--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Now a cholera epidemic was sweeping…" description: "\"Now a cholera epidemic was sweeping through Southeast Asia and south Asia in the early 1970s, so I started medical school and I joined a laboratory to ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b13/peter-agre-17808_asia_now-a-cholera-epidemic-was-sweeping-thro_2786473.jpg" --- # Now a cholera epidemic was sweeping through Southeast Asia… ![“Now a cholera epidemic was sweeping through Southeast Asia and south Asia in the early 1970s, so I started medical school and I joined a laboratory to work on this.” quote by Peter Agre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b13/peter-agre-17808_asia_now-a-cholera-epidemic-was-sweeping-thro_2786473.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b13/peter-agre-17808_asia_now-a-cholera-epidemic-was-sweeping-thro_2786473.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b13/peter-agre-17808_asia_now-a-cholera-epidemic-was-sweeping-thro_2786473.jpg) > “Now a cholera epidemic was sweeping through Southeast Asia and south Asia in the early 1970s, so I started medical school and I joined a laboratory to work on this.” [Peter Agre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-agre/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A health crisis motivated a career shift toward medical research, showing purpose can arise from societal needs. **In simple terms:** Crises can inspire career change. Key Takeaway Align work with societal needs. Themes purpose career health crisis Mood inspirational thoughtful Type personal professional When to use this quote - career counseling - research funding - policy making - volunteering Key Concepts motivation theory public health Questions to Reflect On - What personal values guide your career choices? - How can you stay adaptable to emerging needs? A Different Perspective Personal interests may conflict with crisis‑driven paths. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Asia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asia/) [Cholera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cholera/) [Cholera Epidemic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cholera-epidemic-2502480/) [Early](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/early/) [Epidemic Sweeping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/epidemic-sweeping-3348572/) [Epidemics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/epidemics/) [Joined Laboratory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joined-laboratory-3348571/) [Laboratory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laboratory/) [Medical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medical/) [Medical school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medical-school/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [South](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/south/) [Southeast asia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/southeast-asia/) [Started Medical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/started-medical-3348570/) [Sweeping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sweeping/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [“The war in the Middle East has been raging for 15 years. Three once stable and prosperous countries have been reduced to destitution and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jovan-autonoma-evi/the-war-in-the-middle-east-has-been-raging-for-15-years-three-once/) [Jovan Autonomašević](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jovan-autonoma-evi/) > [“He killed more men than the cholera.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/he-killed-more-men-than-the-cholera/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [I have waited for this opportunity for more than half a century, to repeat to you once again my vow of eternal fidelity and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/i-have-waited-for-this-opportunity-for-more-than-half-a-century-to/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [“Każdy z literatów pomyślał co innego. 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Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-e-rosenberg/) > [Love isn't actually a feeling at all--it's an illness, a certain condition of body and soul… Usually it takes possession of someone without his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-turgenev/love-isn-t-actually-a-feeling-at-all-it-s-an-illness-a-certain/) [Ivan Turgenev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-turgenev/) > [This is an industry that doesn't have the common cold... It has cholera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emanuel-azenberg/this-is-an-industry-that-doesn-t-have-the-common-cold-it-has-cholera/) [Emanuel Azenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emanuel-azenberg/) > [My cholera's acting up again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/my-cholera-s-acting-up-again/) [Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/) > [Nothing one does in bed is immoral if it helps to perpetuate love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/nothing-one-does-in-bed-is-immoral-if-it-helps-to-perpetuate-love/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [The cholera most forcibly teaches us our mutual connection. Nothing shows more powerfully the duty of every man to look after the needs of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/titus-salt/the-cholera-most-forcibly-teaches-us-our-mutual-connection-nothing/) [Titus Salt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/titus-salt/) > [I'd like to refocus everyone's attention away from the Kardashians and onto Doctors Without Borders or aid workers. Let's redefine scandal. Scandal is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-wilde/i-d-like-to-refocus-everyone-s-attention-away-from-the-kardashians/) [Olivia Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-wilde/) > [Curiosity is one of the many masks of love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/curiosity-is-one-of-the-many-masks-of-love/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [It is not till it is discovered that high individual incomes will not purchase the mass of mankind immunity from cholera, typhus, and ignorance,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-h-tawney/it-is-not-till-it-is-discovered-that-high-individual-incomes-will-not/) [R. H. Tawney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-h-tawney/) > [Leaving out the gamblers, the burglars, and the plumbers, perhaps we do put our trust in God after a fashion. But, after all, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/leaving-out-the-gamblers-the-burglars-and-the-plumbers-perhaps-we-do/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) ## More by Peter Agre > [Every cell in our body is primarily water. But the water doesn't just sit in the cell, it moves through it in a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-agre/every-cell-in-our-body-is-primarily-water-but-the-water-doesn-t-just/) [Peter Agre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-agre/) > [Our lab had always refrained from keeping our studies secret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-agre/our-lab-had-always-refrained-from-keeping-our-studies-secret/) [Peter Agre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-agre/) > [Natural selection is not an inflammatory phrase; evolution is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-agre/natural-selection-is-not-an-inflammatory-phrase-evolution-is/) [Peter Agre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-agre/) > [One of my motivations to become a blood specialist was to study malaria in red blood cells. 