--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But when I first got cancer, after the…" description: "\"But when I first got cancer, after the initial shock and the fear and paranoia and crying and all that goes with cancer - that word means to most peopl..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/964/herbie-mann-20773_cancer_but-when-i-first-got-cancer-after-the-in_1417662.jpg" --- # But when I first got cancer, after the initial shock and… ![“But when I first got cancer, after the initial shock and the fear and paranoia and crying and all that goes with cancer - that word means to most people ultimate death - I decided to see what I could do to take that negative and use it in a positive way.” quote by Herbie Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/964/herbie-mann-20773_cancer_but-when-i-first-got-cancer-after-the-in_1417662.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/964/herbie-mann-20773_cancer_but-when-i-first-got-cancer-after-the-in_1417662.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/964/herbie-mann-20773_cancer_but-when-i-first-got-cancer-after-the-in_1417662.jpg) > “But when I first got cancer, after the initial shock and the fear and paranoia and crying and all that goes with cancer - that word means to most people ultimate death - I decided to see what I could do to take that negative and use it in a positive way.” [Herbie Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbie-mann/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Transforming personal tragedy into purpose can turn fear into constructive action. **In simple terms:** Turn pain into purpose. Key Takeaway Use hardship to help others. Themes resilience healing purpose adversity growth Mood hopeful determined Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - support groups - public speaking - writing memoirs - advocacy campaigns Key Concepts post‑traumatic growth mindset shift creative coping Questions to Reflect On - What can you do with your own challenges? - How does sharing struggle help others? A Different Perspective Not everyone can easily reframe trauma positively. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cancer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cancer/) [Cry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cry/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Paranoia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paranoia/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Shock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shock/) ## Related quotes > [With Stand Up To Cancer, every penny goes to Cancer Research UK. You are playing with people's lives. I knew I needed to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-carr/with-stand-up-to-cancer-every-penny-goes-to-cancer-research-uk-you/) [Alan Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-carr/) > [His was not the hatred that arises suddenly like a storm and as suddenly abates. It was, once the initial shock of anger and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mervyn-peake/his-was-not-the-hatred-that-arises-suddenly-like-a-storm-and-as/) [Mervyn Peake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mervyn-peake/) > [Death and its associates, after the initial shock, produce callousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/death-and-its-associates-after-the-initial-shock-produce-callousness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The march of human progress seemed mainly a matter of getting over that initial shock of being here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/the-march-of-human-progress-seemed-mainly-a-matter-of-getting-over/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [Cancer is a word, not a sentence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-diamond/cancer-is-a-word-not-a-sentence/) [John Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-diamond/) > [Cancer is still a word that strikes fear into people's hearts, producing a deep sense of powerlessness. But today it is possible to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelina-jolie/cancer-is-still-a-word-that-strikes-fear-into-people-s-hearts/) [Angelina Jolie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelina-jolie/) > [“Cancer. The word meant the same to me as tsunami or piranha. I had never seen them; I wasn't even quite sure what they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-palmer/cancer-the-word-meant-the-same-to-me-as-tsunami-or-piranha-i-had/) Natalie Palmer > [I hope that other women can benefit from my experience. Cancer is still a word that strikes fear into people’s hearts, producing a deep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelina-jolie/i-hope-that-other-women-can-benefit-from-my-experience-cancer-is/) [Angelina Jolie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelina-jolie/) > [Turning 30 was when my parents both got cancer and were fighting it and beat it, but their mortality started to get to me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-aronofsky/turning-30-was-when-my-parents-both-got-cancer-and-were-fighting-it/) [Darren Aronofsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-aronofsky/) > [I don't eat fast food any more, not since I got cancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-henderson/i-don-t-eat-fast-food-any-more-not-since-i-got-cancer/) [Paul Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-henderson/) > [Maybe now, instead of being afraid and saying, 'Look how hard Terry tried, and he still got cancer,' instead people will say, 'Look at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-fox/maybe-now-instead-of-being-afraid-and-saying-look-how-hard-terry/) [Terry Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-fox/) > [I'm