Abraham Flexner Quotes

Which may indeed be said to have become the ruling passion of intellectual life in modern times.
ABRAHAM FLEXNER

Become Indeed Intellectual Modern Passion Ruling Time
Curiosity, which may or may not eventuate in something useful, is probably the most outstanding characteristic of modern thinking .
ABRAHAM FLEXNER

Characteristic Curiosity Oustanding Passion Probably Thinking Useful
There are men who teach best by not teaching at all.
ABRAHAM FLEXNER

Best Knowledge Man Teacher Teaching
We must not overlook the role that extremists play. They are the gadflies that keep society from being too complacent.
ABRAHAM FLEXNER

Empathy Extremist Keep Liberty Overlook Play Society
As to personnel other than those designed to promote the objects for which this institution is established, and particularly with no regard whatever to accidents of race, creed, or sex
ABRAHAM FLEXNER

Accident Designed Established Institution Object Personnel Promote Sex
Science, in the very act of solving problems, creates more of them.
ABRAHAM FLEXNER

Act Dolve Math Motivational Problem Science
At no period of [Michael Faraday’s] unmatched career was he interested in utility.
ABRAHAM FLEXNER

Absorbed Career Curiosity Interested Period Science Unmatched
The real enemy is the man who tries to mold the human spirit so that it will not dare to spread its wings.
ABRAHAM FLEXNER

Dare Enemy Human Man Mold Real Spirit Wing
We feel strongly that the spirit characteristic of America at its noblest, above all the pursuit of higher learning, cannot admit of any conditions .
ABRAHAM FLEXNER

America Characteristic Leaning Noblest Race Strongly
The more likely they are to contribute not only to human welfare, but to the equally important satisfaction of intellectual interest
ABRAHAM FLEXNER

Contribute Equally Human Important More Satisfaction Welfare
The new naval treaty permits the United States to spend a billion dollars on warships-a sum greater than has been accumulated by all our endowed institutions of learning in their entire history.
ABRAHAM FLEXNER

Billion Dollar Government Greater Permit Treaty United States War
We must not overlook the role that extremists play. They are the gadflies that keep society from being too complacent or self-satisfied; they are, if sound
ABRAHAM FLEXNER

Extremist Gadflies Play Role Science Self Society
Unintelligence could go no further! … In Great Britain, the situation is similar. … Until the figures are reversed, … nations deceive themselves as to what they care about most.
ABRAHAM FLEXNER

Country Further Gadflies Great Similar Situation Unintelligence
You have had your last bad meal. But, you have also heard your last honest compliment, and you have lost your last true friend.
ABRAHAM FLEXNER

Compliment Friend Honest Last Lost Meal True
Institutions of learning should be devoted to the cultivation of curiosity, and the less they are deflected by the consideration of immediacy of application
ABRAHAM FLEXNER

Curiosity Deflected Devoted Institution Learning
The spearhead of progress. If they are fundamentally wrong, free discussion will in time put an end to them.
ABRAHAM FLEXNER

Discussion End Fundamentally Progress Spearhead Time Wrong
The student is to collect and evaluate facts. The facts are locked up in the patient.
ABRAHAM FLEXNER

Collect Evaluate Fact Locked Patient Student
The world in which we live is the only world about which our senses can testify.
ABRAHAM FLEXNER

Live Sense Testify World
Nations have recently been led to borrow billions for war; no nation has ever borrowed largely for education.
ABRAHAM FLEXNER

Borrowed Education Largely Money Nation Peace
No nation is rich enough to pay for both war and civilization. We must make our choice; we cannot have both.
ABRAHAM FLEXNER

Choice Civilization Enough Nation Our Pay Rich
As far as he cared, the question of utility was never raised.
ABRAHAM FLEXNER

Cared never Question Raised Utility
Mathematicians, like cows in the dark, all look alike to me.
ABRAHAM FLEXNER

Alike Cow Dark Look Mathematician
A patient had a 50-50 chance of benefiting from visiting a physician as of 1910. Medicine was more like voodoo than science until the 20th Century.
ABRAHAM FLEXNER

Benefiting Medicine More Patient
Any suspicion of utility would have restricted his restless curiosity. In the end, utility resulted, but it was never a criterion to which his ceaseless experimentation could be subjected.
ABRAHAM FLEXNER

Curiosity Restless Resulted Suspicion Utility
He was absorbed in disentangling the riddles of the universe, at first chemical riddles, in later periods, physical riddles.
ABRAHAM FLEXNER

Assorted Chemical Disentangling Period Physical Riddle Universe
Medical education is not just a program for building knowledge and skills in its recipients… it is also an experience which creates attitudes and expectations.
ABRAHAM FLEXNER

Attitude Education Knowledge Recipients Skill Teaching

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