--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A new sickness invaded Jerry, the…" description: "\"A new sickness invaded Jerry, the sickness of knowing what he had become, another animal, another beast, another violent person in a violent world, inf..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54c/robert-cormier-6436_animal_a-new-sickness-invaded-jerry-the-sicknes_2533271.jpg" --- # A new sickness invaded Jerry, the sickness of knowing what… ![“A new sickness invaded Jerry, the sickness of knowing what he had become, another animal, another beast, another violent person in a violent world, inflicting damage, not disturbing the universe but damaging it.” quote by Robert Cormier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54c/robert-cormier-6436_animal_a-new-sickness-invaded-jerry-the-sicknes_2533271.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54c/robert-cormier-6436_animal_a-new-sickness-invaded-jerry-the-sicknes_2533271.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54c/robert-cormier-6436_animal_a-new-sickness-invaded-jerry-the-sicknes_2533271.jpg) > “A new sickness invaded Jerry, the sickness of knowing what he had become, another animal, another beast, another violent person in a violent world, inflicting damage, not disturbing the universe but damaging it.” [Robert Cormier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-cormier/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The protagonist feels alienated, recognizing his own violent nature in a harsh society that harms rather than sustains. **In simple terms:** He sees himself as a beast harming the world. Key Takeaway Recognize and confront inner violence. Themes identity alienation violence societal pressure Mood somber reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal reflection - social critique - psychological analysis Key Concepts existentialism self-awareness moral conflict Questions to Reflect On - How does self‑recognition change behavior? - Can violence be redirected into constructive action? A Different Perspective The quote assumes a deterministic view of humanity, ignoring agency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Beast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beast/) [Damage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/damage/) [Invaded Jerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invaded-jerry-1364824/) [Jerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jerry/) [Jerry Sickness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jerry-sickness-1364823/) [Knowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowing/) [New Sickness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-sickness-1364826/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Sickness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sickness/) [Sickness Invaded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sickness-invaded-1364825/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) [Violent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violent/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World Inflicting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-inflicting-1364827/) ## Related quotes > [“In modern time slowness is new sickness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/in-modern-time-slowness-is-new-sickness/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [Do I dare disturb the universe? Yes, I do, I do. I think. Jerry suddenly understood the poster--the solitary man on the beach standing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cormier/do-i-dare-disturb-the-universe-yes-i-do-i-do-i-think-jerry-suddenly/) [Robert Cormier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-cormier/) > [A terrific sadness swept over Jerry. As if somebody had died. The way he felt standing in the cemetry that day they buried his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cormier/a-terrific-sadness-swept-over-jerry-as-if-somebody-had-died-the-way/) [Robert Cormier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-cormier/) > [He's the greatest clutch player I've ever seen. The hell with Jerry West!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-riley/he-s-the-greatest-clutch-player-i-ve-ever-seen-the-hell-with-jerry/) [Pat Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-riley/) > [“She didn’t quite know how to translate faces; so she wondered about Jerry, but that’s all she could do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abby-slovin/she-didn-t-quite-know-how-to-translate-faces-so-she-wondered-about/) [Abby Slovin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abby-slovin/) > [ I know Jerry \[Falwell\] fairly well, and he's probably not bright enough to recognize all of the implications of what he said. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-know-jerry-falwell-fairly-well-and-he-s-probably-not-bright-enough/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [“I just nod. There's really not much you can say when Jerry takes his own name in vain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-g-browne/i-just-nod-there-s-really-not-much-you-can-say-when-jerry-takes-his/) [S.G. Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-g-browne/) > [And then I met Jerry and he's such a creative fiction writer, and I don't know if there's ever been a team put together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-lahaye/and-then-i-met-jerry-and-he-s-such-a-creative-fiction-writer-and-i/) [Tim LaHaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-lahaye/) > [Liberals compare Jerry Falwell to the Taliban, but then are furious with George Bush for not being Jesus Christ. Evidently, what a president is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/liberals-compare-jerry-falwell-to-the-taliban-but-then-are-furious/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [Jerry Garcia was one of the original American icons. He played naturally and beautifully.