---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nobody could tell us or really had a very…"
description: "\"Nobody could tell us or really had a very good idea, if there were a massive release of radiation, what kind of medical treatment people were going to ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c9/william-scranton-23646_ideas_nobody-could-tell-us-or-really-had-a-ver_2139180.png"
---

#  Nobody could tell us or really had a very good idea, if…

![“Nobody could tell us or really had a very good idea, if there were a massive release of radiation, what kind of medical treatment people were going to need and this or that, or, indeed, whether there would be medical personnel around.” quote by William Scranton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c9/william-scranton-23646_ideas_nobody-could-tell-us-or-really-had-a-ver_2139180.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c9/william-scranton-23646_ideas_nobody-could-tell-us-or-really-had-a-ver_2139180.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c9/william-scranton-23646_ideas_nobody-could-tell-us-or-really-had-a-ver_2139180.png)

> “Nobody could tell us or really had a very good idea, if there were a massive release of radiation, what kind of medical treatment people were going to need and this or that, or, indeed, whether there would be medical personnel around.”

[William Scranton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-scranton/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Highlights uncertainty in planning medical response to large-scale radiation events, stressing lack of expertise and resources.

**In simple terms:** We didn't know how to treat radiation victims.

Key Takeaway

Plan for unknown medical needs.

Themes

uncertainty healthcare preparedness

Mood

anxious serious

Type

cautionary informative

When to use this quote

- nuclear accident response
- emergency planning
- public health policy

Key Concepts

radiation exposure medical logistics

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we prepare for unknown medical crises?
- What resources are needed now?

A Different Perspective

Assumes expertise will develop after the event.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Massive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/massive/) [Medical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medical/) [Medical Personnel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medical-personnel-1495025/) [Medical treatment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medical-treatment/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Personnel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personnel/) [Radiation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/radiation/) [Radiation Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/radiation-kind-1734857/) [Release](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/release/) [Release Radiation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/release-radiation-4445898/) [Treatment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/treatment/) [Treatment People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/treatment-people-4445899/) [Very good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/very-good/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/)

## Related quotes

> [Most medical personnel remain largely unfamiliar with non-medical treatments, and tend to dismiss them without knowing about what they're dismissing. This is a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-saul/most-medical-personnel-remain-largely-unfamiliar-with-non-medical/)

[Andrew Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-saul/)

> [I want to be a doctor, to give treatment to other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phan-thi-kim-phuc/i-want-to-be-a-doctor-to-give-treatment-to-other-people/)

[Phan Thi Kim Phuc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phan-thi-kim-phuc/)

> [“I’m cancer, Luce. And not the kind that you can kill off with radiation. The kind that kills you in the end.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-williams/i-m-cancer-luce-and-not-the-kind-that-you-can-kill-off-with-radiation/)

[Nicole Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-williams/)

> [Health care needs are paramount after a disaster, and medical personnel fight against time to reach and assist victims.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tae-yoo/health-care-needs-are-paramount-after-a-disaster-and-medical/)

[Tae Yoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tae-yoo/)

> [Today, hundreds of thousands of AIDS patients are under medical treatment, which is a great advancement. But it makes some people reckless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoweri-museveni/today-hundreds-of-thousands-of-aids-patients-are-under-medical/)

[Yoweri Museveni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoweri-museveni/)

> [“When a worker is injured at an IBP plant in Texas, he or she is immediately presented with a waiver. Signing the waiver means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-schlosser/when-a-worker-is-injured-at-an-ibp-plant-in-texas-he-or-she-is/)

[Eric Schlosser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-schlosser/)

> [“EMTs learned to love brave patients--they weren't nearly such a pain in the ass as the whiners--but not to trust them. In the name…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nevada-barr/emts-learned-to-love-brave-patients-they-weren-t-nearly-such-a-pain/)

[Nevada Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nevada-barr/)

