--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The medical profession is - and knows…" description: "\"The medical profession is - and knows itself to be - endemically conservative and conformist.\" — Margaret Heffernan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56d/margaret-heffernan-6923_conformist_the-medical-profession-is-and-knows-itse_1625832.jpg" --- # The medical profession is - and knows itself to be… ![“The medical profession is - and knows itself to be - endemically conservative and conformist.” quote by Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56d/margaret-heffernan-6923_conformist_the-medical-profession-is-and-knows-itse_1625832.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56d/margaret-heffernan-6923_conformist_the-medical-profession-is-and-knows-itse_1625832.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56d/margaret-heffernan-6923_conformist_the-medical-profession-is-and-knows-itse_1625832.jpg) > “The medical profession is - and knows itself to be - endemically conservative and conformist.” [Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The medical field is inherently cautious, resisting change and adhering to tradition. **In simple terms:** Medicine tends to be conservative and conformist. Key Takeaway Encourage critical evaluation of entrenched practices. Themes medicine conservatism institutional inertia Mood analytical critical Type professional philosophical When to use this quote - healthcare reform - innovation adoption - policy change Key Concepts systemic resistance professional culture Questions to Reflect On - Why is the medical profession resistant to change? - How can innovation be introduced responsibly? A Different Perspective Conservatism can protect patient safety. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conformist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conformist/) [Conservative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservative/) [Conservative Conformist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservative-conformist-333825/) [Endemically Conservative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/endemically-conservative-333824/) [Itself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/itself/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Medical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medical/) [Medical profession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medical-profession/) [Profession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profession/) ## Related quotes > [Men have been adjudicating on what women are, and how they should behave, for millennia through the institutions of social control such as religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-jeffreys/men-have-been-adjudicating-on-what-women-are-and-how-they-should/) [Sheila Jeffreys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-jeffreys/) > [In selling his scheme, Obama has been promoting the myth that our system is no better than those of other advanced nations. 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They are all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-medical-profession-is-a-conspiracy-to-hide-its-own-shortcomings/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [The specific disease doctrine is the grand refuge of weak, uncultured, unstable minds, such as now rule in the medical profession. There are no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-nightingale/the-specific-disease-doctrine-is-the-grand-refuge-of-weak-uncultured/) [Florence Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-nightingale/) > [The individual who violates the rules in a zealous search for an answer to the problem may overstep the bounds and thereby suffer the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morris-fishbein/the-individual-who-violates-the-rules-in-a-zealous-search-for-an/) [Morris Fishbein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morris-fishbein/) ## More by Margaret Heffernan > [Companies are bought for their revenue, customer base, technology, or people. 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I'd even be happy to hear an honest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/i-don-t-mind-if-the-couple-next-to-me-is-tense-or-the-kids-are-whiny/) [Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/) > [British innovation in design, in the creative arts, in engineering and manufacturing is world class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/british-innovation-in-design-in-the-creative-arts-in-engineering-and/) [Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/) > [Huge open source organizations like Red Hat and Mozilla manage the collaboration of hundreds of people who don't know one another and have spent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/huge-open-source-organizations-like-red-hat-and-mozilla-manage-the/) [Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/) > [Words are how people think. When you misuse words, you diminish your ability to think clearly and truthfully.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/words-are-how-people-think-when-you-misuse-words-you-diminish-your/) [Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/) > [“Humans do not have enough mental capacity to do all the things that we think we can do. As attentional load increases, attentional capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/humans-do-not-have-enough-mental-capacity-to-do-all-the-things-that/) [Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/) > [“Those who consistently attempt multitasking find it harder to ignore irrelevant information and take longer moving between tasks—in other words, for all their frantic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/those-who-consistently-attempt-multitasking-find-it-harder-to-ignore/) [Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/) > [The healthiest companies are always characterized by organic talent development.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/the-healthiest-companies-are-always-characterized-by-organic-talent/) [Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/) [Explore all 96 Margaret Heffernan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/) ## More Conformist quotes > [Today it is the skeptics who are the social conformists, though because of powerful intellectual propaganda they continue to enjoy thinking of themselves as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/today-it-is-the-skeptics-who-are-the-social-conformists-though/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [Education, for most people, means trying to lead the child to resemble the typical adult of his society . . . but for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/education-for-most-people-means-trying-to-lead-the-child-to-resemble/) [Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/) > [While my dad is a rebel at heart, I am a conformist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivaan-shah/while-my-dad-is-a-rebel-at-heart-i-am-a-conformist/) [Vivaan Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivaan-shah/) > [Our legal system, including the police, is anti-Dalit and anti-poor. The death penalty laws' wrathful majesty, in blood-shot equality, deals the fatal blow on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-r-krishna-iyer/our-legal-system-including-the-police-is-anti-dalit-and-anti-poor-the/) [V. R. Krishna Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-r-krishna-iyer/) > [Only conformists are ever adored.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-breillat/only-conformists-are-ever-adored/) [Catherine Breillat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-breillat/) > [The American people...have a stake in non-conformity. 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Its icon is the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/f-or-the-most-part-football-these-days-is-the-opium-of-the-people-not/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) [Browse all 143 Conformist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conformist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The medical profession is - and knows itself to be - endemically conservative and conformist.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Margaret Heffernan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/the-medical-profession-is-and-knows-itself-to-be-endemically/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Conformist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/the-medical-profession-is-and-knows-itself-to-be-endemically/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56d/margaret-heffernan-6923_conformist_the-medical-profession-is-and-knows-itse_1625832.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56d/margaret-heffernan-6923_conformist_the-medical-profession-is-and-knows-itse_1625832.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56d/margaret-heffernan-6923_conformist_the-medical-profession-is-and-knows-itse_1625832.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The medical profession is - and knows itself to be - endemically conservative and conformist.” — Margaret Heffernan", "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": "Margaret Heffernan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The medical profession is - and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/the-medical-profession-is-and-knows-itself-to-be-endemically/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/the-medical-profession-is-and-knows-itself-to-be-endemically/#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 } } ] } ```