--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Cancer taught me a plan for more…" description: "\"Cancer taught me a plan for more purposeful living, and that in turn taught me how to train and to win more purposefully. It taught me that pain has a ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d04/lance-armstrong-1639_belief_cancer-taught-me-a-plan-for-more-purpose_2575965.jpg" --- # Cancer taught me a plan for more purposeful living, and… ![“Cancer taught me a plan for more purposeful living, and that in turn taught me how to train and to win more purposefully. It taught me that pain has a reason, and that sometimes the experience of losing things-whether health or a car or an old sense of self-has its own value in the scheme of life…” quote by Lance Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d04/lance-armstrong-1639_belief_cancer-taught-me-a-plan-for-more-purpose_2575965.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d04/lance-armstrong-1639_belief_cancer-taught-me-a-plan-for-more-purpose_2575965.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d04/lance-armstrong-1639_belief_cancer-taught-me-a-plan-for-more-purpose_2575965.jpg) > “Cancer taught me a plan for more purposeful living, and that in turn taught me how to train and to win more purposefully. It taught me that pain has a reason, and that sometimes the experience of losing things-whether health or a car or an old sense of self-has its own value in the scheme of life. Pain and loss are great enhancers.” [Lance Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-armstrong/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Pain and loss can be transformed into purpose and motivation for achievement. **In simple terms:** Suffering can drive purposeful action. Key Takeaway Turn adversity into a catalyst for growth. Themes resilience purpose growth Mood determined reflective Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - recovering from injury - career transition after setback - grieving a loved one Key Concepts meaning‑making psychology of loss Questions to Reflect On - How have you used hardship to fuel a goal? - What aspects of loss are hardest to find meaning in? A Different Perspective Not all pain can be easily reframed; some loss remains painful. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Cancer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cancer/) [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Losing things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/losing-things/) [Loss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loss/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Pain and loss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain-and-loss/) [Pain in life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain-in-life/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Schemes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/schemes/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Sense of self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense-of-self/) [Train](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/train/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) [Winning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/winning/) ## Related quotes > [“The first key to a purposeful living is to accept the responsibility of your mission. When you agree "yes" to the calling, then you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/the-first-key-to-a-purposeful-living-is-to-accept-the-responsibility/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [Avoid fragmentation: Find your focus and seek simplicity. Purposeful living calls for elegant efficiency and economy of effort-expanding the minimum time and energy necessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-millman/avoid-fragmentation-find-your-focus-and-seek-simplicity-purposeful/) [Dan Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-millman/) > [Jesus meets every one of our deepest needs. And what we need to do is accept his gift of a pastor-given, purposeful living home…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/jesus-meets-every-one-of-our-deepest-needs-and-what-we-need-to-do-is/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [Till taught by pain, men know not water's worth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/till-taught-by-pain-men-know-not-water-s-worth/) [Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/) > [“We knew nothing of loss. Nobody has taught us about pain. Until that moment, death had just amounted to a scary sound.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-marciano/we-knew-nothing-of-loss-nobody-has-taught-us-about-pain-until-that/) [Francesca Marciano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-marciano/) > [We have to hurt in order to know. fall in order to grow, lose in order to gain,because most of life's lessons are taught…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-have-to-hurt-in-order-to-know-fall-in-order-to-grow-lose-in-order/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I was taught that pain is bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-miller/i-was-taught-that-pain-is-bad/) [Keith Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-miller/) > [Cancer taught my family that my mom is much stronger than we ever thought. Faced with a devastating diagnosis, she just kept going and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-grenell/cancer-taught-my-family-that-my-mom-is-much-stronger-than-we-ever/) [Richard Grenell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-grenell/) > [Cancer has taught me a lot of things. Maybe it is the best thing that has happened to me. I can't say right