William Osler

The hardest thing to learn in life is which bridge to cross and which to burn.

The art of detachment, the virtue of method, and the quality of thoroughness may make you a great scientist, but only the art of humanity and the love of your kind can make you a great physician.

The physician who can do no good must at least do no harm.

The fight against tuberculosis is not a fight against a microbe; it is a fight against bad air, bad food, bad houses, and bad habits.

The philosophy of the age is reflected in its medicine.

We are all dietetic sinners; only a small percent of what we eat nourishes us; the balance goes to waste and loss of energy.

The man who reads the medical journals is like a drunkard at a distillery; he takes it in its full strength, undiluted.

The chief function of the physician is to entertain the patient while nature effects a cure.

The doctor's visit is a social act, not a commercial transaction.

The practice of medicine is not a business and can never be one... our fellow creatures cannot be dealt with as a man deals in corn and coal.