--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The true miracle of modern medicine is…" description: "\"The true miracle of modern medicine is diabolical. It consists in making not only individuals but whole populations survive on inhumanly low levels of ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/704/ivan-illich-3546_diabolical_the-true-miracle-of-modern-medicine-is-d_1480717.png" --- # The true miracle of modern medicine is diabolical. It… ![“The true miracle of modern medicine is diabolical. It consists in making not only individuals but whole populations survive on inhumanly low levels of personal health.” quote by Ivan Illich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/704/ivan-illich-3546_diabolical_the-true-miracle-of-modern-medicine-is-d_1480717.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/704/ivan-illich-3546_diabolical_the-true-miracle-of-modern-medicine-is-d_1480717.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/704/ivan-illich-3546_diabolical_the-true-miracle-of-modern-medicine-is-d_1480717.png) > “The true miracle of modern medicine is diabolical. It consists in making not only individuals but whole populations survive on inhumanly low levels of personal health.” [Ivan Illich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-illich/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Modern medicine's miracle is paradoxical: it keeps masses alive but at minimal personal health levels. **In simple terms:** Medicine prolongs life but often lowers health quality. Key Takeaway Advocate for health systems that empower individual well‑being. Themes medicine society paradox Mood critical concerned Type analytical provocative When to use this quote - policy reform - community health - preventive care Key Concepts public health bioethics Questions to Reflect On - How can health systems improve personal health? - What alternatives to low‑level health exist? A Different Perspective Balancing longevity with quality is complex. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Diabolical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diabolical/) [Doctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctor/) [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Levels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/levels/) [Low level](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/low-level/) [Lows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lows/) [Medicine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medicine/) [Medicine Diabolical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medicine-diabolical-5395213/) [Miracle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miracle/) [Miracles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miracles/) [Modern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern/) [Modern medicine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-medicine/) [Personal health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-health/) [Population](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/population/) [True Miracle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-miracle-372517/) [Whole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole/) ## Related quotes > [“Although it may appear as though there have been many miracles in the world, a true miracle has never come to pass. A true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woo-myung/although-it-may-appear-as-though-there-have-been-many-miracles-in-the/) [Woo Myung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woo-myung/) > [The true miracle lies in our eagerness to allow, appreciate, and honor the uniqueness, and freedom of each sentient being to sing the song…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-ray/the-true-miracle-lies-in-our-eagerness-to-allow-appreciate-and-honor/) [Amit Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-ray/) > [Modern medicine is a negation of health. It isn't organised to serve human health, but only itself, as an institution. It makes more people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-illich/modern-medicine-is-a-negation-of-health-it-isn-t-organised-to-serve/) [Ivan Illich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-illich/) > [“Six months later, Lady Harlow would declare on her deathbed that the air around them had sparkled as the couple laughed… ...she became convinced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-lix-j-palma/six-months-later-lady-harlow-would-declare-on-her-deathbed-that-the/) [Félix J. Palma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-lix-j-palma/) > [It is a true miracle when a man finally sees himself as his only opposition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-howard/it-is-a-true-miracle-when-a-man-finally-sees-himself-as-his-only/) [Vernon Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-howard/) > [“The true miracle is that abstract considerations of logic lead to a unique theory that predicts and describes a vast universe full of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/the-true-miracle-is-that-abstract-considerations-of-logic-lead-to-a/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [The true miracle is not walking on water or walking in air, but simply walking on this earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-true-miracle-is-not-walking-on-water-or-walking-in-air-but-simply/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“But the true miracle of the resurrection wasn't so much the raising. Is something like that too hard for the God who made the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-samson/but-the-true-miracle-of-the-resurrection-wasn-t-so-much-the-raising/) [Lisa Samson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-samson/) > [Our current draconian laws prohibiting the use of marijuana by responsible adults are doubly flawed. Not only does such prohibition violate fundamental freedoms but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-strossen/our-current-draconian-laws-prohibiting-the-use-of-marijuana-by/) [Nadine