> [“For one thing, empathy can subvert human well-being when it runs afoul of a more fundamental principle, fairness. Batson found that when people empathized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/for-one-thing-empathy-can-subvert-human-well-being-when-it-runs-afoul/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [I can help a lot of other people who've gone through the same thing by building a center that will help men and women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gest/i-can-help-a-lot-of-other-people-who-ve-gone-through-the-same-thing/)

[David Gest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gest/)

> [“Whoever is planning a nuclear war or seriously thinking about using nuclear weapons must directly be taken to a mental hospital! Mad people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/whoever-is-planning-a-nuclear-war-or-seriously-thinking-about-using/)

[Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [We know that children who are healthier do not require medical treatment or care, both of which cost time and money. So, by avoiding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-berkley/we-know-that-children-who-are-healthier-do-not-require-medical/)

[Seth Berkley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-berkley/)

> [We cannot decide on the efficacy of a medical treatment by counting the number of 'Likes' an intervention receives on Facebook; no matter what,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyamvada-natarajan/we-cannot-decide-on-the-efficacy-of-a-medical-treatment-by-counting/)

[Priyamvada Natarajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyamvada-natarajan/)

> [“What is it about our human nature that we feel the need to defend the choices we’ve made when it comes to our medical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-somers/what-is-it-about-our-human-nature-that-we-feel-the-need-to-defend-the/)

[Suzanne Somers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-somers/)

> [“This is the exact opposite of that lazy acquiescence in irrationality which is sometimes urged by those who only know that psychoanalysis has shown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/this-is-the-exact-opposite-of-that-lazy-acquiescence-in-irrationality/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [The most effective method of propaganda directed at the enemy forces is to release captured soldiers and give the wounded medical treatment... Whenever soldiers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mao-zedong/the-most-effective-method-of-propaganda-directed-at-the-enemy-forces/)

[Mao Zedong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mao-zedong/)

## More by William Scranton

> [And I remember walking in there and, I must say, I was quite unnerved the closer I got to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-scranton/and-i-remember-walking-in-there-and-i-must-say-i-was-quite-unnerved/)

[William Scranton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-scranton/)

> [I was scheduled to give my first official press conference that morning anyway, 'cause I was chairman of the Governors Energy Council and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-scranton/i-was-scheduled-to-give-my-first-official-press-conference-that/)

[William Scranton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-scranton/)

> [There were schools and hospitals who were ready to take people with undescribed injuries, but not necessarily ready to take people with severe radiation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-scranton/there-were-schools-and-hospitals-who-were-ready-to-take-people-with/)

[William Scranton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-scranton/)

> [Obviously, I'm not looking in the core of the reactor, but I am looking at what, at that time, was considered the source of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-scranton/obviously-i-m-not-looking-in-the-core-of-the-reactor-but-i-am-looking/)

[William Scranton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-scranton/)

> [The Nuclear Regulatory Commission and EPA, et cetera, had worked out what allowable releases are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-scranton/the-nuclear-regulatory-commission-and-epa-et-cetera-had-worked-out/)

[William Scranton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-scranton/)

> [You're feeling the responsibility for hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people on your shoulder in a way that I couldn't feel as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-scranton/you-re-feeling-the-responsibility-for-hundreds-of-thousands-if-not/)

[William Scranton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-scranton/)

> [What I had said in the morning was that this is what we know has happened, but there has been no significant off-site release.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-scranton/what-i-had-said-in-the-morning-was-that-this-is-what-we-know-has/)

[William Scranton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-scranton/)

> [They're calling their Washington sources at the NRC or in Congress and they're not hesitating to give their opinion, but their opinion, frankly, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-scranton/they-re-calling-their-washington-sources-at-the-nrc-or-in-congress/)

[William Scranton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-scranton/)

> [Another very strong image from the first day was giving my initial press conference in the morning - going down and finding out that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-scranton/another-very-strong-image-from-the-first-day-was-giving-my-initial/)

[William Scranton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-scranton/)

> [By Thursday morning, we'd gotten over the worst of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-scranton/by-thursday-morning-we-d-gotten-over-the-worst-of-it/)

[William Scranton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-scranton/)

