William Osler Quotes

A collection of quotes by William Osler.

William Osler (1849-1919) was a renowned Canadian physician and one of the founding fathers of modern medicine. He is known for his immense contributions to the field of clinical practice, medical education, and medical literature. Osler championed the importance of bedside teaching, emphasizing direct interaction between physicians and patients. As a professor, he taught at prestigious institutions such as McGill University and the University of Pennsylvania before becoming the Regius Professor of Medicine at Oxford University. Osler's dedication to advancing medical knowledge and his emphasis on empathy and compassion have left an indelible mark on the practice of medicine worldwide.

Study until twenty five, investigate until forty, profession

Study until twenty five, investigate until forty, profession until sixty, at which age I would have him retired on a double allowance.

There is a form that springs from the heart, heard every day

There is a form that springs from the heart, heard every day in the merry voice of childhood, the expression of a laughter-loving spirit that defies analysis by the philosopher, which has nothing rigid or mechanical in it, and is totally without social significance. Bubbling spontaneously from the artless heart of child or man, without egoism and full of feeling, laughter is the music of life.

No human being is constituted to know the truth, the whole t

No human being is constituted to know the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth; and even the best of men must be content with fragments, with partial glimpses, never the full fruition.

In seeking absolute truth we aim at the unattainable, and mu

In seeking absolute truth we aim at the unattainable, and must be content with finding broken portions.

To have striven, to have made the effort, to have been true

To have striven, to have made the effort, to have been true to certain ideals - this alone is worth the struggle.

We are here to add what we can to life, not to get what we c

We are here to add what we can to life, not to get what we can from life.

There seems to be no limit to the possibilities of scientifi

There seems to be no limit to the possibilities of scientific medicine, and while philanthropists are turning to it as to the hope of humanity, philosophers see, as in some far-off vision, a science from which may come in the prophetic words of the Son of Sirach, Peace over all the earth.

Science Peace Vision

Every one of you will have to face the ordeal of every stude

Every one of you will have to face the ordeal of every student in this generation who sooner or later tries to mix the waters of science with the oil of faith. You can have a good deal of both if you only keep them separate. The worry comes from the attempt at mixture.

Science Faith Worry

One special advantage of the skeptical attitude of mind is t

One special advantage of the skeptical attitude of mind is that a man is never vexed to find that after all he has been in the wrong.

Truth Man Mind Wrongs Skepticism

There are, in truth, no specialties in medicine, since to kn

There are, in truth, no specialties in medicine, since to know fully many of the most important diseases a man must be familiar with their manifestations in many organs.

The young physician starts life with 20 drugs for each disea

The young physician starts life with 20 drugs for each disease, and the old physician ends life with one drug for 20 diseases.

In science the credit goes to the man who convinces the worl

In science the credit goes to the man who convinces the world, not to the man to whom the idea first occurs.

Things cannot always go your way. Learn to accept in silence

Things cannot always go your way. Learn to accept in silence the minor aggravations, cultivate the gift of taciturnity and consume your own smoke with an extra draught of hard work, so that those about you may not be annoyed with the dust and soot of your complaints.

As it can be maintained that all the great advances have com

As it can be maintained that all the great advances have come from men under forty, so the history of the world shows that a very large proportion of the evils may be traced to the sexagenarians, nearly all the great mistakes politically and socially, all of the worst poems, most of the bad pictures, a majority of the bad novels and not a few of the bad sermons and speeches.

Live neither in the past nor in the future, but let each day

Live neither in the past nor in the future, but let each day's work absorb your entire energies, and satisfy your widest ambition.

The only way to treat the common cold is with contempt.

The only way to treat the common cold is with contempt.

What is the student but a lover courting a fickle mistress w

What is the student but a lover courting a fickle mistress who ever eludes his grasp?

The greater the ignorance the greater the dogmatism.

The greater the ignorance the greater the dogmatism.

Ignorance & Stupidity

Failure to examine the throat is a glaring sin of omission,

Failure to examine the throat is a glaring sin of omission, especially in children. One finger in the throat and one in the rectum makes a good diagnostician.

Soap and water and common sense are the best disinfectants.

Soap and water and common sense are the best disinfectants.