Strossen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-strossen/) > [The early pioneers of both wellness and network marketing were motivated by the sense that it was possible to create a better life than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-zane-pilzer/the-early-pioneers-of-both-wellness-and-network-marketing-were/) [Paul Zane Pilzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-zane-pilzer/) > [“Isn't the information about your ability enough to digest right now?" " The info is digested , Michael. As a matter of fact, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myra-mcentire/isn-t-the-information-about-your-ability-enough-to-digest-right-now/) [Myra McEntire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myra-mcentire/) > [We'll all make better choices about diet, exercise, and personal health when someone else isn't paying for the consequences of those choices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radley-balko/we-ll-all-make-better-choices-about-diet-exercise-and-personal-health/) [Radley Balko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radley-balko/) > [Your own personal health is your own personal choice, all the way down the line.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-etheridge/your-own-personal-health-is-your-own-personal-choice-all-the-way-down/) [Melissa Etheridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-etheridge/) > [I am a strong champion of personal health and social care budgets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-kendall/i-am-a-strong-champion-of-personal-health-and-social-care-budgets/) [Liz Kendall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-kendall/) > [People and organizations other than doctors increasingly are assuming power to decide which medications to prescribe or procedures to undertake. More and more, decisions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-barr/people-and-organizations-other-than-doctors-increasingly-are-assuming/) [Bob Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-barr/) ## More by Ivan Illich > [“Universal education through schooling is not feasible. It would be no more feasible if it were attempted by means of alternative institutions built on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-illich/universal-education-through-schooling-is-not-feasible-it-would-be-no/) [Ivan Illich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-illich/) > [The re-establishment of an ecological balance depends on the ability of society to counteract the progressive materialization of values. The ecological balance cannot be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-illich/the-re-establishment-of-an-ecological-balance-depends-on-the-ability/) [Ivan Illich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-illich/) > [The new experience that has replaced dignified suffering is artificially prolonged, opaque, depersonalized maintenance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-illich/the-new-experience-that-has-replaced-dignified-suffering-is/) [Ivan Illich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-illich/) > [Losses of a kind of satisfaction that have no market equivalent don't show up in the calculations of economists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-illich/losses-of-a-kind-of-satisfaction-that-have-no-market-equivalent-don-t/) [Ivan Illich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-illich/) > [Schools are designed on the assumption that there is a secret to everything in life; that the quality of life depends upon knowing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-illich/schools-are-designed-on-the-assumption-that-there-is-a-secret-to/) [Ivan Illich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-illich/) > [The State shall make no law with respect to the establishment of education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-illich/the-state-shall-make-no-law-with-respect-to-the-establishment-of/) [Ivan Illich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-illich/) > [What kinds of things and people might learners want to be in contact with in order to learn?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-illich/what-kinds-of-things-and-people-might-learners-want-to-be-in-contact/) [Ivan Illich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-illich/) > [The pupil is ... 'schooled' to confuse teaching with learning, grade advancement with education, a diploma with competence, and fluency with the ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-illich/the-pupil-is-schooled-to-confuse-teaching-with-learning-grade/) [Ivan Illich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-illich/) > [To deschool means to abolish the power of one person to oblige another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-illich/to-deschool-means-to-abolish-the-power-of-one-person-to-oblige-another/) [Ivan Illich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-illich/) > [Societies in which most people depend for most of their goods and services on the personal whim, kindness, or skill of another are called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-illich/societies-in-which-most-people-depend-for-most-of-their-goods-and/) [Ivan Illich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-illich/) > [“P3- modernised poverty combines the lack of power over circumstances with a loss of personal potency”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-illich/p3-modernised-poverty-combines-the-lack-of-power-over-circumstances/) [Ivan Illich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-illich/) > [“Today, one must either be isolated and cut off, or a carefully guarded, affluent drop-out, to allow one's children to play in an environment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-illich/today-one-must-either-be-isolated-and-cut-off-or-a-carefully-guarded/) [Ivan Illich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-illich/) > [The household became the place where the consumption of wages takes place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-illich/the-household-became-the-place-where-the-consumption-of-wages-takes/) [Ivan Illich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-illich/) > [Man must choose whether to be rich in things or in the freedom to use them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-illich/man-must-choose-whether-to-be-rich-in-things-or-in-the-freedom-to-use/) [Ivan Illich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-illich/) > [“Welfare bureaucracies claim a professional, political, and financial monopoly over the social imagination, setting standards of what is valuable and what is feasible. