167 Quotes by Bernie Siegel

Act as if you are the person you want to be.

The thing you see in survivors is that they express feelings - I won't say some of the things they tell their doctors, when doctors tell them they're going to die in six months. Boy, do they let the doctor know how they feel about that statement.

So you grow up with those messages, "You're a failure, you embarrass me, that's why I dress you in dark colors etc." or even when parents commit suicide, the child may think they were a failure as a child causing that. The majority of those people who weren't loved turn to drugs and alcohol and suicide.

Physicians need to be good technicians and know how to prescribe, but for healing to occur they also need to incorporate philosophy and spirituality into their treatment. We need to feel as well as think.

The fundamental problem most patients have is an inability to love themselves, having been unloved by others during some crucial part of their lives.

The mind and body are not separate units, but one integrated system. How we act and what we think, eat, and feel are all related to our health. Physicians should be capable of teaching this behavior to patients.

Hoping means seeing that the outcome you want is possible and then working for it.

As doctors, we are not trained to communicate and understand the power of our words as they relate to a patient's ability and desire to survive.

The #1 problem most patients face is the inability to love themselves