Paul Farmer

The idea that some lives matter less is the root of all that is wrong with the world.

For me, the practice of medicine is a spiritual practice.

With rare exceptions, the poor are not going to be cured by the market.

If you're going to work in a place where there are no doctors, you'd better be a good one.

The only thing worse than not having health care is having bad health care.

We have to be willing to go to the places where the suffering is greatest.

The problem is not that we don't know what to do. The problem is that we don't do what we know.

Solidarity is not a feeling of vague compassion or shallow distress at the misfortunes of so many people, both near and far. On the contrary, it is a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good.

I'm a doctor. I don't do politics. I do medicine.

The moral imperative is to do what's right, not what's easy.

Health is a human right, not a privilege.

We are all in this together. No one is safe until everyone is safe.

The only way to do great work is to love what you do.

If we believe that all lives have equal value, then we must act on that belief.

The best way to predict the future is to create it.

Poverty is a disease, and it's curable.

We have to be willing to challenge the status quo.

The greatest injustice is to deny someone the right to health.

Optimism is a moral imperative.

The purpose of medicine is to relieve suffering.