---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My lectures were highly esteemed, but my…"
description: "\"My lectures were highly esteemed, but my operations less thought of, so that I am of opinion that my operations rather kept down my practice, than incr..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c65/astley-cooper-38541_biographies_my-lectures-were-highly-esteemed-but-my_1189628.jpg"
---

#  My lectures were highly esteemed, but my operations less…

![“My lectures were highly esteemed, but my operations less thought of, so that I am of opinion that my operations rather kept down my practice, than increased it.” quote by Astley Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c65/astley-cooper-38541_biographies_my-lectures-were-highly-esteemed-but-my_1189628.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c65/astley-cooper-38541_biographies_my-lectures-were-highly-esteemed-but-my_1189628.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c65/astley-cooper-38541_biographies_my-lectures-were-highly-esteemed-but-my_1189628.jpg)

> “My lectures were highly esteemed, but my operations less thought of, so that I am of opinion that my operations rather kept down my practice, than increased it.”

[Astley Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astley-cooper/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

He believed his surgical work harmed his reputation more than his teaching helped it.

**In simple terms:** Surgery hurt his practice more than teaching helped.

Key Takeaway

Balance clinical work with teaching.

Themes

reputation medicine career balance

Mood

reflective analytical

Type

professional historical

When to use this quote

- hospital practice
- academic medicine
- public perception
- career planning

Key Concepts

professionalism self‑assessment

Questions to Reflect On

- How can surgeons protect their reputation while innovating?
- What role does teaching play in a medical career?

A Different Perspective

He may have undervalued the long‑term benefits of surgical innovation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Lectures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lectures/) [Opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinion/) [Practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practice/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/)

## Related quotes

> [My lectures were highly esteemed, but I am of opinion my operations rather kept down my practice, than increased it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astley-cooper/my-lectures-were-highly-esteemed-but-i-am-of-opinion-my-operations/)

[Astley Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astley-cooper/)

> [My progress on the piano and my motivation to practice increased dramatically when I caught a vision of my potential.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-l-dew/my-progress-on-the-piano-and-my-motivation-to-practice-increased/)

[Sheri L. Dew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-l-dew/)

> [Civilization advances by extending the number of important operations which we can perform without thinking about them. Operations of thought are cavalry charges in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/civilization-advances-by-extending-the-number-of-important-operations/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [“It is a profoundly erroneous truism repeated by all copybooks, and by eminent people when they are making speeches, that we should cultivate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-d-hirsch-jr-2/it-is-a-profoundly-erroneous-truism-repeated-by-all-copybooks-and-by/)

E.D. Hirsch Jr

> [“Reality is a professor, all its lectures are truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/reality-is-a-professor-all-its-lectures-are-truth/)

[Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/)

> [The poem might come to you as you're preparing to teach a lecture, right? And when you say, "no" to that occasion, that poem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-geok-lin-lim/the-poem-might-come-to-you-as-you-re-preparing-to-teach-a-lecture/)

[Shirley Geok-lin Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-geok-lin-lim/)

> [It's easier to lecture women on sexual morality than it is to explain why all Americans shouldn't have comprehensive, fair, and equal health care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-plimpton/it-s-easier-to-lecture-women-on-sexual-morality-than-it-is-to-explain/)

[Martha Plimpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-plimpton/)

> [I am devoting my lecture in this seminar to a discussion of the possibility that we are now entering a Jewish century, a time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-a-siegel/i-am-devoting-my-lecture-in-this-seminar-to-a-discussion-of-the/)

Martin A. Siegel

> [The modern school without systematic lectures turns out many graduates who lack retention. No sooner has the sound of the word left their teacher's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arturo-alfonso-schomburg/the-modern-school-without-systematic-lectures-turns-out-many/)

[Arturo Alfonso Schomburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arturo-alfonso-schomburg/)

> [I was married to a law student, and I used to attend classes with him at Georgetown University Law Center. Being of dramatic bent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luanne-rice/i-was-married-to-a-law-student-and-i-used-to-attend-classes-with-him/)

