--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If there's one operation for a disease…" description: "\"If there's one operation for a disease, you know it works. If there are 15 operations, you know that none of them work.\" — Sherwin B. Nuland" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/996/sherwin-b-nuland-10278_disease_if-there-s-one-operation-for-a-disease-y_1842337.png" --- # If there's one operation for a disease, you know it works… ![“If there's one operation for a disease, you know it works. If there are 15 operations, you know that none of them work.” quote by Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/996/sherwin-b-nuland-10278_disease_if-there-s-one-operation-for-a-disease-y_1842337.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/996/sherwin-b-nuland-10278_disease_if-there-s-one-operation-for-a-disease-y_1842337.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/996/sherwin-b-nuland-10278_disease_if-there-s-one-operation-for-a-disease-y_1842337.png) > “If there's one operation for a disease, you know it works. If there are 15 operations, you know that none of them work.” [Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. If a single treatment works, it’s validated; multiple conflicting treatments suggest none are effective. **In simple terms:** Multiple failed treatments imply inefficacy. Key Takeaway Seek evidence‑based solutions. Themes medicine clinical trials efficacy diagnosis skepticism Mood analytical cautious Type educational clinical When to use this quote - clinical practice - research design - policy making Key Concepts evidence hierarchy treatment validation patient safety Questions to Reflect On - How do you decide when to abandon a treatment? - What role does patient preference play in treatment choice? A Different Perspective Complex diseases may need combination therapies. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [15 Operations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/15-operations-2359787/) [Disease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disease/) [Disease Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disease-know-823687/) [Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know/) [Know Works](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-works-443172/) [None](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/none/) [Operation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/operation/) [Operation Disease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/operation-disease-2359786/) [Operations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/operations/) [Results](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/results/) [Them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/them/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) [Works](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/works/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) ## Related quotes > [Most people, when they hear the disease name, it's all they know about it. It sounds so mild. When I first was sick, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-hillenbrand/most-people-when-they-hear-the-disease-name-it-s-all-they-know-about/) [Laura Hillenbrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-hillenbrand/) > [“This is the kind of thing that makes sense to them; this is a language they know. They know what to do with'disease'. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-reed/this-is-the-kind-of-thing-that-makes-sense-to-them-this-is-a-language/) [Amy Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-reed/) > [“Don't tell me you're one of those people who becomes their disease. I know so many people like that. It's disheartening. Like, cancer is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/don-t-tell-me-you-re-one-of-those-people-who-becomes-their-disease-i-3/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [It is more important to know what sort of person has a disease than to know what sort of disease a person has.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hippocrates/it-is-more-important-to-know-what-sort-of-person-has-a-disease-than/) [Hippocrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hippocrates/) > [Alcoholism is a complicated disease, and you never know when you'll be tempted to pick up another drink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davinia-taylor/alcoholism-is-a-complicated-disease-and-you-never-know-when-you-ll-be/) [Davinia Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davinia-taylor/) > [You know the disease, you know the remedy, only have faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/you-know-the-disease-you-know-the-remedy-only-have-faith/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [I'm tired of hearing sin called sickness and alcoholism a disease. It is the only disease I know of that we're spending hundreds of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vance-havner/i-m-tired-of-hearing-sin-called-sickness-and-alcoholism-a-disease-it/) [Vance Havner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vance-havner/) > [“Don’t tell me you’re one of those people who becomes their disease. I know so many people like that. It’s disheartening.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/don-t-tell-me-you-re-one-of-those-people-who-becomes-their-disease-i-2/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Don't tell me you're one of those people who becomes their disease. I know so many people like that disheartening. Like, cancer is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/don-t-tell-me-you-re-one-of-those-people-who-becomes-their-disease-i/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [The professorial dictum has always been to write what you know, but I say write what you don't know and find something out. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/the-professorial-dictum-has-always-been-to-write-what-you-know-but-i/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [I know for works for me - those wonderful sad love songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-braxton/i-know-for-works-for-me-those-wonderful-sad-love-songs/) [Toni Braxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-braxton/) > [I've been lucky enough to have made enough of these types of children's books that while I don't necessarily know what works, I know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-willems/i-ve-been-lucky-enough-to-have-made-enough-of-these-types-of-children/) [Mo Willems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-willems/) > [I think that in the end, the people are not fooled by promotion. They want to know that something works and is right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emilio-pucci/i-think-that-in-the-end-the-people-are-not-fooled-by-promotion-they/) [Emilio Pucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emilio-pucci/) > [I know what works for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-groves/i-know-what-works-for-me/) [George Groves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-groves/) > [“Because I want to know how it works.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-duntemann/because-i-want-to-know-how-it-works/) [Jeff Duntemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-duntemann/) ## More by Sherwin B. Nuland > [Empires fall, ids explode, great symphonies are written, and behind all of it is a single instinct that demands satisfaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/empires-fall-ids-explode-great-symphonies-are-written-and-behind-all/) [Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/) > [A realistic expectation also demands our acceptance that one's allotted time on earth must be limited to an allowance consistent with the continuity of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/a-realistic-expectation-also-demands-our-acceptance-that-one-s/) [Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/) > [There is, to be sure, sometimes only a small difference between being alert to possible danger and allowing oneself to become terrified to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/there-is-to-be-sure-sometimes-only-a-small-difference-between-being/) [Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/) > [By the time of my ninth birthday, I had become a bit of a socialist, as I am said by conservative colleagues to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/by-the-time-of-my-ninth-birthday-i-had-become-a-bit-of-a-socialist-as/) [Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/) > ['Death with dignity' is our society's expression of the universal yearning to achieve a graceful triumph over the stark and often repugnant finality of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/death-with-dignity-is-our-society-s-expression-of-the-universal/) [Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/) > [“Leonardo, with