Suffering isn’t ennobling, recovery is.
Meaning of the quote
The quote suggests that experiencing hardship or pain (suffering) does not make someone better or more admirable. Instead, overcoming that difficulty and healing (recovery) is what makes a person stronger and more respectable. It means that going through a tough time doesn't automatically make you a better person, but how you handle it and move forward is what truly matters.
About Christiaan Barnard
Christiaan Barnard was a pioneering South African cardiac surgeon who performed the world’s first successful human-to-human heart transplant in 1967. He went on to have a prolific career, developing cutting-edge medical techniques and even founding a charity for underprivileged children before his passing in 2001.
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More quotes from Christiaan Barnard
On Saturday, I was a surgeon in South Africa, very little known. On Monday, I was world renowned.
South African cardiac surgeon
If the poor overweight jogger only knew how far he had to run to work off the calories in a crust of bread he might find it better in terms of pound per mile to go to a massage parlor.
South African cardiac surgeon
Suffering isn’t ennobling, recovery is.
South African cardiac surgeon
It is infinitely better to transplant a heart than to bury it to be devoured by worms.
South African cardiac surgeon
The prime goal is to alleviate suffering, and not to prolong life. And if your treatment does not alleviate suffering, but only prolongs life, that treatment should be stopped.
South African cardiac surgeon
I don’t believe medical discoveries are doing much to advance human life. As fast as we create ways to extend it we are inventing ways to shorten it.
South African cardiac surgeon