Spiritual emptiness is a universal disease.

In this aphorism, Warren frames a sense of inner hollowness—lack of meaning, purpose, or connection to God—as something not confined to any one culture, class, or era. Calling it a “universal disease” suggests both prevalence and seriousness: spiritual lack is treated not as a private mood but as a widespread human condition with symptoms (restlessness, dissatisfaction, compulsive striving) and consequences (alienation, despair). The phrasing also implies that purely material or psychological remedies are insufficient; the “disease” is spiritual in nature and therefore calls for spiritual diagnosis and healing. In Warren’s broader pastoral outlook, that healing typically involves reorientation toward God, community, and lived purpose.