now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuvraj-singh/cancer-has-taught-me-a-lot-of-things-maybe-it-is-the-best-thing-that/) [Yuvraj Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuvraj-singh/) > [“I've learned so much during my time with cancer. It's taught me a lot about who I am. It revealed to me my true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-lankes/i-ve-learned-so-much-during-my-time-with-cancer-it-s-taught-me-a-lot/) Kevin Lankes > [Cancer taught me to live only in the day I'm in. In the moment I'm in. Some moments, I simply ground myself by touching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/regina-brett/cancer-taught-me-to-live-only-in-the-day-i-m-in-in-the-moment-i-m-in/) [Regina Brett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/regina-brett/) > [Fighting cancer taught me more than I ever could have imagined, but I've beaten it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-jacobs/fighting-cancer-taught-me-more-than-i-ever-could-have-imagined-but-i/) [Daniel Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-jacobs/) > [Cancer taught me to stop saving things for a special occasion. Every day is special. You don't have to get cancer to start living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/regina-brett/cancer-taught-me-to-stop-saving-things-for-a-special-occasion-every/) [Regina Brett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/regina-brett/) > [“The pain of loss transforms us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armando-lucas-correa/the-pain-of-loss-transforms-us/) [Armando Lucas Correa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armando-lucas-correa/) > [Pain is loss. the character of our pain is the loss of our pain. pain is a loss of character and to define pain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/pain-is-loss-the-character-of-our-pain-is-the-loss-of-our-pain-pain/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Lance Armstrong > [I raced because I was paid to do a job and I felt like I had to do the job. Number two: I raced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-armstrong/i-raced-because-i-was-paid-to-do-a-job-and-i-felt-like-i-had-to-do/) [Lance Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-armstrong/) > [Regardless of one victory, two victories, four victories, there's never been a victory by a cancer survivor. That's a fact that hopefully I'll be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-armstrong/regardless-of-one-victory-two-victories-four-victories-there-s-never/) [Lance Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-armstrong/) > [Average is Your Enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-armstrong/average-is-your-enemy/) [Lance Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-armstrong/) > [Hard work, sacrifice and focus will never show up in tests.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-armstrong/hard-work-sacrifice-and-focus-will-never-show-up-in-tests/) [Lance Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-armstrong/) > [Hope that is the only antidote to fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-armstrong/hope-that-is-the-only-antidote-to-fear/) [Lance Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-armstrong/) > [Evan Handler is a man who’s looked into the abyss and laughed. His book, It’s Only Temporary, made me laugh along with him. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-armstrong/evan-handler-is-a-man-who-s-looked-into-the-abyss-and-laughed-his/) [Lance Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-armstrong/) > [My cocktail, so to speak, was only EPO, but not a lot, transfusions and testosterone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-armstrong/my-cocktail-so-to-speak-was-only-epo-but-not-a-lot-transfusions-and/) [Lance Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-armstrong/) > [I love this race from the very depths of my heart. It gives me motivation and it transcendsme like nothing else in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-armstrong/i-love-this-race-from-the-very-depths-of-my-heart-it-gives-me/) [Lance Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-armstrong/) > [Nothing goes to waste, you put it all to use, the old wounds and long-ago slights become the stuff of competitive energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-armstrong/nothing-goes-to-waste-you-put-it-all-to-use-the-old-wounds-and-long/) [Lance Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-armstrong/) > [ I spent a long time trying to build up an organisation \[the Lance Armstrong Foundation that changed its name to Livestrong after his confession\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-armstrong/i-spent-a-long-time-trying-to-build-up-an-organisation-the-lance/) [Lance Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-armstrong/) > [A bicycle is the long-sought means of transportation for all of us who have runaway hearts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-armstrong/a-bicycle-is-the-long-sought-means-of-transportation-for-all-of-us/) [Lance Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-armstrong/) > [You know what they say, the high trees get the wind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-armstrong/you-know-what-they-say-the-high-trees-get-the-wind/) [Lance Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-armstrong/) > [Live strong is exactly I guess what it says. It's one thing to live, but it's another thing to live strong, to attack the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-armstrong/live-strong-is-exactly-i-guess-what-it-says-it-s-one-thing-to-live/) [Lance Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-armstrong/) > [I've committed to surfing the rest of my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-armstrong/i-ve-committed-to-surfing-the-rest-of-my-life/) [Lance Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-armstrong/) > [I would love to be in a place, and I may never get there, where I can help people. It's something that I never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-armstrong/i-would-love-to-be-in-a-place-and-i-may-never-get-there-where-i-can/) [Lance Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-armstrong/) [Explore all 220 Lance Armstrong quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-armstrong/) ## More Belief quotes > [“Cine a ucis stelele? Cine a surpat drumul spre viitor al celor din morminte?