[Luanne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luanne-rice/)

> [To the distracting occupations belong especially my lecture courses which I am holding this winter for the first time, and which now cost much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-friedrich-gauss/to-the-distracting-occupations-belong-especially-my-lecture-courses/)

[Carl Friedrich Gauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-friedrich-gauss/)

> [I haven't been silent. I teach, I lecture at universities, I write, I'm not silent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/i-haven-t-been-silent-i-teach-i-lecture-at-universities-i-write-i-m/)

[Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/)

> [The world around us is an increasingly hostile and sinful place. Occasionally that splashes onto us, and perhaps, in the case of a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-world-around-us-is-an-increasingly-hostile-and-sinful-place/)

[Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/)

> [The structure of the Swiss ruling class is rock-hard, and unchanged since the time of Napoleon. They sit on their mountains and lecture the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-ziegler/the-structure-of-the-swiss-ruling-class-is-rock-hard-and-unchanged/)

[Jean Ziegler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-ziegler/)

> [Every wife ought to answer for her man. If the husband be engaged in a seditious club, or drinks mysterious healths, or be frugal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/every-wife-ought-to-answer-for-her-man-if-the-husband-be-engaged-in-a/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

## More by Astley Cooper

> [In collecting evidence upon any medical subject, there are but three sources from which we can hope to obtain it; viz. from observation on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astley-cooper/in-collecting-evidence-upon-any-medical-subject-there-are-but-three/)

[Astley Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astley-cooper/)

> [The means by which I preserve my own health are, temperance, early rising, and spunging the body every morning with cold water, a practice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astley-cooper/the-means-by-which-i-preserve-my-own-health-are-temperance-early/)

[Astley Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astley-cooper/)

> [It is the surgeon’s duty to tranquillize the temper, to beget cheerfulness, and to impart confidence of recovery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astley-cooper/it-is-the-surgeon-s-duty-to-tranquillize-the-temper-to-beget/)

[Astley Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astley-cooper/)

> [Nothing is known in our profession by guess; and I do not believe, that from the first dawn of medical science to the present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astley-cooper/nothing-is-known-in-our-profession-by-guess-and-i-do-not-believe-that/)

[Astley Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astley-cooper/)

> [My lectures were highly esteemed, but I am of opinion my operations rather kept down my practice, than increased it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astley-cooper/my-lectures-were-highly-esteemed-but-i-am-of-opinion-my-operations/)

[Astley Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astley-cooper/)

> [If you are too fond of new remedies, first you will not cure your patients; secondly, you will have no patients to cure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astley-cooper/if-you-are-too-fond-of-new-remedies-first-you-will-not-cure-your/)

[Astley Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astley-cooper/)

> [I have made many mistakes myself; in learning the anatomy of the eye I dare say, I have spoiled a hatfull; the best surgeon,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astley-cooper/i-have-made-many-mistakes-myself-in-learning-the-anatomy-of-the-eye-i/)

[Astley Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astley-cooper/)

> [In the collecting of evidence upon any medical subject, there are but three sources from which we can hope to obtain it: viz. from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astley-cooper/in-the-collecting-of-evidence-upon-any-medical-subject-there-are-but/)

[Astley Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astley-cooper/)

> [Having made a sufficient opening to admit my finger into the abdomen, I passed it between the intestines to the spine, and felt the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astley-cooper/having-made-a-sufficient-opening-to-admit-my-finger-into-the-abdomen/)

[Astley Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astley-cooper/)

> [In the performance of our duty one feeling should direct us; the case we should consider as our own, and we should ask ourselves,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astley-cooper/in-the-performance-of-our-duty-one-feeling-should-direct-us-the-case/)

[Astley Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astley-cooper/)

[Explore all 11 Astley Cooper quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astley-cooper/)

## More Biographies quotes

> [Don't be afraid of hard work. Nothing worthwhile comes easily. Don't let others discourage you or tell you that you can't do it. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-b-elion/don-t-be-afraid-of-hard-work-nothing-worthwhile-comes-easily-don-t/)