his profound knowledge of art, commenced various undertakings, many of which he never completed, because it appeared to him that the hand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/leonardo-with-his-profound-knowledge-of-art-commenced-various/) [Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/) > [Do you know what the world will be saved by? I'll tell you. It'll be saved by the human spirit. And by the human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/do-you-know-what-the-world-will-be-saved-by-i-ll-tell-you-it-ll-be/) [Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/) > [It's unnatural to believe death usually has a beauty and a concordance and is usually a coming together of your life's work. It leads…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/it-s-unnatural-to-believe-death-usually-has-a-beauty-and-a/) [Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/) > [Death is the surcease that comes when the exhausting battle has been lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/death-is-the-surcease-that-comes-when-the-exhausting-battle-has-been/) [Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/) > [There are resurrection themes in every society that has ever been studied, and it is because not just only do we fantasize about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/there-are-resurrection-themes-in-every-society-that-has-ever-been/) [Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/) > [Every hope of successive generations of scholars that order might be constructed from the chaotic mess of medical nomenclature has been frustrated. Even diseases…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/every-hope-of-successive-generations-of-scholars-that-order-might-be/) [Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/) > [The more personal you are willing to be and the more intimate you are willing to be about the details of your own life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/the-more-personal-you-are-willing-to-be-and-the-more-intimate-you-are/) [Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/) > [“We die so that the world may continue to live. We have been given the miracle of life because trillions upon trillions of living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/we-die-so-that-the-world-may-continue-to-live-we-have-been-given-the/) [Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/) > [For aging is an art. The years between its first intimations and the time of the ultimate letting go of all earthly things can-if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/for-aging-is-an-art-the-years-between-its-first-intimations-and-the/) [Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/) > [Cancer cells are fixed at an age where they are still too young to have learned the rules of the society in which they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/cancer-cells-are-fixed-at-an-age-where-they-are-still-too-young-to/) [Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/) [Explore all 66 Sherwin B. Nuland quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/) ## More Disease 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/) > [The strains and stresses suffered by the individual in society are grounded in the normal functioning of that society (and of the individual!) rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-marcuse/the-strains-and-stresses-suffered-by-the-individual-in-society-are/) [Herbert Marcuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-marcuse/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [If japa is maintained, no useless talk during work will be possible. The mind will always remain peaceful. Modern day diseases are mostly psychosomatic.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/if-japa-is-maintained-no-useless-talk-during-work-will-be-possible/) [Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/) > [The doctor who diagnosed me with ALS, or motor neuron disease, told me that it would kill me in two or three years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/the-doctor-who-diagnosed-me-with-als-or-motor-neuron-disease-told-me/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [“As a special branch of general philosophy, pathogenesis had never been explored. In my opinion it had never been approached in a strictly scientific…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-cendrars/as-a-special-branch-of-general-philosophy-pathogenesis-had-never-been/) [Blaise Cendrars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-cendrars/) > [Ask God for temp'rance. That's th' appliance only Which your disease requires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/ask-god-for-temp-rance-that-s-th-appliance-only-which-your-disease/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Ring out false pride in place and blood, The civic slander and the spite; Ring in the love of truth and right, Ring in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-the-great/ring-out-false-pride-in-place-and-blood-the-civic-slander-and-the/) [Alfred the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-the-great/) > [My identity shifted when I got into # recovery . That's who I am now, and it actually gives me greater pleasure to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-clapton/my-identity-shifted-when-i-got-into-recovery-that-s-who-i-am-now-and/) [Eric Clapton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-clapton/) > [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/) > [Jesus never met a disease he could not cure, a birth defect he could not reverse, a demon he could not exorcise. But he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/jesus-never-met-a-disease-he-could-not-cure-a-birth-defect-he-could/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [Religion is a disease. It is born of fear; it compensates through hate in the guise of authority, revelation. Religion, enthroned in a powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-amos-dorsey/religion-is-a-disease-it-is-born-of-fear-it-compensates-through-hate/) [George Amos Dorsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-amos-dorsey/) > [To some degree Satanism is purely a kind of disease of Christianity. You've got to really be Christian to believe in Satan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/to-some-degree-satanism-is-purely-a-kind-of-disease-of-christianity/) [Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/) > [People do not realize that Alzheimer's is not old age. It is a progressive and fatal disease, and staggering amounts of people develop Alzheimer's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-kanakaredes/people-do-not-realize-that-alzheimer-s-is-not-old-age-it-is-a/) [Melina Kanakaredes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-kanakaredes/) > [Religious work is one of the best ways to keep from facing your reality if you are Christian, if you are using it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-miller/religious-work-is-one-of-the-best-ways-to-keep-from-facing-your/) [Keith Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-miller/) [Browse all 3,549 Disease quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disease/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If there's one operation for a disease, you know it works. If there are 15 operations, you know that none of them work.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sherwin B. Nuland" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/if-there-s-one-operation-for-a-disease-you-know-it-works-if-there-are/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Disease" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/if-there-s-one-operation-for-a-disease-you-know-it-works-if-there-are/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/996/sherwin-b-nuland-10278_disease_if-there-s-one-operation-for-a-disease-y_1842337.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/996/sherwin-b-nuland-10278_disease_if-there-s-one-operation-for-a-disease-y_1842337.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/996/sherwin-b-nuland-10278_disease_if-there-s-one-operation-for-a-disease-y_1842337.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If there's one operation for a disease, you know it works. If there are 15 operations, you know that none of…” — Sherwin B. Nuland", "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": "Sherwin B. Nuland", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If there's one operation for a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/if-there-s-one-operation-for-a-disease-you-know-it-works-if-there-are/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/if-there-s-one-operation-for-a-disease-you-know-it-works-if-there-are/#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 } } ] } ```