“I will keep pure and holy both my life and my art.”
The Hippocratic Oath
Medical EthicsIntegrity
Medical Quotes
200 FAMOUS QUOTES · MEDICAL
Medical Quotes
Read the best medical quotes on doctors, nurses and the art of healing from Hippocrates, Avicenna, Sushruta, William Osler, Florence Nightingale and more.
“Whatsoever I shall see or hear in the course of my profession, I will never divulge, holding such things to be holy secrets.”
The Hippocratic Oath
ConfidentialityEthics
“The art has three factors: the disease, the patient, the physician.”
Hippocrates
Patient CareMedicine
“The physician must have at his command a certain ready wit, as dourness is repulsive both to the healthy and the sick.”
Hippocrates
Bedside MannerDoctors
“Those diseases which medicines do not cure, the knife cures; those which the knife cannot cure, fire cures.”
Hippocrates
Ancient MedicineTreatment
“The practice of medicine is an art, not a trade; a calling, not a business; a calling in which your heart will be exercised equally with your head.”
William Osler
CallingCompassion
“He who studies medicine without books sails an uncharted sea, but he who studies medicine without patients does not go to sea at all.”
William Osler
Medical EducationExperience
“Medicine is learned by the bedside and not in the classroom.”
William Osler
Medical StudentsExperience
“The secret of the care of the patient is in caring for the patient.”
Francis Peabody
Patient CareCompassion
“The best interest of the patient is the only interest to be considered.”
William J. Mayo
Patient FirstEthics
“Medicine is the science by which we learn the various states of the human body in health and when not in health, and the means by which health is likely to be lost and, when lost, is likely to be restored.”
Avicenna
ScienceDefinition
“The truth in medicine is an unattainable goal, and the art as described in books is far beneath the knowledge of an experienced and thoughtful physician.”
Rhazes (Al-Razi)
ExperienceHumility
“If the physician is able to treat with foodstuffs, not medication, then he has succeeded.”
Rhazes (Al-Razi)
DietNatural Healing
“The surgeon should possess courage, presence of mind, a hand free from tremor and perspiration, and sharp instruments.”
Sushruta
SurgeonsAyurveda
“The physician is God himself.”
Sanskrit Saying (Vaidyo Narayano Harih)
RespectDoctors
“I dressed him, and God healed him.”
Ambroise Pare
HumilityHealing
“I profess both to learn and to teach anatomy, not from books but from dissections; not from the positions of philosophers but from the fabric of nature.”
William Harvey
AnatomyScience
“A man is as old as his arteries.”
Attributed to Thomas Sydenham
AgeingHeart Health
“Medicine is a social science, and politics is nothing else but medicine on a large scale.”
Rudolf Virchow
Public HealthSociety
“Art is I; science is we.”
Claude Bernard
ScienceTeamwork
“Nursing is an art: and if it is to be made an art, it requires an exclusive devotion as hard a preparation as any painter's or sculptor's work.”
Florence Nightingale
NursingDedication
“Were there none who were discontented with what they have, the world would never reach anything better.”
Florence Nightingale
ProgressReform
“You must never so much as think whether you like it or not, whether it is bearable or not; you must never think of anything except the need, and how to meet it.”
Clara Barton
DutyService
“It is not easy to be a pioneer, but oh, it is fascinating!”
Elizabeth Blackwell
Women In MedicinePioneers
“It is wiser to employ a physician who is a friend than one who is a stranger.”
Celsus
TrustDoctors
Related Topics
About Medical Quotes
Medicine is one of humanity's oldest and noblest callings. From ancient healers like Hippocrates and Sushruta to modern doctors and nurses, people who care for the sick have always needed knowledge, courage, patience and a deep respect for every patient. Their words remind us that medicine is both a science and an art.
This collection brings together 200 medical quotes from Hippocrates, Avicenna, Rhazes, Sushruta, William Osler, Florence Nightingale and many more, followed by original WebFunFacts quotes for doctors, nurses and medical students. These quotes are for inspiration only and are not medical advice. For more on wellbeing, explore our [Health Quotes](/topics/health-quotes).
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers about Medical quotes.
What is a famous medical quote?
William Osler said, "The practice of medicine is an art, not a trade; a calling, not a business." Francis Peabody added, "The secret of the care of the patient is in caring for the patient."
What does the Hippocratic Oath say?
The oath includes the promise "I will keep pure and holy both my life and my art," and a pledge to keep patients' private information as "holy secrets."
What did ancient Indian physicians say about medicine?
Sushruta, the father of surgery, wrote that a surgeon needs "courage, presence of mind, a hand free from tremor." A Sanskrit saying honours the doctor as God himself: "Vaidyo Narayano Harih."
What is a good quote for nurses?
Florence Nightingale described nursing as "an art" that "requires an exclusive devotion." Clara Barton said a nurse must "never think of anything except the need, and how to meet it."
What is a good quote for medical students?
Osler advised, "Medicine is learned by the bedside and not in the classroom," and warned that studying without books or without patients both lead you astray.
What are good short medical quotes?
Try "Art is I; science is we," "Good medicine tastes bitter," "Food is medicine," or "I dressed him, and God healed him."