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 universe is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.
The physician must be a philosopher, for without philosophy, he cannot understand the nature of man.
The purpose of medicine is to prolong life and to alleviate suffering.
The mind is the ruler of the body.
There is no disease that cannot be cured, except for death itself.
The physician must be a compassionate and understanding person.
The world is a bridge; pass over it, but build no house upon it.
The human being is a rational animal.
The pursuit of knowledge is a noble endeavor.
The body is the temple of the soul.
The physician must be a keen observer.
The universe is ordered and harmonious.
The greatest good is the knowledge of God.
The physician must be a good listener.
The human intellect is capable of understanding all things.
The goal of medicine is to restore the balance of the body.
The true physician is one who combines knowledge with compassion.
The world is full of wonders, if only we take the time to see them.
The physician must be a lifelong learner.
The human being is a social animal.
Contemporaries of Avicenna (Ibn Sina)
Other Medicines born within 50 years of Avicenna (Ibn Sina) (980–1037).