---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He was sick, sick from the long dangerous…"
description: "\"“He was sick, sick from the long dangerous trip he had taken, sick from all the medicine —the pills, the inoculations, the inhaled gases — sick from wo..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ed/walter-tevis-34092_fear_he-was-sick-sick-from-the-long-dangerous_1400964.jpg"
---

#  He was sick, sick from the long dangerous trip he had…

![“He was sick, sick from the long dangerous trip he had taken, sick from all the medicine —the pills, the inoculations, the inhaled gases — sick from worry, the anticipation of crisis, and terribly sick from the awful burden of his own weight. He had known for years that when the time came, when he…” quote by Walter Tevis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ed/walter-tevis-34092_fear_he-was-sick-sick-from-the-long-dangerous_1400964.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ed/walter-tevis-34092_fear_he-was-sick-sick-from-the-long-dangerous_1400964.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ed/walter-tevis-34092_fear_he-was-sick-sick-from-the-long-dangerous_1400964.jpg)

> ““He was sick, sick from the long dangerous trip he had taken, sick from all the medicine —the pills, the inoculations, the inhaled gases — sick from worry, the anticipation of crisis, and terribly sick from the awful burden of his own weight. He had known for years that when the time came, when he would finally land and begin to effect that complex, long-prepared plan, he would feel something like this. The place, however much he had studied it, however much he had rehearsed his part in it, was so incredibly alien — the feeling, now the he could feel — the feeling was overpowering. He lay down in the grass and became very sick.””

[Walter Tevis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-tevis/)

## 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 overwhelming sickness from physical, mental, and existential burdens as he prepares for a crucial mission, highlighting the cost of responsibility.

**In simple terms:** Heavy burdens cause deep sickness before a big task.

Key Takeaway

Prepare mentally and physically for high‑stakes missions.

Themes

health responsibility anxiety mission burden

Mood

tense reflective somber

Type

narrative psychological

When to use this quote

- space travel
- military deployment
- high‑pressure projects
- personal crises

Key Concepts

existential dread psychosomatic illness mission preparation

Questions to Reflect On

- What does the sickness reveal about his inner conflict?
- How can one mitigate such overwhelm?

A Different Perspective

Sickness may be a warning sign, not just a symptom.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Medicine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medicine/)

## Related quotes

> [“Sharon saved my life, Sharon is my life, and I love her. And I was terrified that I was going to lose her. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ozzy-osbourne/sharon-saved-my-life-sharon-is-my-life-and-i-love-her-and-i-was/)

[Ozzy Osbourne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ozzy-osbourne/)

> [“that her parents might get killed on such a dangerous trip.  The dragon fire could burn anything except stone.  Everything else burned, even if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-her-parents-might-get-killed-on-such-a-dangerous-trip-the-dragon/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [For the average person, taken to their sick bed, it takes a serious bout of pneumonia or a full body cast to completely forget…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/for-the-average-person-taken-to-their-sick-bed-it-takes-a-serious/)

[Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/)

> [Ten years of being on TV, I'd never taken a sick day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-williams/ten-years-of-being-on-tv-i-d-never-taken-a-sick-day/)

[Wendy Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-williams/)

> [You are taken sick; you send for a physician; he comes in, stays ten minutes, prescribes for you a healing medicine, and charges you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-fern/you-are-taken-sick-you-send-for-a-physician-he-comes-in-stays-ten/)

[Fanny Fern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-fern/)

> [“If you have been sick for long, long time, Prozac may make you high. It probably won't make you high the way pot and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-slater/if-you-have-been-sick-for-long-long-time-prozac-may-make-you-high-it/)

[Lauren Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-slater/)

> [“Law and order are the medicine of the politic body and when the politic body gets sick, medicine must be administered.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhimrao-ramji-ambedkar/law-and-order-are-the-medicine-of-the-politic-body-and-when-the/)

[Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhimrao-ramji-ambedkar/)

> [“The walking of which I speak has nothing in it akin to taking exercise, as it is called, as the sick take medicine at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-walking-of-which-i-speak-has-nothing-in-it-akin-to-taking/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [Every animal has itsself own doctor, when the sick,whom medicine to take know him very well, he tries to find that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/every-animal-has-itsself-own-doctor-when-the-sick-whom-medicine-to/)

