--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think we have to do everything that's…" description: "\"I think we have to do everything that's useful. We're doctors. Our job is to tell the truth. And it doesn't have to be embellished in any way.\" — Neal ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e2/neal-barnard-16766_doctor_i-think-we-have-to-do-everything-that-s_747788.jpg" --- # I think we have to do everything that's useful. We're… ![“I think we have to do everything that's useful. We're doctors. Our job is to tell the truth. And it doesn't have to be embellished in any way.” quote by Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e2/neal-barnard-16766_doctor_i-think-we-have-to-do-everything-that-s_747788.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e2/neal-barnard-16766_doctor_i-think-we-have-to-do-everything-that-s_747788.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e2/neal-barnard-16766_doctor_i-think-we-have-to-do-everything-that-s_747788.jpg) > “I think we have to do everything that's useful. We're doctors. Our job is to tell the truth. And it doesn't have to be embellished in any way.” [Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-barnard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Doctors should prioritize honesty and usefulness over embellishment in their communication **In simple terms:** Doctors must be truthful and practical Key Takeaway Speak truthfully and focus on usefulness Themes ethics communication medicine integrity Mood serious informative Type professional ethical When to use this quote - clinical practice - public health messaging - patient consultations Key Concepts medical ethics patient trust clarity Questions to Reflect On - How can doctors balance honesty with empathy? - When is detail essential for patient care? A Different Perspective Over‑emphasis on simplicity may ignore necessary nuance ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Doctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctor/) [Doctors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctors/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Telling the truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telling-the-truth/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [I said in an interview at the time that God's job is not to make sick people healthy. That's the doctors' job. God's job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-s-kushner/i-said-in-an-interview-at-the-time-that-god-s-job-is-not-to-make-sick/) [Harold S. Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-s-kushner/) > [My job as an actor has inspired generations of children to become doctors. 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It was a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-clark/eugene-smith-was-always-writing-these-diatribes-about-truth-and-how/) [Larry Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-clark/) > [Tell the truth or trump-but get the trick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/tell-the-truth-or-trump-but-get-the-trick/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [When you're playing country music, you have to tell the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-kane/when-you-re-playing-country-music-you-have-to-tell-the-truth/) [Christian Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-kane/) > [Tell the truth and you won't have so much to remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/tell-the-truth-and-you-won-t-have-so-much-to-remember/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [It requires as much to tell the truth as to conceal it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baltasar-gracian/it-requires-as-much-to-tell-the-truth-as-to-conceal-it/) [Baltasar Gracian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baltasar-gracian/) ## More by Neal Barnard > [If we studied human beings which can include human genes, human blood samples, and human behavior, then you can leave the animals out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/if-we-studied-human-beings-which-can-include-human-genes-human-blood/) [Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-barnard/) > [If some people think, "Why am I eating a dead bird soaked in poop?" I think if some people get disgusted by that, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/if-some-people-think-why-am-i-eating-a-dead-bird-soaked-in-poop-i/) [Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-barnard/) > [Medicine is often conservative and slow to incorporate something that wasn't there before and that we're afraid people are going to laugh at us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/medicine-is-often-conservative-and-slow-to-incorporate-something-that/) [Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-barnard/) > [It's much better to say, "If the herd is running, I'm running with those guys." 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Although I started to rethink that when I learned that Albert Einstein…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/i-thought-being-a-musician-doesn-t-help-your-medical-credibility/) [Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-barnard/) > [It doesn't do a lot of good for your health to move from red meat to white meat, but it gets you further down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barnard/it-doesn-t-do-a-lot-of-good-for-your-health-to-move-from-red-meat-to/) [Neal Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-barnard/) > [I was aware of what animals go through because I had driven animals to slaughter and I'd killed animals. 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