--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Our principal claim here is that patients…" description: "\"“Our principal claim here is that patients and doctors should be free to make their own agreements about that right. If patients want to waive the righ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b63/richard-h-thaler-8113_freedom_our-principal-claim-here-is-that-patient_177530.jpg" --- # Our principal claim here is that patients and doctors… ![“Our principal claim here is that patients and doctors should be free to make their own agreements about that right. If patients want to waive the right to sue, they should be allowed to do exactly that. This increase in freedom is likely to help doctors and patients alike, and to make a valuable…” quote by Richard H. Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b63/richard-h-thaler-8113_freedom_our-principal-claim-here-is-that-patient_177530.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b63/richard-h-thaler-8113_freedom_our-principal-claim-here-is-that-patient_177530.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b63/richard-h-thaler-8113_freedom_our-principal-claim-here-is-that-patient_177530.jpg) > ““Our principal claim here is that patients and doctors should be free to make their own agreements about that right. If patients want to waive the right to sue, they should be allowed to do exactly that. This increase in freedom is likely to help doctors and patients alike, and to make a valuable, even if modest, contribution to the health care problem.”” [Richard H. Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-h-thaler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote argues that allowing patients and doctors to mutually decide on waiving legal rights increases autonomy and can improve healthcare outcomes. **In simple terms:** Giving patients and doctors freedom to set their own legal agreements may benefit healthcare. Key Takeaway Respect mutual autonomy in medical agreements. Themes autonomy healthcare legal rights patient‑doctor relationship Mood thoughtful balanced Type ethical policy When to use this quote - medical contracts - informed consent - risk‑sharing agreements Key Concepts contractual freedom risk management ethical choice Questions to Reflect On - Should legal rights be negotiable in all medical contexts? - How to protect vulnerable patients? A Different Perspective Legal waivers may reduce accountability and could lead to exploitation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Claim Patients](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/claim-patients-1908037/) [Doctors Free](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctors-free-1908038/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) [Health care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health-care/) [Patience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patience/) [Patients Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patients-want-900068/) [Right Patients](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-patients-1908040/) [Sue Allowed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sue-allowed-1908039/) ## Related quotes > [Patients want to be seen as people. For me, the person's life comes first; the disease is simply one aspect of it, which I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-siegel/patients-want-to-be-seen-as-people-for-me-the-person-s-life-comes/) [Bernie Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-siegel/) > [What patients want is not rocket science, which is really unfortunate because if it were rocket science, we would be doing it. 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Future job and economic growth in industry, defense, transportation, agriculture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bond/advances-in-technology-will-continue-to-reach-far-into-every-sector/) [Christopher Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bond/) ## More by Richard H. Thaler > [“10. Calories count in New York City. The Big Apple recently adopted a law that requires fast-food restaurants with at least fifteen outlets in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-h-thaler/10-calories-count-in-new-york-city-the-big-apple-recently-adopted-a/) [Richard H. Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-h-thaler/) > [“I began to have deviant thoughts about economic theory while I was a graduate student”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-h-thaler/i-began-to-have-deviant-thoughts-about-economic-theory-while-i-was-a/) [Richard H. Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-h-thaler/) > [“specific values to objects. When they have to give something up, they are hurt more than they are pleased if they acquire the very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-h-thaler/specific-values-to-objects-when-they-have-to-give-something-up-they/) [Richard H. Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-h-thaler/) > [“Hundreds of studies confirm that human forecasts are flawed and biased. Human decision making is not so great either. Again to take just one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-h-thaler/hundreds-of-studies-confirm-that-human-forecasts-are-flawed-and/) [Richard H. Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-h-thaler/) > [“John Rawls (1971) called the publicity principle. In its simplest form, the publicity principle bans government from selecting a policy that it would not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-h-thaler/john-rawls-1971-called-the-publicity-principle-in-its-simplest-form/) [Richard H. Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-h-thaler/) > [“We are also greatly influenced by consumption norms within the relevant group. A light eater eats much more in a group of heavy eaters.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-h-thaler/we-are-also-greatly-influenced-by-consumption-norms-within-the/) [Richard H. Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-h-thaler/) > [“People think about life in terms of changes, not levels.