holding onto the hope that there is some reason that I got cancer and there is something - that may not be very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farrah-fawcett/i-m-holding-onto-the-hope-that-there-is-some-reason-that-i-got-cancer/) [Farrah Fawcett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farrah-fawcett/) > [My whole life has been about changing negatives into positives. I got famous, then I got cancer, and now I live to talk about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-drescher/my-whole-life-has-been-about-changing-negatives-into-positives-i-got/) [Fran Drescher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-drescher/) > [“I'm one of those people who other people like but never remember. I think most of the world is probably like me. Until recently…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-a-davis/i-m-one-of-those-people-who-other-people-like-but-never-remember-i/) [Jill A. Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-a-davis/) > [My stomach was hurting, so I just told the doctor, let me get a MRI. I went and got an MRI and two hours…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boosie/my-stomach-was-hurting-so-i-just-told-the-doctor-let-me-get-a-mri-i/) [Boosie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boosie/) ## More by Herbie Mann > [Why do you have to retire at 65? Why can't you start at 70? You know, like wine. Why can't music be that way?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbie-mann/why-do-you-have-to-retire-at-65-why-can-t-you-start-at-70-you-know/) [Herbie Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbie-mann/) > [My ego is controlled enough that I don't have to be the focus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbie-mann/my-ego-is-controlled-enough-that-i-don-t-have-to-be-the-focus/) [Herbie Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbie-mann/) > [As much as I think John Coltrane belongs on the list, I think without Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young, both of whom defined improvising…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbie-mann/as-much-as-i-think-john-coltrane-belongs-on-the-list-i-think-without/) [Herbie Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbie-mann/) > [Think about it: Look at the strides of awareness and treatment and tests that women have had with breast cancer, that the gay community…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbie-mann/think-about-it-look-at-the-strides-of-awareness-and-treatment-and/) [Herbie Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbie-mann/) > [If you want to play somebody's music, you'd better go into his house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbie-mann/if-you-want-to-play-somebody-s-music-you-d-better-go-into-his-house/) [Herbie Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbie-mann/) > [One of the advantages of not having a record contract is that you can make your own mistakes, you don't need somebody else to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbie-mann/one-of-the-advantages-of-not-having-a-record-contract-is-that-you-can/) [Herbie Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbie-mann/) > [For me Brazilian music is the perfect mix of melody and rhythm. It just bubbles rhythmically. If I had to pick just one music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbie-mann/for-me-brazilian-music-is-the-perfect-mix-of-melody-and-rhythm-it/) [Herbie Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbie-mann/) > [I always say, if you keep your head in the sand, you don't know where the kick's coming from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbie-mann/i-always-say-if-you-keep-your-head-in-the-sand-you-don-t-know-where/) [Herbie Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbie-mann/) > [Being stubborn has helped, being selfish is not a bad thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbie-mann/being-stubborn-has-helped-being-selfish-is-not-a-bad-thing/) [Herbie Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbie-mann/) > [By the time I'm 90, I hope to have it together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbie-mann/by-the-time-i-m-90-i-hope-to-have-it-together/) [Herbie Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbie-mann/) > [The music we're playing now is based on my heritage, which is Russian, Romanian and Hungarian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbie-mann/the-music-we-re-playing-now-is-based-on-my-heritage-which-is-russian/) [Herbie Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbie-mann/) > [I recently formed a foundation to raise awareness for prostate cancer. I feel it's very necessary that men be more aware about prostate cancer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbie-mann/i-recently-formed-a-foundation-to-raise-awareness-for-prostate-cancer/) [Herbie Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbie-mann/) > [You have to be concerned with yourself because if you're not on it all the time, nobody else is going to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbie-mann/you-have-to-be-concerned-with-yourself-because-if-you-re-not-on-it/) [Herbie Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbie-mann/) > [To most jazz critics I was basically Kenny G.