--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The art of medicine was to be properly…" description: "\"The art of medicine was to be properly learned only from its practice and its exercise.\" — Thomas Sydenham" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7cf/thomas-sydenham-23471_art_the-art-of-medicine-was-to-be-properly-l_1174425.jpg" --- # The art of medicine was to be properly learned only from… ![“The art of medicine was to be properly learned only from its practice and its exercise.” quote by Thomas Sydenham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7cf/thomas-sydenham-23471_art_the-art-of-medicine-was-to-be-properly-l_1174425.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7cf/thomas-sydenham-23471_art_the-art-of-medicine-was-to-be-properly-l_1174425.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7cf/thomas-sydenham-23471_art_the-art-of-medicine-was-to-be-properly-l_1174425.jpg) > “The art of medicine was to be properly learned only from its practice and its exercise.” [Thomas Sydenham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sydenham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Medical expertise is best gained through hands‑on experience, not just theory. **In simple terms:** Practice teaches medicine. Key Takeaway Prioritize practical training. Themes education experience medicine Mood inspirational analytical Type educational professional When to use this quote - hospital rotations - patient simulations - field internships - skill workshops Key Concepts Apprenticeship clinical learning Questions to Reflect On - What balance of theory and practice yields best doctors? - How can we integrate hands‑on learning in modern curricula? A Different Perspective Theory still essential for foundation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art Of Medicine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-of-medicine/) [Exercise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exercise/) [Fitness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fitness/) [Medical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medical/) [Medicine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medicine/) [Practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practice/) ## Related quotes > [Before the art of medicine comes the art of belief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/before-the-art-of-medicine-comes-the-art-of-belief/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [The more fashionable doctors in Italy, began to delegate to slaves the manual attentions they deemed necessary for their patients ... that the art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andreas-vesalius/the-more-fashionable-doctors-in-italy-began-to-delegate-to-slaves-the/) Andreas Vesalius > [“The art of medicine consists of amusingthe patient while nature cures the disease.” —VOLTAIRE”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ballantyne/the-art-of-medicine-consists-of-amusingthe-patient-while-nature-cures/) [Sarah Ballantyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ballantyne/) > [The art of medicine consists of amusing the patient while nature cures the disease.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/the-art-of-medicine-consists-of-amusing-the-patient-while-nature-2/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Not only in antiquity but in our own times also laws have been passed...to secure good conditions for workers; so it is right that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernardino-ramazzini/not-only-in-antiquity-but-in-our-own-times-also-laws-have-been-passed/) [Bernardino Ramazzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernardino-ramazzini/) > [“The art of medicine is long, Hippocrates tells us, "and life is short; opportunity fleeting; the experiment perilous; judgment flawed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddhartha-mukherjee/the-art-of-medicine-is-long-hippocrates-tells-us-and-life-is-short/) [Siddhartha Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddhartha-mukherjee/) > [Despite all our toil and progress, the art of medicine still falls somewhere between trout casting and spook writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-hecht/despite-all-our-toil-and-progress-the-art-of-medicine-still-falls/) [Ben Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-hecht/) > [Patience and tranquility of mind contribute more to cure our distempers as the whole art of medicine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/patience-and-tranquility-of-mind-contribute-more-to-cure-our/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [To array a man's will against his sickness is the supreme art of medicine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/to-array-a-man-s-will-against-his-sickness-is-the-supreme-art-of/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [The art of medicine cannot be inherited, nor can it be copied from books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paracelsus/the-art-of-medicine-cannot-be-inherited-nor-can-it-be-copied-from/) [Paracelsus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paracelsus/) > [“The art of medicine consists of amusing the patient while Nature takes its course.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-owens/the-art-of-medicine-consists-of-amusing-the-patient-while-nature/) William Owens > [The art of medicine has its roots in the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paracelsus/the-art-of-medicine-has-its-roots-in-the-heart/) [Paracelsus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paracelsus/) > [The art of medicine consists in amusing the patient while nature cures the disease.