--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As a surgeon you have to have a…" description: "\"As a surgeon you have to have a controlled arrogance. If it's uncontrolled, you kill people, but you have to be pretty arrogant to saw through a person..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be0/mehmet-oz-6522_arrogance_as-a-surgeon-you-have-to-have-a-controll_2060033.png" --- # As a surgeon you have to have a controlled arrogance. If… ![“As a surgeon you have to have a controlled arrogance. If it's uncontrolled, you kill people, but you have to be pretty arrogant to saw through a person's chest, take out their heart and believe you can fix it. Then, when you succeed and the patient survives, you pray, because it's only by the…” quote by Mehmet Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be0/mehmet-oz-6522_arrogance_as-a-surgeon-you-have-to-have-a-controll_2060033.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be0/mehmet-oz-6522_arrogance_as-a-surgeon-you-have-to-have-a-controll_2060033.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be0/mehmet-oz-6522_arrogance_as-a-surgeon-you-have-to-have-a-controll_2060033.png) > “As a surgeon you have to have a controlled arrogance. If it's uncontrolled, you kill people, but you have to be pretty arrogant to saw through a person's chest, take out their heart and believe you can fix it. Then, when you succeed and the patient survives, you pray, because it's only by the grace of God that you get there.” [Mehmet Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-oz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A surgeon must balance confidence with humility; excessive arrogance is dangerous, but a measured self‑assurance is needed to perform high‑risk procedures, acknowledging divine grace. **In simple terms:** Surgeons need confidence tempered by humility and gratitude. Key Takeaway Cultivate confident humility in high‑stakes work. Themes medicine confidence humility spirituality Mood inspirational reflective Type medical philosophical When to use this quote - surgical training - leadership development - personal growth - ethical decision making Key Concepts professionalism risk management faith integration Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance confidence and humility? - In what ways does gratitude influence your performance? A Different Perspective Overconfidence can still lead to errors despite humility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Arrogance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrogance/) [Arrogance Uncontrolled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrogance-uncontrolled-3925311/) [Arrogant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrogant/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Controlled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/controlled/) [Controlled Arrogance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/controlled-arrogance-3925310/) [Doctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctor/) [Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grace/) [Grace of god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grace-of-god/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Patience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patience/) [Patient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patient/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Praying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/praying/) [Saws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saws/) [Succeed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/succeed/) [Surgeon Controlled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surgeon-controlled-3925309/) [Surgeons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surgeons/) ## Related quotes > [If we want to find safe alternatives to obstetrics, we must rediscover midwifery. To rediscover midwifery is the same as giving back childbirth to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-odent/if-we-want-to-find-safe-alternatives-to-obstetrics-we-must-rediscover/) [Michel Odent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-odent/) > [Bypass surgery, angioplasty,and even diagnostic angiograms are so over used that, in my opinion, it constitutes criminal behaviour by the cardiologists and surgeons involved.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-whitaker/bypass-surgery-angioplasty-and-even-diagnostic-angiograms-are-so-over/) [Julian Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-whitaker/) > [In honor of Surgeon General Koop's legacy, we should ensure that the position of surgeon general is protected from political interference, funded appropriately and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-carmona/in-honor-of-surgeon-general-koop-s-legacy-we-should-ensure-that-the/) [Richard Carmona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-carmona/) > [Editing might be a bloody trade. But knives aren't the exclusive property of butchers. Surgeons use them too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-morrison/editing-might-be-a-bloody-trade-but-knives-aren-t-the-exclusive/) [Blake Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-morrison/) > [We became a congresswoman, a stay-at-home mom, a filmmaker, and a journalist. And Lino and I taught our children that they could rise to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-degette/we-became-a-congresswoman-a-stay-at-home-mom-a-filmmaker-and-a/) [Diana DeGette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-degette/) > [Well, we're just a couple of weeks from new President Barack Obama being sworn in. And he's been very busy naming a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/well-we-re-just-a-couple-of-weeks-from-new-president-barack-obama/) [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) > [The best prescription is knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-everett-koop/the-best-prescription-is-knowledge/) [C. Everett