--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A doctor is not criticized for describing…" description: "\"A doctor is not criticized for describing the manifestations and symptoms of an illness, even though the symptoms may be disgusting. I feel that a writ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f81/william-s-burroughs-528_arbitrary_a-doctor-is-not-criticized-for-describin_1047252.png" --- # A doctor is not criticized for describing the… ![“A doctor is not criticized for describing the manifestations and symptoms of an illness, even though the symptoms may be disgusting. I feel that a writer has the right to the same freedom In fact, I think that the time has come for the line between literature and science, a purely arbitrary line…” quote by William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f81/william-s-burroughs-528_arbitrary_a-doctor-is-not-criticized-for-describin_1047252.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f81/william-s-burroughs-528_arbitrary_a-doctor-is-not-criticized-for-describin_1047252.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f81/william-s-burroughs-528_arbitrary_a-doctor-is-not-criticized-for-describin_1047252.png) > “A doctor is not criticized for describing the manifestations and symptoms of an illness, even though the symptoms may be disgusting. I feel that a writer has the right to the same freedom In fact, I think that the time has come for the line between literature and science, a purely arbitrary line, to be erased.” [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author argues that describing disease symptoms is acceptable, and that literature and science should no longer be separated by an arbitrary boundary. **In simple terms:** Science and literature can share the same freedom of expression. Key Takeaway Break down artificial divisions between disciplines. Themes freedom of expression science literature Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - medical journalism - creative nonfiction - academic publishing - public health communication Key Concepts interdisciplinarity ethical writing Questions to Reflect On - Should artistic license override factual precision? - What are the risks of blurring scientific rigor? A Different Perspective Scientific accuracy may be compromised without rigorous standards. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Arbitrary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arbitrary/) [Criticized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criticized/) [Criticized Describing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criticized-describing-2484153/) [Describing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/describing/) [Describing Manifestations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/describing-manifestations-2484152/) [Disgusting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disgusting/) [Doctor Criticized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctor-criticized-2484151/) [Doctors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctors/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Illness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illness/) [Lines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lines/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Literature Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature-science-249291/) [Manifestation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manifestation/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Symptoms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/symptoms/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [In science, address the few, in literature the many. In science, the few must dictate opinion to the many; in literature, the many, sooner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/in-science-address-the-few-in-literature-the-many-in-science-the-few/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [I tend to think history is more a branch of literature than science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-macmillan/i-tend-to-think-history-is-more-a-branch-of-literature-than-science/) [Margaret MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-macmillan/) > [The aim of science is to discover and illuminate truth. And that, I take it, is the aim of literature, whether biography or history…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-carson/the-aim-of-science-is-to-discover-and-illuminate-truth-and-that-i/) [Rachel Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-carson/) > [I take it that a monograph of this sort belongs to the ephemera literature of science. The studied care which is warranted in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-n-lewis/i-take-it-that-a-monograph-of-this-sort-belongs-to-the-ephemera/) [Gilbert N. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-n-lewis/) > [Fantasy is the oldest form of literature and science fiction is just a new twist on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-kerr/fantasy-is-the-oldest-form-of-literature-and-science-fiction-is-just/) [Katharine Kerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-kerr/) > [The literature of science is filled with answers found when the question propounded had an entirely different direction and end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/the-literature-of-science-is-filled-with-answers-found-when-the/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [Literature, at least good literature, is science tempered with the blood of art. Like architecture or music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/literature-at-least-good-literature-is-science-tempered-with-the/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [Science fiction is a unique literature. Science fiction is the first literature that says, 'Tomorrow is going to be different than yesterday, it's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gerrold/science-fiction-is-a-unique-literature-science-fiction-is-the-first/) [David Gerrold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gerrold/) > [Pornography is one of the branches of literature - science fiction is another - aiming at disorientation, at psychic dislocation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/pornography-is-one-of-the-branches-of-literature-science-fiction-is/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [In thus pointing out certain respects in which philosophy resembles literature more than science, I do not mean, of course, to imply that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morris-raphael-cohen/in-thus-pointing-out-certain-respects-in-which-philosophy-resembles/) [Morris Raphael Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morris-raphael-cohen/) > [“One day I found him amid large packages from which spilled attractive, glossy paperbacks with mythical covers. He had tried to use, as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanis-aw-lem/one-day-i-found-him-amid-large-packages-from-which-spilled-attractive/) [Stanisław Lem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanis-aw-lem/) > [We will always have more to discover, more to invent, more to understand and that's much closer to art and literature than any science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-tammet/we-will-always-have-more-to-discover-more-to-invent-more-to/) [Daniel Tammet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-tammet/) > [I grew up to be indifferent to the distinction between literature and science, which in my teens were simply two languages for experience that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/i-grew-up-to-be-indifferent-to-the-distinction-between-literature-and/) [Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) > [“Literature, not science or theology, is the master discipline, the paradigm of inquiry, for postmoderns.