> [It took me 45 minutes to get in all of the suits and putting all the dosimeters on me so that they knew how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-scranton/it-took-me-45-minutes-to-get-in-all-of-the-suits-and-putting-all-the/)

[William Scranton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-scranton/)

> [And it was at that point that I realized, in fact, our whole administration realized, that we could not rely on Metropolitan Edison for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-scranton/and-it-was-at-that-point-that-i-realized-in-fact-our-whole/)

[William Scranton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-scranton/)

> [There are allowable limits for radiation going - I mean there's radiation all around us. There's radiation from your television set. There's radiation from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-scranton/there-are-allowable-limits-for-radiation-going-i-mean-there-s/)

[William Scranton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-scranton/)

> [My time inside there was very short compared to the amount of time it took to take on and take off this suit and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-scranton/my-time-inside-there-was-very-short-compared-to-the-amount-of-time-it/)

[William Scranton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-scranton/)

> [None of us knew what this power plant looked like. We had no schematic drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-scranton/none-of-us-knew-what-this-power-plant-looked-like-we-had-no-schematic/)

[William Scranton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-scranton/)

[Explore all 25 William Scranton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-scranton/)

## More Ideas quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/)

[Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/)

> [You'd be surprised how hard it can often be to translate an action into an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/you-d-be-surprised-how-hard-it-can-often-be-to-translate-an-action/)

[Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/)

> [I know for my wife and I, we always loved the idea of being young parents. It is an incredibly inspiring and challenging job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hanson/i-know-for-my-wife-and-i-we-always-loved-the-idea-of-being-young/)

[Taylor Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hanson/)

> [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [I've always been fascinated by the idea that there's no such thing as evil; it's all in your point of view. To one group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-ve-always-been-fascinated-by-the-idea-that-there-s-no-such-thing-as/)

[Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/)

> [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/)

[Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/)

> [It revealed a cruelty that really made one wonder if the universe was such a good idea after all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/it-revealed-a-cruelty-that-really-made-one-wonder-if-the-universe-was/)

[Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/)

> [Sometimes it's just enough for me to have the idea. I don't need to see it through to the end. When it actually happens,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sedaris/sometimes-it-s-just-enough-for-me-to-have-the-idea-i-don-t-need-to/)

[Amy Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sedaris/)

> [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/)

> [But I already saw no great difference between the psyche and spirituality. To amass knowledge without becoming wise is not my idea of progress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-scott-peck/but-i-already-saw-no-great-difference-between-the-psyche-and/)

[M. Scott Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-scott-peck/)

> [Making movies seemed so impossible as far as getting my ideas funded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/making-movies-seemed-so-impossible-as-far-as-getting-my-ideas-funded/)

[Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/)

> [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/)

[Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/)

> [What is music? Music is language. A human being wants to express ideas in this language, but not ideas that can be translated into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-webern/what-is-music-music-is-language-a-human-being-wants-to-express-ideas/)

[Anton Webern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-webern/)

> [“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/)

[Browse all 24,908 Ideas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Nobody could tell us or really had a very good idea, if there were a massive release of radiation, what kind of medical treatment people were going to need and this or that, or, indeed, whether there would be medical personnel around.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William Scranton"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-scranton/nobody-could-tell-us-or-really-had-a-very-good-idea-if-there-were-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Ideas"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-scranton/nobody-could-tell-us-or-really-had-a-very-good-idea-if-there-were-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c9/william-scranton-23646_ideas_nobody-could-tell-us-or-really-had-a-ver_2139180.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c9/william-scranton-23646_ideas_nobody-could-tell-us-or-really-had-a-ver_2139180.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c9/william-scranton-23646_ideas_nobody-could-tell-us-or-really-had-a-ver_2139180.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Nobody could tell us or really had a very good idea, if there were a massive release of radiation, what kind…” — William Scranton",
                "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": "William Scranton",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-scranton/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Nobody could tell us or really...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-scranton/nobody-could-tell-us-or-really-had-a-very-good-idea-if-there-were-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-scranton/nobody-could-tell-us-or-really-had-a-very-good-idea-if-there-were-a/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
