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No man, not even a doctor, ever gives any other definition of what a nurse should be than this — "devoted and obedient." This definition would do just as well for a porter. It might even do for a horse. It would not do for a policeman.

— Florence Nightingale Notes on Nursing (1860)

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More quotes by Florence Nightingale

To understand God's thoughts we must study statistics, for these are the measure of His purpose.

It may seem a strange principle to enunciate as the very first requirement in a Hospital that it should do the sick no harm.

Notes on Hospitals 3rd Edition (1863)

Law is the continuous manifestation of God's presence — not reason for believing him absent.

Suggestions for Thought : Selections and Commentaries (1994)

Can the "word" be pinned down to either one period or one church? All churches are, of course, only more or less unsuccessful attempts to represent the unseen to the mind.

It is very well to say "be prudent, be careful, try to know each other." But how are you to know each other?

Cassandra (1860)

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Florence Nightingale (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.