William Osler

The physician must be a man of humility, for he will often have to acknowledge his limitations.

The physician must be a man of integrity, for he will often have to uphold it.

The physician must be a man of wisdom, for he will often have to impart it.

The physician must be a man of knowledge, for he will often have to apply it.

The physician must be a man of skill, for he will often have to demonstrate it.

The physician must be a man of compassion, for he will often have to show it.

The physician must be a man of understanding, for he will often have to exercise it.

The physician must be a man of discernment, for he will often have to employ it.

The physician must be a man of judgment, for he will often have to render it.

The physician must be a man of vision, for he will often have to share it.

The practice of medicine is an art, not a trade; a calling, not a business; a humanitarian service, requiring of the men who practise it high ideals of character and culture.

Live neither in the past nor in the future, but let each day's work absorb your energies, and satisfy your widest ambition.

The young doctor should look upon every patient as a case of typhoid until he has ruled out that diagnosis.

In seeking absolute truth we aim at the unattainable and must be content with finding broken portions.

The best preparation for a brilliant life is to cultivate the art of missing the right moment.

A physician who is a man of science must be a philosopher also.

Throw away all ambition beyond that of doing the day's work as well as you can.

The student who sets out to master medicine must be prepared for a long and arduous journey.

The art of the direct approach is that of making the patient get well faster.

Happiness lies in the absorption of the mind in the day's work.