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ornette-coleman/jerry-garcia-was-one-of-the-original-american-icons-he-played/) [Ornette Coleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ornette-coleman/) > [I pick my feature film battles very carefully. They're going to be personal and they're going to take a lot of my energy. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cameron/i-pick-my-feature-film-battles-very-carefully-they-re-going-to-be/) [James Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cameron/) > [Oh, Jerry, don't let's ask for the moonwe have the stars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/oh-jerry-don-t-let-s-ask-for-the-moonwe-have-the-stars/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When Jerry Lewis and I were big, we used to go to parties, and everybody thought I was big-headed and stuck up, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-martin/when-jerry-lewis-and-i-were-big-we-used-to-go-to-parties-and/) [Dean Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-martin/) > [I wouldn't call myself a standup in the presence of Jerry Seinfeld or Chris Rock, but I do my share of it and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-thicke/i-wouldn-t-call-myself-a-standup-in-the-presence-of-jerry-seinfeld-or/) [Alan Thicke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-thicke/) > [I was very keen on people like Elvis, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Gene Vincent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-trower/i-was-very-keen-on-people-like-elvis-carl-perkins-jerry-lee-lewis-and/) [Robin Trower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-trower/) ## More by Robert Cormier > [“Eric Poole began with cats. Or, to be more exact, kittens.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cormier/eric-poole-began-with-cats-or-to-be-more-exact-kittens/) [Robert Cormier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-cormier/) > [...pain reaches a certain point and does not get worse but remains in all its intensity and you can survive it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cormier/pain-reaches-a-certain-point-and-does-not-get-worse-but-remains-in/) [Robert Cormier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-cormier/) > [It came to me that hell would not be fire and smoke after all but arctic, everything white and frigid. Hell would be not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cormier/it-came-to-me-that-hell-would-not-be-fire-and-smoke-after-all-but/) [Robert Cormier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-cormier/) > [I don't like to think in terms of writing ten or twelve pages a day. Usually I'm writing a scene, and it's always with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cormier/i-don-t-like-to-think-in-terms-of-writing-ten-or-twelve-pages-a-day/) [Robert Cormier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-cormier/) > [“Mr. Sinclair once asked the class to make a list of the ten most beautiful words in the English language, and the only word…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cormier/mr-sinclair-once-asked-the-class-to-make-a-list-of-the-ten-most/) [Robert Cormier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-cormier/) > [The earliest influence on me was the movies of the thirties when I was growing up. Those were stories. If you look at them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cormier/the-earliest-influence-on-me-was-the-movies-of-the-thirties-when-i/) [Robert Cormier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-cormier/) > [“He was afraid that his body would come loose, all his bones spilling out like a building collapsing, like a picket fence clattering apart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cormier/he-was-afraid-that-his-body-would-come-loose-all-his-bones-spilling/) [Robert Cormier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-cormier/) > [I have always had a sense that we are all pretty much alone in life, particularly in adolescence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cormier/i-have-always-had-a-sense-that-we-are-all-pretty-much-alone-in-life/) [Robert Cormier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-cormier/) > [I don't mean to be insolent. I'm truthful. I tell the truth and the truth sometimes hurts. For instance, you have bad breath, Lieutenant.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cormier/i-don-t-mean-to-be-insolent-i-m-truthful-i-tell-the-truth-and-the/) [Robert Cormier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-cormier/) > [The beautiful part of writing is that you don't have to get it right the first time, unlike, say, a brain surgeon. You can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cormier/the-beautiful-part-of-writing-is-that-you-don-t-have-to-get-it-right/) [Robert Cormier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-cormier/) > [That's what Archie did - built a house nobody could anticipate a need for, except himself, a house that was invisible to everyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cormier/that-s-what-archie-did-built-a-house-nobody-could-anticipate-a-need/) [Robert Cormier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-cormier/) > [“They tell you to do your own thing but they don't mean it. They don't want you to do your thing, not unless