--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The physician, to the extent he is a…" description: "\"The physician, to the extent he is a physician, considers only the good of the patient in what he prescribes, and his own not at all\" — Plato" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ac/plato-103_inspirational_the-physician-to-the-extent-he-is-a-phys_1516292.jpg" --- # The physician, to the extent he is a physician, considers… ![“The physician, to the extent he is a physician, considers only the good of the patient in what he prescribes, and his own not at all” quote by Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ac/plato-103_inspirational_the-physician-to-the-extent-he-is-a-phys_1516292.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ac/plato-103_inspirational_the-physician-to-the-extent-he-is-a-phys_1516292.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ac/plato-103_inspirational_the-physician-to-the-extent-he-is-a-phys_1516292.jpg) > “The physician, to the extent he is a physician, considers only the good of the patient in what he prescribes, and his own not at all” [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A physician should prioritize the patient's welfare above his own interests when prescribing treatment. **In simple terms:** Doctors must put patients first. Key Takeaway Focus on patient benefit. Themes ethics medicine professionalism Mood reflective serious Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - clinical decisions - prescription choices - medical education Key Concepts beneficence patient care conflict of interest Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance patient care with personal well‑being? - What safeguards prevent self‑interest in medicine? A Different Perspective May overlook physician self‑care and burnout risk. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Doctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctor/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Medicine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medicine/) [Patience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patience/) [Physician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physician/) [Physicians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physicians/) ## Related quotes > [Is it not also true that no physician, in so far as he is a physician, considers or enjoins what is for the physician's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/is-it-not-also-true-that-no-physician-in-so-far-as-he-is-a-physician/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [There is no physician like Him, none can save as He can; we love Him, and He loves us, and therefore we put ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/there-is-no-physician-like-him-none-can-save-as-he-can-we-love-him/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [The Physician, by the study and inspection of urine and ordure, approves himself in the science; and in like sort should our author accustom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pope/the-physician-by-the-study-and-inspection-of-urine-and-ordure/) [Alexander Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pope/) > [I was a bad practicing physician because I was never sure of the diagnosis or of the treatment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-lederberg/i-was-a-bad-practicing-physician-because-i-was-never-sure-of-the/) [Joshua Lederberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-lederberg/) > [Given one well-trained physician of the highest type he will do better work for a thousand people than ten specialists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/given-one-well-trained-physician-of-the-highest-type-he-will-do/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [But nothing is more estimable than a physician who, having studied nature from his youth, knows the properties of the human body, the diseases…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/but-nothing-is-more-estimable-than-a-physician-who-having-studied/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Preachers say, "Do as I say, not as I do." 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Murrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-r-murrow/) [Browse all 3,922 Doctor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctor/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The physician, to the extent he is a physician, considers only the good of the patient in what he prescribes, and his own not at all", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Plato" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/the-physician-to-the-extent-he-is-a-physician-considers-only-the-good/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Doctor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/the-physician-to-the-extent-he-is-a-physician-considers-only-the-good/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ac/plato-103_inspirational_the-physician-to-the-extent-he-is-a-phys_1516292.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ac/plato-103_inspirational_the-physician-to-the-extent-he-is-a-phys_1516292.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ac/plato-103_inspirational_the-physician-to-the-extent-he-is-a-phys_1516292.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The physician, to the extent he is a physician, considers only the good of the patient in what he…” — Plato", "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": "Plato", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The physician, to the extent he...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/the-physician-to-the-extent-he-is-a-physician-considers-only-the-good/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/the-physician-to-the-extent-he-is-a-physician-considers-only-the-good/#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 } } ] } ```