--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was a fine cancer experience, as…" description: "\"It was a fine cancer experience, as cancer experiences go.\" — Julia Sweeney" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bd/julia-sweeney-20217_cancer_it-was-a-fine-cancer-experience-as-cance_475210.png" --- # It was a fine cancer experience, as cancer experiences go. ![“It was a fine cancer experience, as cancer experiences go.” quote by Julia Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bd/julia-sweeney-20217_cancer_it-was-a-fine-cancer-experience-as-cance_475210.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bd/julia-sweeney-20217_cancer_it-was-a-fine-cancer-experience-as-cance_475210.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bd/julia-sweeney-20217_cancer_it-was-a-fine-cancer-experience-as-cance_475210.png) > “It was a fine cancer experience, as cancer experiences go.” [Julia Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-sweeney/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even a serious illness can have moments of humor and perspective. **In simple terms:** Cancer can be oddly funny. Key Takeaway Find humor in hardship. Themes resilience humor health Mood lighthearted reflective Type personal comedic When to use this quote - hospital stays - support groups - personal storytelling - therapy Key Concepts coping mechanisms perspective humanity Questions to Reflect On - How does humor change your view of pain? - When is it appropriate to joke about illness? A Different Perspective Humor may downplay seriousness and affect empathy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cancer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cancer/) [Experiences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experiences/) ## Related quotes > [People grow; people grow apart, and cancer... I've had a very in-depth and personal experience with cancer, and it really causes a perspective shift.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-baldoni/people-grow-people-grow-apart-and-cancer-i-ve-had-a-very-in-depth-and/) [Justin Baldoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-baldoni/) > [My own cancer experience has taught me that the most comforting words from friends have often been both the simplest and the most honest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/my-own-cancer-experience-has-taught-me-that-the-most-comforting-words/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [I've never had a personal experience with cancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italia-ricci/i-ve-never-had-a-personal-experience-with-cancer/) [Italia Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italia-ricci/) > [Dad's cancer experience included periods of relatively good health as well as bouts of hospitalisation as he coursed his way through a variety of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hoggart/dad-s-cancer-experience-included-periods-of-relatively-good-health-as/) [Amy Hoggart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hoggart/) > [The first thing is how awful cancer was, the experience. When you first go through it, you're just trying to survive. But when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/the-first-thing-is-how-awful-cancer-was-the-experience-when-you-first/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [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/) > [New experiences give you new perspectives on life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-hunt/new-experiences-give-you-new-perspectives-on-life/) [Sam Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-hunt/) > [London's where I grew up and had most of my experiences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dizzee-rascal/london-s-where-i-grew-up-and-had-most-of-my-experiences/) [Dizzee Rascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dizzee-rascal/) > [I've gotten to go to far-off places in the world, have very unique, isolated, intense experiences for four or five months at a time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/i-ve-gotten-to-go-to-far-off-places-in-the-world-have-very-unique/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [From my experience, I don't have the luxury to trust anyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sirivi/from-my-experience-i-don-t-have-the-luxury-to-trust-anyone/) Sirivi > [Some jobs you do, they're just jobs. Others are life experiences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-strong/some-jobs-you-do-they-re-just-jobs-others-are-life-experiences/) [Mark Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-strong/) > [I've had difficult experiences and obviously there's been the birth of my son.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ward-prowse/i-ve-had-difficult-experiences-and-obviously-there-s-been-the-birth/) [James Ward-Prowse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ward-prowse/) > [It isn't necessary to seek out adventure. Opening to what is around you will produce the most extraordinary experiences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-b-lewis/it-isn-t-necessary-to-seek-out-adventure-opening-to-what-is-around/) Edward B. Lewis > [“The experiences of camp life show that man does have a choice of action… There were enough examples, often of a heroic nature, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-frankl/the-experiences-of-camp-life-show-that-man-does-have-a-choice-of/) [Viktor Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-frankl/) > [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) ## More by Julia Sweeney > [Our family was too strange and weird for even Santa Claus to come visit ... Santa, who was jolly - but, let's face it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-sweeney/our-family-was-too-strange-and-weird-for-even-santa-claus-to-come/) [Julia Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-sweeney/) > [You