)

> [“In the elderly, that hormone surge can be just as great as in younger people. Says the newspaper. Which might explain why, when Eefje…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-groen/in-the-elderly-that-hormone-surge-can-be-just-as-great-as-in-younger/)

[Hendrik Groen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrik-groen/)

> [“Even though I had forgotten to take along an extra incontinence pad, yesterday was a good day.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-groen/even-though-i-had-forgotten-to-take-along-an-extra-incontinence-pad/)

[Hendrik Groen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrik-groen/)

[Explore all 125 Hendrik Groen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrik-groen/)

## More Past Mirror quotes

> [I don't look at myself in the mirror. I'll flash past a mirror in the morning to check how I'm dressed, that's it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elle-macpherson/i-don-t-look-at-myself-in-the-mirror-i-ll-flash-past-a-mirror-in-the/)

[Elle Macpherson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elle-macpherson/)

> [Look Past The Mirror . Look At Your Soul . Only Then You Will See YOUSELF As Truley YOU Are](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angel-eyes/look-past-the-mirror-look-at-your-soul-only-then-you-will-see-youself/)

Angel\_eyes

> [I like what I see when I’m looking at me when I’m walking past the mirror,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-j-blige/i-like-what-i-see-when-i-m-looking-at-me-when-i-m-walking-past-the/)

[Mary J. Blige](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-j-blige/)

> [“The excitement that filled Usaeil could barely be contained. She knew it wouldn’t take Taraeth long to corner Rhi. As she walked past a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-grant/the-excitement-that-filled-usaeil-could-barely-be-contained-she-knew/)

[Donna Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-grant/)

> [Looking past the mirror when you feel yourself so I never got lost as much as I have](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/looking-past-the-mirror-when-you-feel-yourself-so-i-never-got-lost-as/)

Mak\_786

> [“Maybe from as early as when you're five or six, there's been a whisper going at the back of your head, saying: “One day,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/maybe-from-as-early-as-when-you-re-five-or-six-there-s-been-a-whisper/)

[Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/)

Browse all 7 Past Mirror quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Grietje said that when the illness is advanced, you might walk right past a mirror without recognizing it’s you. She said she hoped she’d think to herself, “My, what a nice-looking woman!”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Hendrik Groen"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-groen/grietje-said-that-when-the-illness-is-advanced-you-might-walk-right/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Past Mirror"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-groen/grietje-said-that-when-the-illness-is-advanced-you-might-walk-right/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c5/hendrik-groen-3652_past-mirror_grietje-said-that-when-the-illness-is-ad_3009587.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c5/hendrik-groen-3652_past-mirror_grietje-said-that-when-the-illness-is-ad_3009587.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c5/hendrik-groen-3652_past-mirror_grietje-said-that-when-the-illness-is-ad_3009587.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Grietje said that when the illness is advanced, you might walk right past a mirror without recognizing it’s…” — Hendrik Groen",
                "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": "Hendrik Groen",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrik-groen/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Grietje said that when the illness...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-groen/grietje-said-that-when-the-illness-is-advanced-you-might-walk-right/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-groen/grietje-said-that-when-the-illness-is-advanced-you-might-walk-right/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