Koop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-everett-koop/) > [Men of science, osteologists And surgeons, beat some poets, in respect For nature,-count nought common or unclean, Spend raptures upon perfect specimens Of indurated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/men-of-science-osteologists-and-surgeons-beat-some-poets-in-respect/) [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) > [If you lay a hand on me I'll ram your testicles so far up inside your abdomen it'll take a heart surgeon to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/if-you-lay-a-hand-on-me-i-ll-ram-your-testicles-so-far-up-inside-your/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [...No one died from infection under Keen. ...He (Keen) began to chronicle the results in statistical articles. He was threatened with expulsion from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-douglas/no-one-died-from-infection-under-keen-he-keen-began-to-chronicle-the/) [Paul Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-douglas/) > [My final word, before I'm done, Is "Cancer can be rather fun"- Provided one confronts the tumour with a sufficient sense of humour. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-b-s-haldane/my-final-word-before-i-m-done-is-cancer-can-be-rather-fun-provided/) [John B. S. Haldane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-b-s-haldane/) > [Alex: Rosie, I wanted you to be the first person to no that I’ve decided to become a heart surgeon! Rosie: Cool, does it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/alex-rosie-i-wanted-you-to-be-the-first-person-to-no-that-i-ve/) [Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/) > [If you need someone to come out of the sewer with a wire you don't hire someone who needs laborious collective instruction. You let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-monahan/if-you-need-someone-to-come-out-of-the-sewer-with-a-wire-you-don-t/) [William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-monahan/) > [Heart surgeons do not have the world's smallest egos: when you ask them to name the world's three leading practitioners, they never can remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-paretsky/heart-surgeons-do-not-have-the-world-s-smallest-egos-when-you-ask/) [Sara Paretsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-paretsky/) > [If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/if-lawyers-are-disbarred-and-clergymen-defrocked-doesn-t-it-follow/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) ## More by Mehmet Oz > [I meditate and I'm passionate about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-oz/i-meditate-and-i-m-passionate-about-it/) [Mehmet Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-oz/) > [You cannot drive a system that's going to be aiming at preventing illness if everyone is not in it. The whole gaming of health…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-oz/you-cannot-drive-a-system-that-s-going-to-be-aiming-at-preventing/) [Mehmet Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-oz/) > [If you don't know your blood pressure, it's like not knowing the value of your company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-oz/if-you-don-t-know-your-blood-pressure-it-s-like-not-knowing-the-value/) [Mehmet Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-oz/) > [Before you reach for the saltshaker, consider swapping your snacks for a healthier option.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-oz/before-you-reach-for-the-saltshaker-consider-swapping-your-snacks-for/) [Mehmet Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-oz/) > [It's like, imagine the ripples on top of an ocean. And I'm in a rowboat, reactively dealing with the waves and water coming into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-oz/it-s-like-imagine-the-ripples-on-top-of-an-ocean-and-i-m-in-a-rowboat/) [Mehmet Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-oz/) > [In Turkey, you're not allowed to be left alone in the hospital. The nurse teaches the family how to do things, and somebody is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-oz/in-turkey-you-re-not-allowed-to-be-left-alone-in-the-hospital-the/) [Mehmet Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-oz/) > [Hostility comes from loneliness, from not seeing yourself like a drop falling into the ocean of humanity like everyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-oz/hostility-comes-from-loneliness-from-not-seeing-yourself-like-a-drop/) [Mehmet Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-oz/) > [Reiki has become a sought-after healing art among patients and mainstream medical professionals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-oz/reiki-has-become-a-sought-after-healing-art-among-patients-and/) [Mehmet Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-oz/) > [We don't walk. We overeat because we've made it easy to overeat. We have fast-food joints on every corner. By the way, the 'we'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-oz/we-don-t-walk-we-overeat-because-we-ve-made-it-easy-to-overeat-we/) [Mehmet Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-oz/) > [I like shows that have some level of intelligence to them. When it's not as predictable, when you don't know what's coming at you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-oz/i-like-shows-that-have-some-level-of-intelligence-to-them-when-it-s/) [Mehmet Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-oz/) > [We know what we should and shouldn't put in our mouths, but in those times that pull on our souls, we revert to what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-oz/we-know-what-we-should-and-shouldn-t-put-in-our-mouths-but-in-those/) [Mehmet Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-oz/) > [In my business, if I get too close to you and you die, it hurts me. And so you develop a natural inclination not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-oz/in-my-business-if-i-get-too-close-to-you-and-you-die-it-hurts-me-and/) [Mehmet Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-oz/) > [If you change your lifestyle, remember it's not a wind sprint, but it's a marathon you're embarked on, and you'll be able to stay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-oz/if-you-change-your-lifestyle-remember-it-s-not-a-wind-sprint-but-it-s/) [Mehmet Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-oz/) > [It's difficult to love someone you don't respect, which is hard to remember when you're having an argument.