Philosophical

Either way, what we do matters. What we do affects the outcome.

This act of choosing — the stories we tell versus the stories we leave out — will reverberate across the rest of your life.

I learned that unlikely events — the things we say could never happen to us — happen all the time, because there are so many possible unlikely events that a few of them will happen.

The art of medicine means telling someone what they may already know at some deep non-verbal level, something they may fear or vaguely anticipate, and communicating that something in a way that offers insight and compassion.

'Wait, what' is at the root of all understanding. 'I wonder' is at the heart of all curiosity. 'Couldn't we at least' is the beginning of all progress. 'How can I help' is at the base of all good relationships. And 'what really matters' gets you to the heart of life.

Avoid a life plan. You cannot imagine what will be invented in the future. You cannot imagine the opportunities that will be presented. A life plan will limit your future. Instead, spend your time developing a life philosophy.

Your conscience shouts, 'here's what you should do,' while your intuition whispers, 'here's what you could do.' Listen to that voice that tells you what you could do. Nothing will define your character more than that.

Construction is far more difficult because it requires the capacity to imagine something new and better, and the willingness to exert ourselves toward building it, even at the risk of failure.

You must be weak before the world, because love and listening weaken you. They make you vulnerable. They break you open.

Conversations about grass length and the weather are really conversations about how we are going to get through, and how we are going to get through together.

The stumbler doesn't build her life by being better than others, but by being better than she used to be.

The world is not a meritocracy, but merit still matters. The world isn't fair, but being fair still matters. The world is unkind, but being kind still matters, perhaps more than anything.