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbie-mann/to-most-jazz-critics-i-was-basically-kenny-g/) [Herbie Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbie-mann/) > [Music allows the great opportunity to play with people who turned you on and you love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbie-mann/music-allows-the-great-opportunity-to-play-with-people-who-turned-you/) [Herbie Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbie-mann/) [Explore all 30 Herbie Mann quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbie-mann/) ## More Cancer 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/) > [If one truly has lost hope, one would not be on hand to say so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bentley/if-one-truly-has-lost-hope-one-would-not-be-on-hand-to-say-so/) [Eric Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bentley/) > [Racism is a cancer. You cannot ignore it and it'll go away. If you ignore cancer, it simply metastasizes and consumes the whole body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/racism-is-a-cancer-you-cannot-ignore-it-and-it-ll-go-away-if-you/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [Historically, more people have died of religion than cancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-francis/historically-more-people-have-died-of-religion-than-cancer/) [Dick Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-francis/) > [“Our kind of love can go into remission, but it's always waiting to return. Like the world sweetest cancer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/our-kind-of-love-can-go-into-remission-but-it-s-always-waiting-to/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [Bollywood is a cancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-banerjee/bollywood-is-a-cancer/) [Victor Banerjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-banerjee/) > [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-should-be-angry-you-must-not-be-bitter-bitterness-is-like-cancer/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [When people go get chemo, they're not injecting themselves with will - I have lost various loved ones to cancer, and I certainly don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-hall/when-people-go-get-chemo-they-re-not-injecting-themselves-with-will-i/) [Michael C. Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-hall/) > [“the doctor hesitated before breaking the news to her. "those aren't stars. it's cancer." - forty years a smoker”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-lovelace/the-doctor-hesitated-before-breaking-the-news-to-her-those-aren-t/) [Amanda Lovelace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-lovelace/) > [I loved you to the moon and back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/i-loved-you-to-the-moon-and-back/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [The risk of developing carcinoma of the lung increases steadily as the amount smoked increases. If the risk among non-smokers is taken as unity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-doll/the-risk-of-developing-carcinoma-of-the-lung-increases-steadily-as/) Richard Doll > [I would do away with super PACs. I think it's a cancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-conrad/i-would-do-away-with-super-pacs-i-think-it-s-a-cancer/) [Kent Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-conrad/) > [Aging is like enlightenment at gunpoint. Before I had cancer, I lived my life for my art. After I had cancer, I lived my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-halprin/aging-is-like-enlightenment-at-gunpoint-before-i-had-cancer-i-lived/) [Anna Halprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-halprin/) > [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/) > [The way I look at it is, cancer research is absolutely nonpartisan. Cancer is very democratic in the sense that it attacks people regardless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-h-koch/the-way-i-look-at-it-is-cancer-research-is-absolutely-nonpartisan/) [David H. Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-h-koch/) [Browse all 3,177 Cancer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cancer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "But when I first got cancer, after the initial shock and the fear and paranoia and crying and all that goes with cancer - that word means to most people ultimate death - I decided to see what I could do to take that negative and use it in a positive way.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Herbie Mann" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbie-mann/but-when-i-first-got-cancer-after-the-initial-shock-and-the-fear-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cancer" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbie-mann/but-when-i-first-got-cancer-after-the-initial-shock-and-the-fear-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/964/herbie-mann-20773_cancer_but-when-i-first-got-cancer-after-the-in_1417662.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/964/herbie-mann-20773_cancer_but-when-i-first-got-cancer-after-the-in_1417662.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/964/herbie-mann-20773_cancer_but-when-i-first-got-cancer-after-the-in_1417662.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But when I first got cancer, after the initial shock and the fear and paranoia and crying and all that goes…” — Herbie Mann", "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": "Herbie Mann", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbie-mann/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "But when I first got cancer,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbie-mann/but-when-i-first-got-cancer-after-the-initial-shock-and-the-fear-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbie-mann/but-when-i-first-got-cancer-after-the-initial-shock-and-the-fear-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 } } ] } ```