Hippocrates — "Prayer indeed is good, but while calling on the gods a man should himself lend a…"
Prayer indeed is good, but while calling on the gods a man should himself lend a hand.
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More from Hippocrates
"A wise man should consider that health is the greatest of human blessings."
"The physician is the servant of nature."
"There are in fact two things, science and opinion; the former begets knowledge, the latter ignorance."
"The brain is the seat of the soul."
"All diseases begin in the gut."
Details
A pragmatic view combining faith with personal effort.
Date: c. 5th Century BCE
PhilosophicalVerification
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Understanding this quote
What it means
Relying solely on divine intervention is insufficient; you must take concrete action yourself. Wishing or hoping for outcomes without effort is passive and ineffective. True results come from combining faith or intention with personal responsibility and hard work. Belief without action accomplishes nothing — you must contribute your own effort to any endeavor you want to succeed.
Relevance to Hippocrates
As the Father of Medicine, Hippocrates built a practice grounded in empirical observation and rational treatment rather than supernatural explanations. Greek healers before him attributed illness to gods; Hippocrates insisted physicians intervene actively with diet, rest, and remedy. This quote mirrors his medical philosophy precisely: don't wait for divine cure — examine the patient, diagnose, and treat.
The era
In ancient Greece, illness was widely understood as divine punishment or godly will, with healing temples like those of Asclepius central to medicine. Prayers and sacrifices were standard responses to disease. Hippocrates emerged during the 5th–4th century BCE rationalist movement, challenging supernatural medicine with naturalistic causation — making this quote a direct philosophical declaration against passive religious dependence in favor of human agency.
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