know, in high school I thought Catholicism was funny and sort of ridiculous, but then I also liked it, too. Like, I definitely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-sweeney/you-know-in-high-school-i-thought-catholicism-was-funny-and-sort-of/) [Julia Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-sweeney/) > [I'm not an activist. I'm trying to get off the whole atheist racket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-sweeney/i-m-not-an-activist-i-m-trying-to-get-off-the-whole-atheist-racket/) [Julia Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-sweeney/) > [Losing my faith was the most spiritual thing that ever happened to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-sweeney/losing-my-faith-was-the-most-spiritual-thing-that-ever-happened-to-me/) [Julia Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-sweeney/) > [My philosophy involves imaging terrible things happening all the time, and getting used to it, so reality isn't so bad. And then you're always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-sweeney/my-philosophy-involves-imaging-terrible-things-happening-all-the-time/) [Julia Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-sweeney/) > [To a certain extent I am taking a leap of faith. I'm adding up the evidence on either side, and I'm seeing the evidence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-sweeney/to-a-certain-extent-i-am-taking-a-leap-of-faith-i-m-adding-up-the/) [Julia Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-sweeney/) > [It's fantastic to believe, because they get so many benefits. I get mad at the atheist community when they put down believers because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-sweeney/it-s-fantastic-to-believe-because-they-get-so-many-benefits-i-get-mad/) [Julia Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-sweeney/) > [If I look over my life, every single step of maturing for me, every single one, has had the exact same common denominator: accepting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-sweeney/if-i-look-over-my-life-every-single-step-of-maturing-for-me-every/) [Julia Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-sweeney/) > [I get mad at people who talk about traumatic job interviews, about going on one and getting rejected. I get rejected all the time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-sweeney/i-get-mad-at-people-who-talk-about-traumatic-job-interviews-about/) [Julia Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-sweeney/) > [Why isn't there a book about someone losing their faith and it being a beautiful experience?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-sweeney/why-isn-t-there-a-book-about-someone-losing-their-faith-and-it-being/) [Julia Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-sweeney/) > [I used to think no one should go into show biz, but now I feel differently. I now feel like it's a great career.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-sweeney/i-used-to-think-no-one-should-go-into-show-biz-but-now-i-feel/) [Julia Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-sweeney/) > [Don't get me wrong, I'm not ashamed of my body, I just don't see any reason to not cover it up as much as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-sweeney/don-t-get-me-wrong-i-m-not-ashamed-of-my-body-i-just-don-t-see-any/) [Julia Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-sweeney/) > [I went with agnosticism for a long, long time because I just hated to say I was an atheist - being an atheist seemed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-sweeney/i-went-with-agnosticism-for-a-long-long-time-because-i-just-hated-to/) [Julia Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-sweeney/) > [Well, you can't be depressed and sad 24 hours a day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-sweeney/well-you-can-t-be-depressed-and-sad-24-hours-a-day/) [Julia Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-sweeney/) > [I like going back and writing fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-sweeney/i-like-going-back-and-writing-fiction/) [Julia Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-sweeney/) [Explore all 31 Julia Sweeney quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-sweeney/) ## 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": "It was a fine cancer experience, as cancer experiences go.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Julia Sweeney" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-sweeney/it-was-a-fine-cancer-experience-as-cancer-experiences-go/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cancer" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-sweeney/it-was-a-fine-cancer-experience-as-cancer-experiences-go/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bd/julia-sweeney-20217_cancer_it-was-a-fine-cancer-experience-as-cance_475210.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bd/julia-sweeney-20217_cancer_it-was-a-fine-cancer-experience-as-cance_475210.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bd/julia-sweeney-20217_cancer_it-was-a-fine-cancer-experience-as-cance_475210.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It was a fine cancer experience, as cancer experiences go.” — Julia Sweeney", "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": "Julia Sweeney", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-sweeney/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It was a fine cancer experience,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-sweeney/it-was-a-fine-cancer-experience-as-cancer-experiences-go/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-sweeney/it-was-a-fine-cancer-experience-as-cancer-experiences-go/#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 } } ] } ```