Avicenna (Ibn Sina)
A polymath whose 'The Canon of Medicine' was a standard medical text for centuries and integrated Greek and Indian medical traditions.
Most quoted
"Now it is established in the sciences that no knowledge is acquired save through the study of its causes and beginnings, if it has had causes and beginnings; nor completed except by knowledge of its accidents and accompanying essentials."
— from The Canon of Medicine
"Medicine is a science from which one learns the states of the human body in health and disease, in order to preserve health when it exists and restore it when it has been lost."
— from The Canon of Medicine (Al-Qanun fi al-Tibb)
"The more you study, the more you learn. The more you learn, the more you forget. The more you forget, the less you know. So why study?"
— from Attributed, often as a humorous paradox
All quotes by Avicenna (Ibn Sina) (356)
The wise man is he who knows what he does not know.
The physician must be skilled in diagnosis and treatment.
The soul is the form of the body.
The best medicine is a good diet.
The physician must be honest and trustworthy.
The soul is the principle of life.
The greatest victory is over oneself.
The physician must be knowledgeable in anatomy and physiology.
The soul is the essence of man.
The best way to predict the future is to create it.
The physician must be observant and attentive.
The soul is the seat of reason and intellect.
The greatest pleasure is in learning.
The physician must be able to communicate effectively with patients.
The soul is the divine spark within us.
The greatest gift is knowledge.
The physician must be able to adapt to different situations.
The soul is the source of all good.
The greatest journey is the journey within.
The physician must be able to make sound judgments.
Contemporaries of Avicenna (Ibn Sina)
Other Medicines born within 50 years of Avicenna (Ibn Sina) (980–1037).