--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A respect for authority is the basis for…" description: "\"A respect for authority is the basis for most medical education. Students may become so used to memorising that they become prey to the illusion that t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/526/petr-skrabanek-53980_authority_a-respect-for-authority-is-the-basis-for_768552.png" --- # A respect for authority is the basis for most medical… ![“A respect for authority is the basis for most medical education. Students may become so used to memorising that they become prey to the illusion that the reason for learning to parrot lectures and textbooks is that they are the 'truth'.” quote by Petr Skrabanek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/526/petr-skrabanek-53980_authority_a-respect-for-authority-is-the-basis-for_768552.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/526/petr-skrabanek-53980_authority_a-respect-for-authority-is-the-basis-for_768552.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/526/petr-skrabanek-53980_authority_a-respect-for-authority-is-the-basis-for_768552.png) > “A respect for authority is the basis for most medical education. Students may become so used to memorising that they become prey to the illusion that the reason for learning to parrot lectures and textbooks is that they are the 'truth'.” [Petr Skrabanek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petr-skrabanek/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Medical training often treats knowledge as immutable truth, discouraging critical thinking and understanding of underlying principles. **In simple terms:** Students may memorize without questioning. Key Takeaway Encourage inquiry over rote memorization. Themes education authority critical thinking Mood reflective serious Type educational philosophical When to use this quote - clinical rotations - study groups - curriculum design - exam preparation Key Concepts epistemology medical pedagogy Questions to Reflect On - How can educators balance factual recall with conceptual understanding? - What incentives promote questioning in medical school? A Different Perspective Rote learning can still be useful for foundational facts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Bases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bases/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Illusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illusion/) [Lectures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lectures/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Medical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medical/) [Medical education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medical-education/) [Memorising](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memorising-492536/) [Parrot Lectures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parrot-lectures-5945234/) [Parrots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parrots/) [Prey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prey/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/) [Respect Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect-authority-1121830/) [Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students/) [Textbooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/textbooks/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used/) ## Related quotes > [The important thing with memorising a part is not to force it. Sometimes when you're rehearsing, you'll think it's not going in, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-fearon/the-important-thing-with-memorising-a-part-is-not-to-force-it/) [Ray Fearon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-fearon/) > [Sometimes you go to a show, and you see someone and think they're not there right now. They're performing, but it's muscle memory. 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I look at it a few times and it is pretty much there. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-lamberg/memorising-my-lines-is-actually-something-i-do-fairly-well-i-look-at/) [Adam Lamberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-lamberg/) > [I was always pretty good at school, but a lot of it was memorising, maybe cheating off your mates, stuff that gets you through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lampard/i-was-always-pretty-good-at-school-but-a-lot-of-it-was-memorising/) [Frank Lampard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lampard/) > [...Only physicians are likely to be regarded as competent to judge the qualifications of potential physicians, so licensing boards in the various states...are typically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/only-physicians-are-likely-to-be-regarded-as-competent-to-judge-the/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [“Cursed medical education.It's bad enough to suffer from one's overindulgences.It's worse when you have to worry about obscure pathologies that haunt you every time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/cursed-medical-education-it-s-bad-enough-to-suffer-from-one-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The dilemma of modern medicine, and the underlying central flaw in medical education and, most of all, in the training of interns, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/the-dilemma-of-modern-medicine-and-the-underlying-central-flaw-in/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [“Flexner's good intentions had laid the groundwork for the specialty- and research-dominated system of medical education that still stands- the more prestigious the school,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-abramson/flexner-s-good-intentions-had-laid-the-groundwork-for-the-specialty/) [John Abramson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-abramson/) > [Reimbursement is a major determinant of how medicine is practiced. When reimbursement changes, so do medical practice and medical education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-ornish/reimbursement-is-a-major-determinant-of-how-medicine-is-practiced/) [Dean Ornish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-ornish/) > [“Over the years, I have cared for loved ones with advanced Alzheimer, late stage cardiovascular and renal disease and Stage 4 cancer. But none…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-dimmock/over-the-years-i-have-cared-for-loved-ones-with-advanced-alzheimer/) [Mary Dimmock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-dimmock/) > [First of all, I hated the medical profession. Medical education in Egypt was taken from the British, French, colonial educational system. And it's very,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nawal-el-saadawi/first-of-all-i-hated-the-medical-profession-medical-education-in/) [Nawal El Saadawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nawal-el-saadawi/) > [Medical education is not just a program for building knowledge and skills in its recipients... it is also an experience which creates attitudes and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-flexner/medical-education-is-not-just-a-program-for-building-knowledge-and/) [Abraham Flexner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-flexner/) ## More by Petr Skrabanek > [Until the 19th century, the term 'to consume' was used mainly in its negative connotations of 'destruction' and 'waste'. Tuberculosis was known as 'consumption',…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petr-skrabanek/until-the-19th-century-the-term-to-consume-was-used-mainly-in-its/) [Petr Skrabanek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petr-skrabanek/) > [The cynics were watchdogs terrifying malefactors. They tried to expose falseness and conceit. That's why their name is still spoken with a snarl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petr-skrabanek/the-cynics-were-watchdogs-terrifying-malefactors-they-tried-to-expose/) [Petr Skrabanek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petr-skrabanek/) > [The physicians belief in the treatment and the patients faith in the physician exert a mutually reinforcing effect; the result is a powerful remedy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petr-skrabanek/the-physicians-belief-in-the-treatment-and-the-patients-faith-in-the/) [Petr Skrabanek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petr-skrabanek/) > [The pursuit of health is a symptom of unhealth. 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