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-oz/it-s-difficult-to-love-someone-you-don-t-respect-which-is-hard-to/) [Mehmet Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-oz/) > [I used to bicycle to work across the George Washington Bridge, but my wife told me it wasn't professional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-oz/i-used-to-bicycle-to-work-across-the-george-washington-bridge-but-my/) [Mehmet Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-oz/) [Explore all 98 Mehmet Oz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-oz/) ## More Arrogance quotes > [Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this \[step by step, from humans to apes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us-with-so-extraordinary-a/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [wishes for sons by Lucille Clifton i wish them cramps. i wish them a strange town and the last tampon. I wish them no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucille-clifton/wishes-for-sons-by-lucille-clifton-i-wish-them-cramps-i-wish-them-a/) [Lucille Clifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucille-clifton/) > [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/) > [What you see of me on TV and all of that, that is me - that's truly how I feel. I'm just multiplying it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baron-corbin/what-you-see-of-me-on-tv-and-all-of-that-that-is-me-that-s-truly-how/) [Baron Corbin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baron-corbin/) > [I don't join the New Atheists. So, for example, I wouldn't have the arrogance to lecture some mother who hopes to see her dying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-don-t-join-the-new-atheists-so-for-example-i-wouldn-t-have-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Never mistake someones quietness for their arrogance as you can surely miss out on an awsome personality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-mistake-someones-quietness-for-their-arrogance-as-you-can/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Most of us think of pride as self-centeredness, conceit, boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness. All of these are elements of the sin, but the heart,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/most-of-us-think-of-pride-as-self-centeredness-conceit-boastfulness/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [“I was consumed by a selfishness and arrogance that I didn't dare let go of until I found a new persona to hide behind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-koomson/i-was-consumed-by-a-selfishness-and-arrogance-that-i-didn-t-dare-let/) [Dorothy Koomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-koomson/) > [Arrogance is the outgrowth of prosperity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/arrogance-is-the-outgrowth-of-prosperity/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [Timing and arrogance are decisive factors in the successful use of talent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marya-mannes/timing-and-arrogance-are-decisive-factors-in-the-successful-use-of/) [Marya Mannes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marya-mannes/) > [Some say work smarter, not harder, but the wisest are both. Whether you're more of a hard worker or a smart worker, if you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colby-tatem/some-say-work-smarter-not-harder-but-the-wisest-are-both-whether-you/) [Colby Tatem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colby-tatem/) > [Closed some doors, not because of pride, incapacity or arrogance, but simply because they no longer lead somewhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frenz-jeffrey/closed-some-doors-not-because-of-pride-incapacity-or-arrogance-but/) [Frenz Jeffrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frenz-jeffrey/) > [My success isn't a result of arrogance - it's a result of belief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-mcgregor/my-success-isn-t-a-result-of-arrogance-it-s-a-result-of-belief/) [Conor McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-mcgregor/) > [“...a great man who is vicious will only be a great doer of evil, and a rich man who is not liberal will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-cervantes/a-great-man-who-is-vicious-will-only-be-a-great-doer-of-evil-and-a/) [Miguel Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-cervantes/) > [An increasing number of people are growing uncomfortable with the gulf between the world's rich and the poor. Ostentatiously splashing your money around simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalle-lasn/an-increasing-number-of-people-are-growing-uncomfortable-with-the/) [Kalle Lasn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalle-lasn/) [Browse all 1,418 Arrogance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrogance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "As a surgeon you have to have a controlled arrogance. If it's uncontrolled, you kill people, but you have to be pretty arrogant to saw through a person's chest, take out their heart and believe you can fix it. 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