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I wasn't driven into medicine by a social conscience but by rampant curiosity.
Jonathan Miller
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Curiosity, rather than altruism, motivated the pursuit of medicine.

In this quote, Jonathan Miller emphasizes that his choice to enter the field of medicine was primarily driven by his desire to understand and explore the complexities of the human body and healing processes, rather than a sense of duty to help others. This highlights the importance of curiosity as a fundamental aspect of pursuing knowledge and a career in science, reinforcing that personal interests can lead to significant contributions in healthcare.

Themes

CuriosityMedicineLearningScienceMotivation

In practice

Example use cases

During a medical conference, a speaker mentioned Miller's quote to emphasize the importance of curiosity in medical innovation.

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What makes literature interesting is that it does not survive its translation. The characters in a novel are made out of the sentences. That's what their substance is.
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You spend ten years of your life being trained to do one thing, and you're being taught to think that it's the most serious thing that anyone could possibly do, and then suddenly you find yourself doing something that in some respects is the epitome of frivolity.
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