In a spiritual sense, a positive attitude may help you get

Hear the solemn yet liberating words of Siddhartha Mukherjee, healer and historian of medicine: “In a spiritual sense, a positive attitude may help you get through chemotherapy and surgery and radiation and what have you. But a positive mental attitude does not cure cancer—any more than a negative mental attitude causes cancer.” These words ring with compassion and clarity, spoken against the haze of false promises. They remind us that while the spirit has power to endure, it does not wield dominion over every wound of the flesh.

For many in suffering are told cruelly—though often with misguided kindness—that their fate rests entirely on their attitude, as if failure to heal were a failure of will. Mukherjee, with the wisdom of a physician who has walked among the gravely ill, declares otherwise. He honors the truth: that positive thinking can strengthen the soul to bear hardship, but it does not hold sway over the hidden mutations of cells, nor the dark mysteries of disease. Likewise, negativity may weigh upon the heart, but it is not the hand that writes the code of cancer.

History gives us stories that illustrate this wisdom. Think of Lance Armstrong, who endured surgery and aggressive chemotherapy for testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs and brain. His willpower and positive attitude gave him strength to endure the brutal treatments. Yet what saved his life was not will alone—it was also the intervention of medicine, guided by knowledge and science. His spirit carried him, but his cure came from the combined labor of doctors, researchers, and the unyielding progress of human understanding.

So too we recall Susan Sontag, who battled cancer and wrote with ferocity against the cruel myths that patients bring illness upon themselves through gloom or “wrong thinking.” She declared that to burden the sick with blame is to strike them twice—once with the disease, and again with shame. Her words echo Mukherjee’s truth: the cause of cancer lies in biology, not in thoughts; the cure lies in treatment, not in optimism alone. Yet, she also knew that a courageous spirit eases the path, allowing the sufferer to endure pain with dignity.

The meaning of Mukherjee’s words is thus: cherish the power of a positive attitude, but know its rightful place. It is a torch in the night, guiding you through the darkness of chemotherapy and surgery. It gives courage, it offers resilience, it helps you rise from the bed each morning to fight another day. But it is not the hand that eradicates the disease. To confuse the two is to dishonor both the power of the spirit and the truth of science.

The lesson for us is clear: in times of illness or hardship, let your spirit choose hope, not because it will erase suffering, but because it will make suffering bearable. Let your words to the sick not be of blame or false promises, but of companionship, encouragement, and truth. Recognize the limits of the mind, but also honor its strength—its ability to give meaning, to inspire courage, to create moments of light even in the shadow of disease.

Practical wisdom calls us to action. First, when faced with illness, seek healing in both realms: the medicine of the body and the medicine of the spirit. Second, when supporting others, do not demand positivity as a cure, but offer it gently as a balm. Third, embrace gratitude and hope in your daily life—not to deny hardship, but to strengthen yourself for when hardship comes. In this way, you walk with both truth and compassion.

So let it be remembered: a positive attitude does not cure cancer, nor does a negative one cause it. Yet positivity has its sacred role—to uplift, to strengthen, to help us endure the long nights of trial. Mukherjee’s words guard us from illusion while preserving hope. Let us then live with eyes open to truth, hearts open to courage, and spirits willing to face pain with the quiet heroism of those who endure with dignity.