"It occurred to me that there was no difference between men, in intelligence or race, so profound as the difference between the sick and the well"

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s observation, “It occurred to me that there was no difference between men, in intelligence or race, so profound as the difference between the sick and the well,” offers a subtle yet profound commentary on human society and the nature of suffering. By drawing a comparison between longstanding societal divisions, such as those of intelligence or race, and the division created by illness, Fitzgerald highlights the uniquely isolating experience of sickness.

Illness, whether physical or mental, forges a chasm that separates individuals from the rest of society in a way that often surpasses even the most entrenched social barriers. While intelligence and race are often invoked to categorize people, they form lines of separation that, however unjust, are socially constructed and subject to negotiation, resistance, and reinterpretation. Illness, on the other hand, imposes a more immediate, existential separation. The sick inhabit a different reality than the well. Pain, vulnerability, and the awareness of frailty or mortality set them apart from those whose bodies or minds function within the bounds of the expected.

The difference Fitzgerald identifies is not simply one of physical state, but of experience, worldview, and even perception of reality. The healthy may take for granted their physical and emotional capacities, while the sick must grapple with limitations, uncertainty, and sometimes isolation from those who cannot share or fully comprehend their struggles. This division often makes empathy difficult and communication strained, as the experiences of illness can be ineffable and misunderstood or dismissed by those untouched by similar suffering.

Fitzgerald’s insight thus calls attention to the limitations of human solidarity. It questions the assumptions that markers such as race or intelligence are the most significant sources of division, suggesting instead that the boundaries drawn by health and sickness may be the most profound, a difference cutting closer to the core of what it means to be human.