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/the-art-of-medicine-consists-in-amusing-the-patient-while-nature/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Wherever the art of Medicine is loved, there is also a love of Humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hippocrates/wherever-the-art-of-medicine-is-loved-there-is-also-a-love-of-humanity/) [Hippocrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hippocrates/) > [We profess to teach the principles and practice of medicine, or, in other words, the science and art of medicine. Science is knowledge reduced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-wilks/we-profess-to-teach-the-principles-and-practice-of-medicine-or-in/) Samuel Wilks ## More by Thomas Sydenham > [I confidently affirm that the greater part of those who are supposed to have died of gout, have died of the medicine rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sydenham/i-confidently-affirm-that-the-greater-part-of-those-who-are-supposed/) [Thomas Sydenham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sydenham/) > [Disease is nothing else but an attempt on the part of the body to rid itself of morbific matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sydenham/disease-is-nothing-else-but-an-attempt-on-the-part-of-the-body-to-rid/) [Thomas Sydenham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sydenham/) > [The arrival of a good clown exercises a more beneficial influence upon the health of a town than twenty asses laden with drugs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sydenham/the-arrival-of-a-good-clown-exercises-a-more-beneficial-influence/) [Thomas Sydenham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sydenham/) > [We may ascertain the worth of the human race, since for its sake God's Only-begotten Son became man, and thereby ennobled the nature that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sydenham/we-may-ascertain-the-worth-of-the-human-race-since-for-its-sake-god-s/) [Thomas Sydenham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sydenham/) > [We are overwhelmed as it is, with an infinite abundance of vaunted medicaments, and here they add another one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sydenham/we-are-overwhelmed-as-it-is-with-an-infinite-abundance-of-vaunted/) [Thomas Sydenham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sydenham/) > [For humble individuals like myself, there is one poor comfort, which is this, viz. that gout, unlike any other disease, kills more rich men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sydenham/for-humble-individuals-like-myself-there-is-one-poor-comfort-which-is/) [Thomas Sydenham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sydenham/) > [This is all very fine, but it won't do-Anatomy-botany-Nonsense! Sir, I know an old woman in Covent Garden, who understands botany better, and as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sydenham/this-is-all-very-fine-but-it-won-t-do-anatomy-botany-nonsense-sir-i/) [Thomas Sydenham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sydenham/) > [ Acute \[diseases\] meaning those of which God is the author, chronic meaning those that originate in ourselves. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sydenham/acute-diseases-meaning-those-of-which-god-is-the-author-chronic/) [Thomas Sydenham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sydenham/) > [Gout, unlike any other disease, kills more rich men than poor, more wise men than simple. Great kings, emperors, generals, admirals and philosophers have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sydenham/gout-unlike-any-other-disease-kills-more-rich-men-than-poor-more-wise/) [Thomas Sydenham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sydenham/) > [Lastly, he must remember that he himself hath no exemption from the common lot, but that he is bound by the same laws of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sydenham/lastly-he-must-remember-that-he-himself-hath-no-exemption-from-the/) [Thomas Sydenham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sydenham/) > [Gout produces calculus in the kidney... the patient has frequently to entertain the painful speculation as to whether gout or stone be the worst…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sydenham/gout-produces-calculus-in-the-kidney-the-patient-has-frequently-to/) [Thomas Sydenham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sydenham/) > [The generality have considered that disease is but a confused and disordered effort in Nature, thrown down from her proper state, and defending herself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sydenham/the-generality-have-considered-that-disease-is-but-a-confused-and/) [Thomas Sydenham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sydenham/) > [A man is as old as his arteries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sydenham/a-man-is-as-old-as-his-arteries/) [Thomas Sydenham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sydenham/) > [As no man can say who it was that first invented the use of clothes and houses against the inclemency of the weather, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sydenham/as-no-man-can-say-who-it-was-that-first-invented-the-use-of-clothes/) [Thomas Sydenham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sydenham/) > [“Of all the remedies it has pleased almighty God to give man to relieve his suffering, none is so universal and so efficacious as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sydenham/of-all-the-remedies-it-has-pleased-almighty-god-to-give-man-to/) [Thomas Sydenham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sydenham/) [Explore all 26 Thomas Sydenham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sydenham/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The art of medicine was to be properly learned only from its practice and its exercise.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Sydenham" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sydenham/the-art-of-medicine-was-to-be-properly-learned-only-from-its-practice/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sydenham/the-art-of-medicine-was-to-be-properly-learned-only-from-its-practice/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7cf/thomas-sydenham-23471_art_the-art-of-medicine-was-to-be-properly-l_1174425.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7cf/thomas-sydenham-23471_art_the-art-of-medicine-was-to-be-properly-l_1174425.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7cf/thomas-sydenham-23471_art_the-art-of-medicine-was-to-be-properly-l_1174425.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The art of medicine was to be properly learned only from its practice and its exercise.” — Thomas Sydenham", "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": "Thomas Sydenham", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sydenham/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The art of medicine was to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sydenham/the-art-of-medicine-was-to-be-properly-learned-only-from-its-practice/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sydenham/the-art-of-medicine-was-to-be-properly-learned-only-from-its-practice/#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 } } ] } ```