Mak\_786

> [Law and order are the medicine of the body politic and when the body politic gets sick, medicine must be administered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-r-ambedkar/law-and-order-are-the-medicine-of-the-body-politic-and-when-the-body/)

[B. R. Ambedkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-r-ambedkar/)

> [I was sick for a long time. I had a resting headache and chronic fatigue, and many days I didn't think I would wake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tabitha-brown/i-was-sick-for-a-long-time-i-had-a-resting-headache-and-chronic/)

[Tabitha Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tabitha-brown/)

> [ If you can see them \[the terrorists\] as a relative who's dangerously sick and we have to give them medicine and the medicine is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-gere/if-you-can-see-them-the-terrorists-as-a-relative-who-s-dangerously/)

[Richard Gere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-gere/)

> [“If you have been sick for a long, long time, Prozac may make you high. It probably won’t make you, never quite managed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-slater/if-you-have-been-sick-for-a-long-long-time-prozac-may-make-you-high/)

[Lauren Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-slater/)

> [“I’ve been sick for so long I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-g-bailey/i-ve-been-sick-for-so-long-i-don-t-remember-a-time-when-i-wasn-t/)

[Alison G. Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-g-bailey/)

> [“I'm so lucky I've lived this long. I've known some wonderful people and enjoyed every moment. I've been sick for a long time. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-lynn-sletten/i-m-so-lucky-i-ve-lived-this-long-i-ve-known-some-wonderful-people/)

[Deanna Lynn Sletten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deanna-lynn-sletten/)

## More by Walter Tevis

> [I feel free and strong. If I were not a reader of books I could not feel this way. Whatever may happen to me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-tevis/i-feel-free-and-strong-if-i-were-not-a-reader-of-books-i-could-not/)

[Walter Tevis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-tevis/)

> [“And winning; that can be heavy on your back, too, like a monkey. You drop that load too when you find yourself an excuse."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-tevis/and-winning-that-can-be-heavy-on-your-back-too-like-a-monkey-you-drop/)

[Walter Tevis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-tevis/)

> [“Reading is too intimate,' Spofforth said. 'It will put you too close to the feelings and ideas of others. It will disturb and confuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-tevis/reading-is-too-intimate-spofforth-said-it-will-put-you-too-close-to/)

[Walter Tevis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-tevis/)

> [Reading is the subtle and thorough sharing of the ideas and feelings by underhanded means. It is a gross invasion of Privacy and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-tevis/reading-is-the-subtle-and-thorough-sharing-of-the-ideas-and-feelings/)

[Walter Tevis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-tevis/)

> [“It changed the life of mankind more radically than the printing press. It created suburbs and a hundred other dependencies—sexual and economic and narcotic—upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-tevis/it-changed-the-life-of-mankind-more-radically-than-the-printing-press/)

[Walter Tevis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-tevis/)

> [“There had been a few times over the past year when she felt like this, with her mind not only dizzied but nearly terrified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-tevis/there-had-been-a-few-times-over-the-past-year-when-she-felt-like-this/)

[Walter Tevis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-tevis/)

> [The strange thing about television is that it - doesn't \*tell\* you everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-tevis/the-strange-thing-about-television-is-that-it-doesn-t-tell-you/)

[Walter Tevis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-tevis/)

> [“Only the mockingbird sings at the edge of the woods.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-tevis/only-the-mockingbird-sings-at-the-edge-of-the-woods/)

[Walter Tevis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-tevis/)

> [“I feel free and strong. If I were not a reader of books I could not feel this way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-tevis/i-feel-free-and-strong-if-i-were-not-a-reader-of-books-i-could-not-2/)

[Walter Tevis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-tevis/)

> [New York is nearly a grave. The Empire State Building is its gravestone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-tevis/new-york-is-nearly-a-grave-the-empire-state-building-is-its-gravestone/)

[Walter Tevis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-tevis/)

> [“It all began, I suppose, with learning to build fires—to warm the cave and keep the predators out. And it ended with time-release Valium.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-tevis/it-all-began-i-suppose-with-learning-to-build-fires-to-warm-the-cave/)

[Walter Tevis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-tevis/)

> [“He began to see a kind of beauty in the strangeness of the field, too. It was quite different from what he had been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-tevis/he-began-to-see-a-kind-of-beauty-in-the-strangeness-of-the-field-too/)