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ionel-teodoreanu/cine-a-ucis-stelele-cine-a-surpat-drumul-spre-viitor-al-celor-din/) [Ionel Teodoreanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ionel-teodoreanu/) > [“MIND & GRIND Self-belief and hard work can propel you past more talented peers”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamil-ali/mind-grind-self-belief-and-hard-work-can-propel-you-past-more/) [Kamil Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamil-ali/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [It took me 20 years of hard training to get the physique I have today. what you need is what i had - BELIEF…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/branch-warren/it-took-me-20-years-of-hard-training-to-get-the-physique-i-have-today/) [Branch Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/branch-warren/) > [“Here is a fundamental difference between the man of faith and the man of unbelief. The unbeliever is 'of the world', judges everything by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-w-pink/here-is-a-fundamental-difference-between-the-man-of-faith-and-the-man/) [Arthur W. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-w-pink/) > [“She herself vacillated when it came to belief. She did not particularly believe in God. Or, rather, she didn't believe in a particular God.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allegra-goodman/she-herself-vacillated-when-it-came-to-belief-she-did-not/) [Allegra Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allegra-goodman/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [“Rigid traditions capture souls prisons of spiritual thought man’s religion has captured a god grown too small and very weak.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle/rigid-traditions-capture-souls-prisons-of-spiritual-thought-man-s/) [David W Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle/) > [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/we-can-find-common-qualities-and-common-values-that-have-made-britain/) [Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/) > [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [In business, as in politics, it is never easy to go against the beliefs and attitudes held by the majority. The businessman who moves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-paul-getty/in-business-as-in-politics-it-is-never-easy-to-go-against-the-beliefs/) [J. Paul Getty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-paul-getty/) > [There's no greatest moment in the arts. It's a life; it's a continuity thing. You can't have a great moment because it's spiritual. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-neiman/there-s-no-greatest-moment-in-the-arts-it-s-a-life-it-s-a-continuity/) [LeRoy Neiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-neiman/) > [To preserve an unclouded capacity for the enjoyment of life is an unusual moral and psychological achievement. Contrary to popular belief, it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/to-preserve-an-unclouded-capacity-for-the-enjoyment-of-life-is-an/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) [Browse all 10,268 Belief quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Cancer taught me a plan for more purposeful living, and that in turn taught me how to train and to win more purposefully. It taught me that pain has a reason, and that sometimes the experience of losing things-whether health or a car or an old sense of self-has its own value in the scheme of life. Pain and loss are great enhancers.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lance Armstrong" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-armstrong/cancer-taught-me-a-plan-for-more-purposeful-living-and-that-in-turn/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Belief" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-armstrong/cancer-taught-me-a-plan-for-more-purposeful-living-and-that-in-turn/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d04/lance-armstrong-1639_belief_cancer-taught-me-a-plan-for-more-purpose_2575965.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d04/lance-armstrong-1639_belief_cancer-taught-me-a-plan-for-more-purpose_2575965.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d04/lance-armstrong-1639_belief_cancer-taught-me-a-plan-for-more-purpose_2575965.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Cancer taught me a plan for more purposeful living, and that in turn taught me how to train and to win more…” — Lance Armstrong", "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": "Lance Armstrong", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-armstrong/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Cancer taught me a plan for...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-armstrong/cancer-taught-me-a-plan-for-more-purposeful-living-and-that-in-turn/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-armstrong/cancer-taught-me-a-plan-for-more-purposeful-living-and-that-in-turn/#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 } } ] } ```