[Gertrude B. Elion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-b-elion/)

> [The last act in the biography of the hero is that of the death or departure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-last-act-in-the-biography-of-the-hero-is-that-of-the-death-or/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [If I were entering adulthood now instead of in the environment of fifty years ago, I would choose a career that kept me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/if-i-were-entering-adulthood-now-instead-of-in-the-environment-of/)

[Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/)

> [I have my own biography of Gram Parsons - I don't want to be part of somebody else's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmylou-harris/i-have-my-own-biography-of-gram-parsons-i-don-t-want-to-be-part-of/)

[Emmylou Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmylou-harris/)

> [Biographies of great, but especially of good men are most instructive and useful as helps, guides, and incentives to others. Some of the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/biographies-of-great-but-especially-of-good-men-are-most-instructive/)

[Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/)

> [All Philosophy is Biography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-j-carroll/all-philosophy-is-biography/)

[Peter J. Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-j-carroll/)

> [Life is a biography, not a series of disconnected moments, more or less pleasurable but increasingly tedious and unsatisfying unless one imposes a purposive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/life-is-a-biography-not-a-series-of-disconnected-moments-more-or-less/)

[Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/)

> [I hope any poem I've ever written could stand on its own and not need to be a part of biography, critical theory or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-goldbarth/i-hope-any-poem-i-ve-ever-written-could-stand-on-its-own-and-not-need/)

[Albert Goldbarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-goldbarth/)

> [The richly cadenced prose is hypnotic, the research prodigious, the analysis acute, the mood spellbinding, and the cast of characters mythic in scale. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/the-richly-cadenced-prose-is-hypnotic-the-research-prodigious-the/)

[Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/)

> [ I read so ravenously that I would read through whole categories. I was crazy about reading biographies. \[...\] I think biographies are very urgent… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-read-so-ravenously-that-i-would-read-through-whole-categories-i-was/)

[Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/)

> [I don't want to say that most rock bands live these formulaic biography existences - but they kinda do. There's always a divorce. There's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-grohl/i-don-t-want-to-say-that-most-rock-bands-live-these-formulaic/)

[Dave Grohl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-grohl/)

> [Formerly Milton's Paradise Lost had been my chief favourite, and in my excursions during the voyage of the Beagle, when I could take only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/formerly-milton-s-paradise-lost-had-been-my-chief-favourite-and-in-my/)

[Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/)

> [On the other hand, when I give it closer thought, I realize I'm not enough of a dictator to conduct an orchestra because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eberhard-weber/on-the-other-hand-when-i-give-it-closer-thought-i-realize-i-m-not/)

[Eberhard Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eberhard-weber/)

> [It can be a long gap between the emergence of fully researched historical biographies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonia-fraser/it-can-be-a-long-gap-between-the-emergence-of-fully-researched/)

[Antonia Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonia-fraser/)

> [Always live your life with your biography in mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/always-live-your-life-with-your-biography-in-mind/)

[Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/)

Browse all 587 Biographies quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "My lectures were highly esteemed, but my operations less thought of, so that I am of opinion that my operations rather kept down my practice, than increased it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Astley Cooper"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astley-cooper/my-lectures-were-highly-esteemed-but-my-operations-less-thought-of-so/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Biographies"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astley-cooper/my-lectures-were-highly-esteemed-but-my-operations-less-thought-of-so/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c65/astley-cooper-38541_biographies_my-lectures-were-highly-esteemed-but-my_1189628.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c65/astley-cooper-38541_biographies_my-lectures-were-highly-esteemed-but-my_1189628.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c65/astley-cooper-38541_biographies_my-lectures-were-highly-esteemed-but-my_1189628.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“My lectures were highly esteemed, but my operations less thought of, so that I am of opinion that my…” — Astley Cooper",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Astley Cooper",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astley-cooper/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "My lectures were highly esteemed, but...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astley-cooper/my-lectures-were-highly-esteemed-but-my-operations-less-thought-of-so/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astley-cooper/my-lectures-were-highly-esteemed-but-my-operations-less-thought-of-so/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