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heath-white/literature-not-science-or-theology-is-the-master-discipline-the/) [Heath White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heath-white/) > [“The aim of science is to discover and illuminate truth. And that, I take it, is the aim of literature, whether biography or history...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-carson/the-aim-of-science-is-to-discover-and-illuminate-truth-and-that-i-2/) [Rachel Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-carson/) ## More by William S. Burroughs > [“Control never be a means to any practical end. It can never be a means to anything but more control… Like punk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/control-never-be-a-means-to-any-practical-end-it-can-never-be-a-means/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“Well as, one judge said to the other, 'Be just and if you can't be just be arbitrary.' Regret cannot observe customary obscenities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/well-as-one-judge-said-to-the-other-be-just-and-if-you-can-t-be-just/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [After one look at this planet any visitor from outer space would say 'I want to see the manager.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/after-one-look-at-this-planet-any-visitor-from-outer-space-would-say/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [For seven days she lay in bed looking sullenly at the ceiling as though resenting the death she had cultivated for so many years.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/for-seven-days-she-lay-in-bed-looking-sullenly-at-the-ceiling-as/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [When you stop growing you start dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/when-you-stop-growing-you-start-dying/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [Life is a cutup. And to pretend that you write or paint in a timeless vacuum is just simply . . . not .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/life-is-a-cutup-and-to-pretend-that-you-write-or-paint-in-a-timeless/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [When all lies, deceit, pretense is stripped away, what remains? The truth of a painting, or a book or a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/when-all-lies-deceit-pretense-is-stripped-away-what-remains-the-truth/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“There is no final enough of wisdom, experience - any fucking thing. No Holy Grail, No Final Satori, no solution. Just conflict. Only thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/there-is-no-final-enough-of-wisdom-experience-any-fucking-thing-no/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“For John Dillinger In hope he is still alive Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 1986 In hope he is still alive Thanks for the wild…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/for-john-dillinger-in-hope-he-is-still-alive-thanksgiving-day/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“Did I ever tell you about the man who taught his asshole to talk? His whole abdomen would move up and down, you dig,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/did-i-ever-tell-you-about-the-man-who-taught-his-asshole-to-talk-his/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [You need a good bedside manner with doctors or you will get nowhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/you-need-a-good-bedside-manner-with-doctors-or-you-will-get-nowhere/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [There couldn't be a society of people who didn't dream. They'd be dead in two weeks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/there-couldn-t-be-a-society-of-people-who-didn-t-dream-they-d-be-dead/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [I prefer cats to people, for the most part. Most people aren't cute at all, and if they are cute they very rapidly outgrow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/i-prefer-cats-to-people-for-the-most-part-most-people-aren-t-cute-at/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [ \[Arab peoples\] are stuck back thousands of years and they think they're going to get out with a TV set. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/arab-peoples-are-stuck-back-thousands-of-years-and-they-think-they-re/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“It is not the intensity but the duration of pain that breaks the will to resist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/it-is-not-the-intensity-but-the-duration-of-pain-that-breaks-the-will/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) [Explore all 484 William S. Burroughs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) ## More Arbitrary quotes > [It is irresponsible to set an arbitrary cap on how much therapy a Medicare beneficiary can receive. It ignores the health needs of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ensign/it-is-irresponsible-to-set-an-arbitrary-cap-on-how-much-therapy-a/) [John Ensign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ensign/) > [I do think that theater is a great venue for science fiction, and not just adaptations but also original work. I also think some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-einhorn/i-do-think-that-theater-is-a-great-venue-for-science-fiction-and-not/) [Edward Einhorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-einhorn/) > [To divide one's life by years is of course to tumble into a trap set by our own arithmetic. The calendar consents to carry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/to-divide-one-s-life-by-years-is-of-course-to-tumble-into-a-trap-set/) [Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/) > [Not to be offensive, not to be capricious, not to be arbitrary, not to be neurotic, not to be an actor outer, you're just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hurt/not-to-be-offensive-not-to-be-capricious-not-to-be-arbitrary-not-to/) [William Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hurt/) > [I don't concern myself with thinking ahead to the finished product. I focus more specifically on what the character is experiencing. Once you relieve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-eisenberg/i-don-t-concern-myself-with-thinking-ahead-to-the-finished-product-i/) [Jesse Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-eisenberg/) > [Habit is altogether too arbitrary a master for me to submit to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-kaspar-lavater/habit-is-altogether-too-arbitrary-a-master-for-me-to-submit-to/) [Johann Kaspar Lavater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-kaspar-lavater/) > [I look back, now, and I know that the naming moment, which seemed so insignificant then, which seemed to demand no more than an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/i-look-back-now-and-i-know-that-the-naming-moment-which-seemed-so/) [Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/) > [Police in China can do whatever they want; after 81 days in arbitrary detention you clearly realise that they don't have to obey their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/police-in-china-can-do-whatever-they-want-after-81-days-in-arbitrary/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Contrary to what certain governments say, human rights are universal. 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