it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cormier/they-tell-you-to-do-your-own-thing-but-they-don-t-mean-it-they-don-t/) [Robert Cormier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-cormier/) > [I've had aunts and uncles who not only haven't read my books but could hardly believe that I was a writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cormier/i-ve-had-aunts-and-uncles-who-not-only-haven-t-read-my-books-but/) [Robert Cormier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-cormier/) > [You bring up your children to be self-reliant and independent and they double-cross you and become self-reliant and independent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cormier/you-bring-up-your-children-to-be-self-reliant-and-independent-and/) [Robert Cormier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-cormier/) > [“We just might make a quarterback out of you yet, you skinny little son of a bitch.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cormier/we-just-might-make-a-quarterback-out-of-you-yet-you-skinny-little-son/) [Robert Cormier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-cormier/) [Explore all 99 Robert Cormier quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-cormier/) ## More Animal quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Humans are animals too, but some do not like to work from expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/humans-are-animals-too-but-some-do-not-like-to-work-from-expectations/) [Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/) > [When grubbing for necessities man is still an animal. He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous and extravagant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/when-grubbing-for-necessities-man-is-still-an-animal-he-becomes/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [I'm 38 and I'm single, and I'm having my most intense and gratifying relationship with a dog. But we all learn about love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/i-m-38-and-i-m-single-and-i-m-having-my-most-intense-and-gratifying/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-horse-a-horse-my-kingdom-for-a-horse/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“it is a federal system of sadistic torture, vivisection, and animal genocide, which has been carried on for decades under the fraudulent guise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tobias/it-is-a-federal-system-of-sadistic-torture-vivisection-and-animal/) [Michael Tobias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tobias/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [We must love animals in such a powerful way that we should reject to eat them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/we-must-love-animals-in-such-a-powerful-way-that-we-should-reject-to/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [This brings me back to the image of Kafka standing before a fish in the Berlin aquarium, a fish on which his gaze fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/this-brings-me-back-to-the-image-of-kafka-standing-before-a-fish-in/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [That dog, I say that dog is lower than a snake full of buckshot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foghorn-leghorn/that-dog-i-say-that-dog-is-lower-than-a-snake-full-of-buckshot/) [Foghorn Leghorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foghorn-leghorn/) > [I bet plants go like 'Weeeeeeeee!' whenever they're swallowed by a giraffe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-bet-plants-go-like-weeeeeeeee-whenever-they-re-swallowed-by-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Animal rights without veganism is like human rights with slavery. It makes no sense. None whatsoever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-francione/animal-rights-without-veganism-is-like-human-rights-with-slavery-it/) [Gary L. Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/) [Browse all 13,456 Animal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A new sickness invaded Jerry, the sickness of knowing what he had become, another animal, another beast, another violent person in a violent world, inflicting damage, not disturbing the universe but damaging it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Cormier" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cormier/a-new-sickness-invaded-jerry-the-sickness-of-knowing-what-he-had/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Animal" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cormier/a-new-sickness-invaded-jerry-the-sickness-of-knowing-what-he-had/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54c/robert-cormier-6436_animal_a-new-sickness-invaded-jerry-the-sicknes_2533271.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54c/robert-cormier-6436_animal_a-new-sickness-invaded-jerry-the-sicknes_2533271.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54c/robert-cormier-6436_animal_a-new-sickness-invaded-jerry-the-sicknes_2533271.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A new sickness invaded Jerry, the sickness of knowing what he had become, another animal, another beast…” — Robert Cormier", "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": "Robert Cormier", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-cormier/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A new sickness invaded Jerry, the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cormier/a-new-sickness-invaded-jerry-the-sickness-of-knowing-what-he-had/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cormier/a-new-sickness-invaded-jerry-the-sickness-of-knowing-what-he-had/#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 } } ] } ```