Portrait of Hippocrates

Hippocrates

Father of medicine

Ancient influential 117 sayings

Sayings by Hippocrates

The way to health is to have a good digestion, a good appetite, and a good sleep.

c. 460-370 BCE — Practical advice on fundamental aspects of well-being.
Wisdom Unverifiable

The sacred disease (epilepsy) is no more divine or sacred than any other disease, but has a natural cause.

c. 400 BCE (from 'On the Sacred Disease') — A revolutionary statement demystifying epilepsy and promoting a naturalistic view of disease.
Biblical Unverifiable

The healthy man does not think about his health.

Uncertain (attributed) — A paradoxical observation on the state of being healthy.
Wisdom Unverifiable

Fasting is the greatest remedy – the physician within.

c. 460-370 BCE — Advocating for the therapeutic benefits of fasting, a 'weird' remedy for some.
Wisdom Unverifiable

The patient must be taught to help himself.

c. 460-370 BCE — Emphasizing patient agency and self-care.
Wisdom Unverifiable

The physician is the servant of nature.

c. 460-370 BCE — Defining the physician's role as facilitating natural processes.
Nature & World Unverifiable

All diseases begin in the gut.

c. 460-370 BCE — A prescient and widely cited observation on the importance of digestive health.
Wisdom Unverifiable

The powers of drugs are not in the drugs themselves, but in the patient.

c. 460-370 BCE — A philosophical statement on the patient's constitution and response to treatment.
Power & Leadership Unverifiable

If you are not your own doctor, you are a fool.

Uncertain (attributed) — A strong statement encouraging personal responsibility for health, attributed.
Wisdom Unverifiable

The best thing is to prevent disease.

c. 460-370 BCE — A clear statement on the importance of preventive medicine.
Wisdom Unverifiable

Healing is an art, not a science.

c. 460-370 BCE — A philosophical statement on the nature of medicine, emphasizing its intuitive and experiential aspe…
Educational Unverifiable

The greatest mistake in the treatment of diseases is that there are physicians for the body and physicians for the soul, although the two cannot be separated.

c. 460-370 BCE — A holistic view of health, lamenting the separation of physical and mental care.
Biblical Unverifiable

The power of the diet is in the power of the stomach.

c. 460-370 BCE — Emphasizing the digestive system's role in overall health.
Power & Leadership Unverifiable

Rest and sleep are the best cures for many diseases.

c. 460-370 BCE — Promoting the therapeutic value of rest.
Wisdom Unverifiable

The physician must be able to tell the future.

c. 460-370 BCE — A statement on the physician's need for prognostic ability, which in ancient times might have seemed…
Wisdom Unverifiable

The body of man is a miniature of the world.

c. 460-370 BCE — A macrocosm-microcosm philosophical view, common in ancient thought but 'weird' in a modern scientif…
Wisdom Unverifiable

The best medicine is love and care.

Uncertain (attributed) — A humanistic approach to healing, emphasizing emotional support.
Love & Relationships Unverifiable

The physician must be an anatomist, a botanist, a chemist, and a philosopher.

c. 460-370 BCE — A comprehensive view of the ideal physician's required knowledge.
Wisdom Unverifiable

The best diet is that which is most simple.

c. 460-370 BCE — Advocating for simplicity in dietary choices.
Wisdom Unverifiable

The powers of the physician are not in his drugs, but in his wisdom.

c. 460-370 BCE — Emphasizing the physician's judgment and knowledge over mere pharmaceutical agents.
Power & Leadership Unverifiable
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