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-illich/welfare-bureaucracies-claim-a-professional-political-and-financial/) [Ivan Illich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-illich/) [Explore all 122 Ivan Illich quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-illich/) ## More Diabolical quotes > [Our attitude towards evil must be freed from hatred, and has itself need to be enlightened in character...Satan rejoices when he succeeds in inspiring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/our-attitude-towards-evil-must-be-freed-from-hatred-and-has-itself/) [Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/) > [I just wanted to say that there is so much goodness in the world. We keep looking at the terrible and diabolical things when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twinkle-khanna/i-just-wanted-to-say-that-there-is-so-much-goodness-in-the-world-we/) [Twinkle Khanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twinkle-khanna/) > [Golf is a diabolical game. It's easy to make fun of something that's so bizarre, so painful, so humiliating... yet so joyous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-green/golf-is-a-diabolical-game-it-s-easy-to-make-fun-of-something-that-s/) [Ken Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-green/) > [Advertising men and politicians are dangerous if they are separated. Together they are diabolical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-adams/advertising-men-and-politicians-are-dangerous-if-they-are-separated/) [Phillip Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-adams/) > [God the father, and even more often the devil himself, appears at times in the place of fate in the modern tragedy. Why is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-the-father-and-even-more-often-the-devil-himself-appears-at-times/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Not only is this not love; I think it is the most diabolical unfairness that was ever taught or devised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-hurmence-green/not-only-is-this-not-love-i-think-it-is-the-most-diabolical/) [Ruth Hurmence Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-hurmence-green/) > [Almost 30 years before Rwanda, before Darfur, more than 2 million people – mothers, children, babies, civilians – lost their lives as a result…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/almost-30-years-before-rwanda-before-darfur-more-than-2-million/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [Holy charity confounds all diabolical and fleshly temptations and all fleshly fears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-of-assisi/holy-charity-confounds-all-diabolical-and-fleshly-temptations-and-all/) [Francis of Assisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-of-assisi/) > [The first diabolical character who intruded himself on my peaceful youth (as I called to mind that day at Dullborough), was a certain Captain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/the-first-diabolical-character-who-intruded-himself-on-my-peaceful/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“But it's the innocent looking ones who're the most diabolical.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-perry/but-it-s-the-innocent-looking-ones-who-re-the-most-diabolical/) [Kate Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-perry/) > [The diabolical work that has taken place since the legalization of abortion is that it has destroyed, in those tragic women who have allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-von-hildebrand/the-diabolical-work-that-has-taken-place-since-the-legalization-of/) [Alice von Hildebrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-von-hildebrand/) > [It's a diabolical business. I can't imagine how hellish it must be to be hounded like Amy Winehouse and people like that. I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-beck/it-s-a-diabolical-business-i-can-t-imagine-how-hellish-it-must-be-to/) [Jeff Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-beck/) > [There is only one thing that arouses animals more than pleasure, and that is pain. Under torture you are as if under the dominion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/there-is-only-one-thing-that-arouses-animals-more-than-pleasure-and/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [Aside from higher considerations, charity often operates as a vastly wise and prudent principle-a great safeguard to its possessor. Men have committed murder for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/aside-from-higher-considerations-charity-often-operates-as-a-vastly/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [In some parts of the world some people live in a diabolical ways. then ungreatfulers complain about not having enough space in there house's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camaldin-ibrahim/in-some-parts-of-the-world-some-people-live-in-a-diabolical-ways-then/) [Camaldin Ibrahim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camaldin-ibrahim/) [Browse all 85 Diabolical quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diabolical/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The true miracle of modern medicine is diabolical. 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