--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I trained in internal medicine, and I…" description: "\"I trained in internal medicine, and I expected most of my time would be spent on diabetes or heart disease or cancer. What I didn't expect was that so ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/599/vivek-murthy-4508_heart_i-trained-in-internal-medicine-and-i-exp_107559.jpg" --- # I trained in internal medicine, and I expected most of my… ![“I trained in internal medicine, and I expected most of my time would be spent on diabetes or heart disease or cancer. What I didn't expect was that so many people I saw would be struggling with loneliness.” quote by Vivek Murthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/599/vivek-murthy-4508_heart_i-trained-in-internal-medicine-and-i-exp_107559.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/599/vivek-murthy-4508_heart_i-trained-in-internal-medicine-and-i-exp_107559.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/599/vivek-murthy-4508_heart_i-trained-in-internal-medicine-and-i-exp_107559.jpg) > “I trained in internal medicine, and I expected most of my time would be spent on diabetes or heart disease or cancer. What I didn't expect was that so many people I saw would be struggling with loneliness.” [Vivek Murthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-murthy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Medical practice often reveals that social isolation is a pervasive health issue, rivaling traditional diseases in impact. **In simple terms:** Loneliness is a hidden health crisis. Key Takeaway Social connection is vital to health. Themes loneliness public health mental wellbeing Mood concerned empathetic Type health insight reflective quote When to use this quote - elderly patient visits - telehealth mental‑health check‑ins Key Concepts social determinants of health patient isolation Practical Applications - screen for loneliness - connect patients to community resources Questions to Reflect On - How can clinicians integrate social health into routine care? - What community structures reduce loneliness? 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They just told me, 'Mr…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taboo/they-didn-t-tell-me-what-type-of-cancer-i-had-they-didn-t-tell-me/) [Taboo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taboo/) > [I wanted to make a place for filmmakers and artists to come and 'do their stuff,' but I didn't expect it to have had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-anderson/i-wanted-to-make-a-place-for-filmmakers-and-artists-to-come-and-do/) [Tom Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-anderson/) ## More by Vivek Murthy > [I think people often forget how powerful they are. Sometimes it just takes one voice to save a life. When we speak up we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-murthy/i-think-people-often-forget-how-powerful-they-are-sometimes-it-just/) [Vivek Murthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-murthy/) > [We don't do enough to help older people recognize how much they matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-murthy/we-don-t-do-enough-to-help-older-people-recognize-how-much-they-matter/) [Vivek Murthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-murthy/) > [When I was Surgeon General, I spent a lot of time talking to people in living rooms and town halls all across the country,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-murthy/when-i-was-surgeon-general-i-spent-a-lot-of-time-talking-to-people-in/) [Vivek Murthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-murthy/) > [We can experience an erosion of self-esteem when we're lonely, as we come to believe that it's because we're not likable or because something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-murthy/we-can-experience-an-erosion-of-self-esteem-when-we-re-lonely-as-we/) [Vivek Murthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-murthy/) > [Climate change poses a serious, immediate and global threat to health.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-murthy/climate-change-poses-a-serious-immediate-and-global-threat-to-health/) [Vivek Murthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-murthy/) > [I do not intend to use the Surgeon General's Office as a bully pulpit for gun control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-murthy/i-do-not-intend-to-use-the-surgeon-general-s-office-as-a-bully-pulpit/) [Vivek Murthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-murthy/) > [We know that chronic loneliness has consequences. 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It takes the focus off of you and puts it onto someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-murthy/service-is-a-powerful-pathway-of-getting-out-of-loneliness-it-takes/) [Vivek Murthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-murthy/) > [Addiction is a chronic disease of the brain and it's one that we have to treat the way we would any other chronic illness:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-murthy/addiction-is-a-chronic-disease-of-the-brain-and-it-s-one-that-we-have/) [Vivek Murthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-murthy/) > [A lot of people have misconceptions about what the surgeon general does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-murthy/a-lot-of-people-have-misconceptions-about-what-the-surgeon-general/) [Vivek Murthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-murthy/) > [I firmly believe that everybody in America needs a safe place to walk or to wheelchair roll.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-murthy/i-firmly-believe-that-everybody-in-america-needs-a-safe-place-to-walk/) [Vivek Murthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-murthy/) > [The amount of time it takes to recover from the coronavirus differs widely. 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The free exercise of religion is at the very heart of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/the-united-states-cannot-and-should-not-discriminate-on-the-basis-of/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [Love is like that, fragile and light. No wonder it rests upon our hearts in intangible moments, bids us follow fleeting thoughts and ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-like-that-fragile-and-light-no-wonder-it-rests-upon-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When we are capable of living in the moment free from the tyranny of "shoulds," free from the nagging sensation that this moment isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-z-borysenko/when-we-are-capable-of-living-in-the-moment-free-from-the-tyranny-of/) [Joan Z. 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