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At that time, these fields were narrowly defined,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-agre/written-in-1895-alfred-nobel-s-will-endowed-prizes-for-scientific/) [Peter Agre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-agre/) > [In 1862, Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act, a bill opening one half million square miles of territory in the western United States for settlement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-agre/in-1862-abraham-lincoln-signed-the-homestead-act-a-bill-opening-one/) [Peter Agre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-agre/) > [Well, my take was people of Minnesota, these are good people. They're in many ways more generous than other parts of the country. 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But people have their beliefs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-agre/i-think-there-s-nothing-about-evolution-in-the-bible-i-think-this-is/) [Peter Agre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-agre/) > [Dad was a chemistry professor at Saint Olaf College in Minnesota, then Oxford College in Minnesota, and a very active member of the American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-agre/dad-was-a-chemistry-professor-at-saint-olaf-college-in-minnesota-then/) [Peter Agre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-agre/) > [While the lab plays an enormous role, research is also influenced by inner peace of mind and one's family environment, depending on what stage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-agre/while-the-lab-plays-an-enormous-role-research-is-also-influenced-by/) [Peter Agre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-agre/) > [There are over 50 brilliant scientists working at my lab, and being sensitive to their needs is among the top skill sets that scientists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-agre/there-are-over-50-brilliant-scientists-working-at-my-lab-and-being/) [Peter Agre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-agre/) > [Mother had to support herself at age 18 because it was during the depression and when my grandfather lost the farm and there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-agre/mother-had-to-support-herself-at-age-18-because-it-was-during-the/) [Peter Agre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-agre/) [Explore all 36 Peter Agre quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-agre/) ## More Asia quotes > [Firstly, economic globalisation has brought prosperity and development to many countries, but also financial crises to Asia, Latin America and Russia, and increasing poverty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-lindh/firstly-economic-globalisation-has-brought-prosperity-and-development/) [Anna Lindh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-lindh/) > [We have reiterated on many occasions that China wishes to establish and develop long-term, good-neighbourly and friendly relations with all countries in south Asia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-peng/we-have-reiterated-on-many-occasions-that-china-wishes-to-establish/) [Li Peng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-peng/) > [So-called Western Civilization, as practised in half of Europe, some of Asia and a few parts of North America, is better than anything else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/so-called-western-civilization-as-practised-in-half-of-europe-some-of/) [P. 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The AIDS orphans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/it-has-been-hard-to-muster-the-resources-to-support-fledgling/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [Many of us, whether in the jungles of Asia or on the streets of Chicago, had discovered that noble causes can lead to ignoble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-grant/many-of-us-whether-in-the-jungles-of-asia-or-on-the-streets-of/) [Linda Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-grant/) > [In view of China's growing military strength and intentions, the best way to safeguard Asia's permanent peace and prosperity is to have all Asian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-costa/in-view-of-china-s-growing-military-strength-and-intentions-the-best/) [Jim Costa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-costa/) > [Certainly, protecting oppressed people, stopping ethnic conflict and promoting responsible governance are worthy goals. But none is as important for American security and prosperity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mandelbaum/certainly-protecting-oppressed-people-stopping-ethnic-conflict-and/) [Michael Mandelbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mandelbaum/) > [The evidence points to central Asia as man's original home, for the general movement of human migrations has been outward from that region and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellsworth-huntington/the-evidence-points-to-central-asia-as-man-s-original-home-for-the/) [Ellsworth Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellsworth-huntington/) > [Maybe it is the last chance for Europe to influence standards for world trade. 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Ott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-e-ott/) [Browse all 770 Asia quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asia/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Now a cholera epidemic was sweeping through Southeast Asia and south Asia in the early 1970s, so I started medical school and I joined a laboratory to work on this.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Peter Agre" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-agre/now-a-cholera-epidemic-was-sweeping-through-southeast-asia-and-south/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Asia" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-agre/now-a-cholera-epidemic-was-sweeping-through-southeast-asia-and-south/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b13/peter-agre-17808_asia_now-a-cholera-epidemic-was-sweeping-thro_2786473.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b13/peter-agre-17808_asia_now-a-cholera-epidemic-was-sweeping-thro_2786473.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b13/peter-agre-17808_asia_now-a-cholera-epidemic-was-sweeping-thro_2786473.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Now a cholera epidemic was sweeping through Southeast Asia and south Asia in the early 1970s, so I started…” — Peter Agre", "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": "Peter Agre", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-agre/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Now a cholera epidemic was sweeping...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-agre/now-a-cholera-epidemic-was-sweeping-through-southeast-asia-and-south/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-agre/now-a-cholera-epidemic-was-sweeping-through-southeast-asia-and-south/#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 } } ] } ```