Elizabeth Blackwell

Work is the true elixir of life.

The best doctor is often nature, if given a fair chance.

The admission of women to the medical profession is simply the recognition of a human right.

A physician's duty is to alleviate suffering, whether of body or mind.

The prejudice against women physicians is not a medical prejudice, but a social one.

True medical reform must begin with the education of women in the laws of health.

The history of my first entry into the medical profession is a history of much pain and struggle.

Knowledge, like wealth, should be diffused as widely as possible among humanity.

The practice of medicine is an art, not a trade; a calling, not a business.

We must educate women to be physicians, not merely to cure disease, but to prevent it.

The mind has a strong influence over the body, and maladies often have their origin there.

I am glad that I was born in a time when resistance was necessary; it called forth my powers.

The hope of the profession lies in the young, who are free from the prejudices of the past.

A woman's organization is finer, her structure more delicate, and her observations often more minute than a man's. These are qualifications of the highest value in medical practice.

The fight is a public one, and I have thrown myself into it because I believe it is right.