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I have excised the cancer from my past, cut it out; I have crossed the high plains, descended into the desert, traversed oceans, and planted my feet in new soil; I have been the apprentice, paid my dues, and have become master of my ship. But when I look down, why do I see the ancient, tarred, mud-stained slippers that I buried at the start of the journey still stuck to my feet?

— Abraham Verghese Cutting for Stone (2009)

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More quotes by Abraham Verghese

"A rich man's faults are covered with money, but a surgeon's faults are covered with earth."

Cutting for Stone (2009)

The world turns on our every action, and our every omission, whether we know it or not.

Cutting for Stone (2009)

In a time of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.

The Covenant of Water (2023)

And that is how he passed from this life to the next, without fanfare, with characteristic simplicity, fearless, opening his eyes that last time to make sure we were fine before he went on.

Cutting for Stone (2009)

Maybe it was written on my face that I'd become aware of human complexity - that's a kinder word than "deceit".

Cutting for Stone (2009)

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Attribution

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