Elizabeth Blackwell

The light of truth shines brightest in the darkness of ignorance.

To truly live is to give of oneself without expectation of return.

The human heart is capable of boundless love and compassion.

The pursuit of knowledge is a never-ending quest, leading us to ever greater understanding.

Our lives are a tapestry woven with threads of joy and sorrow, strength and vulnerability.

I must have a profession, something which shall give me a right to act, in a way that no woman has yet done.

The idea of winning a medical education, in order to use it for the good of humanity, was a powerful stimulus.

The great struggle of my life has been to open the medical profession to women.

I do not wish to be regarded as a 'woman' doctor, but as a doctor who happens to be a woman.

The study of medicine is not merely a science, but an art, and its successful practice depends upon the cultivation of the highest moral qualities.

I had not the slightest idea of the difficulties that lay before me.

The more I saw of the medical profession, the more I felt that it was a field peculiarly adapted to the genius of woman.

To deny women the opportunity to study medicine is to deprive society of a valuable resource.

The idea of a woman doctor was so strange, so unheard of, that it was almost impossible to gain admission to any medical school.

I am not a strong-minded woman, but I am a strong-willed woman.

The medical profession, as it existed, was a disgrace to civilization.

It is not enough to open the door; we must also ensure that women are prepared to enter it.

The true physician is a teacher, and the true hospital a school.

I had to fight my way, inch by inch, against a solid wall of prejudice.

The world needs women doctors, and it is our duty to provide them.