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-h-thaler/people-think-about-life-in-terms-of-changes-not-levels/) [Richard H. Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-h-thaler/) > [“predictions can’t vary more than the thing being forecast.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-h-thaler/predictions-can-t-vary-more-than-the-thing-being-forecast/) [Richard H. Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-h-thaler/) > [“When in a cold state, we do not appreciate how much our desires and our behavior will be altered when we are “under the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-h-thaler/when-in-a-cold-state-we-do-not-appreciate-how-much-our-desires-and/) [Richard H. Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-h-thaler/) > [“Bargains and Rip-Offs”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-h-thaler/bargains-and-rip-offs/) [Richard H. Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-h-thaler/) > [“you want to nudge people into socially desirable behavior, do not, by any means, let them know that their current actions are better than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-h-thaler/you-want-to-nudge-people-into-socially-desirable-behavior-do-not-by/) [Richard H. Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-h-thaler/) > [“A nudge, as we will use the term, is any aspect of the choice architecture that alters people’s behavior in a predictable way without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-h-thaler/a-nudge-as-we-will-use-the-term-is-any-aspect-of-the-choice/) [Richard H. Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-h-thaler/) > [“What makes the bias particularly pernicious is that we all recognize this bias in others but not in ourselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-h-thaler/what-makes-the-bias-particularly-pernicious-is-that-we-all-recognize/) [Richard H. Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-h-thaler/) > [“people who are threatened with big losses and have a chance to break even will be unusually willing to take risks,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-h-thaler/people-who-are-threatened-with-big-losses-and-have-a-chance-to-break/) [Richard H. Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-h-thaler/) > [“if you want people to comply with some norm or rule, it is a good strategy to inform them (if true) that most other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-h-thaler/if-you-want-people-to-comply-with-some-norm-or-rule-it-is-a-good/) [Richard H. Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-h-thaler/) [Explore all 84 Richard H. Thaler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-h-thaler/) ## More Freedom quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. 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If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [If we gave up our freedom as the price of security, we would no longer be the great nation that we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-bader-ginsburg/if-we-gave-up-our-freedom-as-the-price-of-security-we-would-no-longer/) [Ruth Bader Ginsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-bader-ginsburg/) > [We live in the greatest country in the world because of the veterans who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom and the security…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-husted/we-live-in-the-greatest-country-in-the-world-because-of-the-veterans/) [Jon Husted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-husted/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [“No one was more surprised than I to realize that my newfound freedom had been purchased by giving up on eternity and settling for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-jessop/no-one-was-more-surprised-than-i-to-realize-that-my-newfound-freedom/) [Carolyn Jessop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-jessop/) > [“In a world of fixed future, there can be no right or wrong. Right and wrong demand freedom of choice, but if each action…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/in-a-world-of-fixed-future-there-can-be-no-right-or-wrong-right-and/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [“In any case, white people, who had robbed black people of their liberty and who profited by this theft every hour that they lived,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/in-any-case-white-people-who-had-robbed-black-people-of-their-liberty/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“I have to blame myself for not finding any way of reaching him, but I can't feel that either Ruth or I had anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stegner/i-have-to-blame-myself-for-not-finding-any-way-of-reaching-him-but-i/) [Wallace Stegner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stegner/) > [“It breaks my heart. Better than your words, your eye tells me all your peril. You are not yet free, you still search for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-breaks-my-heart-better-than-your-words-your-eye-tells-me-all-your/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [I don't want to be famous famous. I'm happy on the second tier, where I have autonomy on a professional level but I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-reece/i-don-t-want-to-be-famous-famous-i-m-happy-on-the-second-tier-where-i/) [Gabrielle Reece](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-reece/) [Browse all 30,110 Freedom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Our principal claim here is that patients and doctors should be free to make their own agreements about that right. If patients want to waive the right to sue, they should be allowed to do exactly that. This increase in freedom is likely to help doctors and patients alike, and to make a valuable, even if modest, contribution to the health care problem.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Richard H. 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