Hippocrates

Father of medicine

Ancient influential 117 sayings

Sayings by Hippocrates

The patient should be made to understand that he is sick from natural causes, and not from the gods.

c. 460-370 BCE — A core tenet of Hippocratic medicine, rejecting supernatural explanations for illness.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The causes of disease are in the air, the water, and the place.

c. 460-370 BCE (from 'Airs, Waters, Places') — A statement on environmental factors in health, reflecting early epidemiological thought.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The body is a temple, and the soul is its inhabitant.

Uncertain (attributed) — A metaphorical and philosophical statement on the human body.
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The best way to preserve health is to avoid disease.

c. 460-370 BCE — A straightforward statement on preventive health.
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The art of healing comes from nature, not from the physician.

c. 460-370 BCE — Emphasizing the primacy of natural healing processes.
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The greatest joy in life is to be healthy.

Uncertain (attributed) — A simple statement on the value of health.
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The physician must be a lover of wisdom.

c. 460-370 BCE — Connecting medicine with philosophy, similar to 'best physician is also a philosopher'.
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The most important thing in life is health.

Uncertain (attributed) — A fundamental statement on the priority of well-being.
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The body is the garden of the soul.

Uncertain (attributed) — A metaphorical statement on the relationship between body and soul.
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The greatest wealth is health.

c. 460-370 BCE — A concise aphorism on the value of health.
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The physician must be a friend to his patient.

c. 460-370 BCE — Emphasizing a compassionate and supportive doctor-patient relationship.
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The diet is the foundation of health.

c. 460-370 BCE — A simple statement on the primary role of nutrition.
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The art of medicine is to heal, not to kill.

c. 460-370 BCE — A fundamental ethical principle of medical practice.
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The physician must be able to heal himself.

Uncertain (attributed) — A statement on the self-sufficiency and health of the healer.
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The greatest remedy for anger is delay.

Uncertain (attributed) — A psychological insight into managing emotions.
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The most important organ is the brain.

c. 400 BCE — A statement on the primacy of the brain, particularly from 'On the Sacred Disease'.
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The physician must be a gentle hand, a sharp eye, and a clean heart.

Uncertain (attributed) — Describing the ideal qualities of a medical practitioner.
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The art of medicine is to restore health, not to take life.

c. 460-370 BCE — A clear ethical principle of medicine.
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The best physician is he who can cure the disease without drugs.

c. 460-370 BCE — Emphasizing non-pharmacological interventions and natural healing.
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For extreme diseases, extreme methods of cure, as to restrict them to the knife or fire.

c. 400 BC — Aphorisms, Section I, 6
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