[Walter Tevis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-tevis/)

[Explore all 13 Walter Tevis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-tevis/)

## More Fear quotes

> [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/)

[Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/)

> [“That horrible stinging sensation returned, the muscles behind my eyes straining as the first tear began to fall. “I’m scared, too. For eighteen months…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devon-ashley/that-horrible-stinging-sensation-returned-the-muscles-behind-my-eyes/)

[Devon Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devon-ashley/)

> [“...Often that which most we fear births the resolve that spurs us on to altitudes we could not have achieved, had we continued walking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-t-anderson/often-that-which-most-we-fear-births-the-resolve-that-spurs-us-on-to/)

[M.T. Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-t-anderson/)

> [What an incredible drug fear is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/what-an-incredible-drug-fear-is/)

[Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/)

> [“Anything that you find yourself worrying about regularly may find you suddenly wanting unrealistic changes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nagisa-tatsumi/anything-that-you-find-yourself-worrying-about-regularly-may-find-you/)

Nagisa Tatsumi

> [“We all know how the thing we secretly fear is not a secret at all but the open and eternal thing that predicts its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/we-all-know-how-the-thing-we-secretly-fear-is-not-a-secret-at-all-but/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/)

[Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/)

> [“I had nowhere to go and did not wish to be seen by anyone for fear they would recognize my sadness and so for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/i-had-nowhere-to-go-and-did-not-wish-to-be-seen-by-anyone-for-fear/)

[Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/)

> [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/)

[Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/)

> [“Snip off the little worries and expressions of worry” like little branches atop a tall tree.28 If you are truly worried, sharing your concerns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-sanders/snip-off-the-little-worries-and-expressions-of-worry-like-little/)

[Tim Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-sanders/)

> [“Fear and desire for pleasure. Aggressiveness comes out of fear, predominantly, and sexuality predominantly out of the other. But they mix in the middle.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/fear-and-desire-for-pleasure-aggressiveness-comes-out-of-fear/)

[Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/)

> [“Carrie Fisher. “Stay afraid, but do it anyway.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-union/carrie-fisher-stay-afraid-but-do-it-anyway/)

[Gabrielle Union](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-union/)

> [“Yes, the issue was courage. It always had been, even as a kid. Things scared him. He couldn't help it. Noise scared him, dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/yes-the-issue-was-courage-it-always-had-been-even-as-a-kid-things/)

[Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/)

> [Don't be afraid of hard work. Nothing worthwhile comes easily. Don't let others discourage you or tell you that you can't do it. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-b-elion/don-t-be-afraid-of-hard-work-nothing-worthwhile-comes-easily-don-t/)

[Gertrude B. Elion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-b-elion/)

> [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/)

[Browse all 35,569 Fear quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“He was sick, sick from the long dangerous trip he had taken, sick from all the medicine —the pills, the inoculations, the inhaled gases — sick from worry, the anticipation of crisis, and terribly sick from the awful burden of his own weight. He had known for years that when the time came, when he would finally land and begin to effect that complex, long-prepared plan, he would feel something like this. The place, however much he had studied it, however much he had rehearsed his part in it, was so incredibly alien — the feeling, now the he could feel — the feeling was overpowering. He lay down in the grass and became very sick.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Walter Tevis"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-tevis/he-was-sick-sick-from-the-long-dangerous-trip-he-had-taken-sick-from/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Fear"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-tevis/he-was-sick-sick-from-the-long-dangerous-trip-he-had-taken-sick-from/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ed/walter-tevis-34092_fear_he-was-sick-sick-from-the-long-dangerous_1400964.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ed/walter-tevis-34092_fear_he-was-sick-sick-from-the-long-dangerous_1400964.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ed/walter-tevis-34092_fear_he-was-sick-sick-from-the-long-dangerous_1400964.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“He was sick, sick from the long dangerous trip he had taken, sick from all the medicine —the pills, the…” — Walter Tevis",
                "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": "Walter Tevis",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-tevis/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“He was sick, sick from the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-tevis/he-was-sick-sick-from-the-long-dangerous-trip-he-had-taken-sick-from/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-tevis/he-was-sick-sick-from-the-long-dangerous-trip-he-had-taken-sick-from/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
