A Doctor’s Unfinished Journey: When Breath Becomes Air
Doctors save lives—but what happens when the doctor is the one who can’t be saved? Paul Kalanithi spent nearly ten years training to become a neurosurgeon, only to receive a devastating lung cancer diagnosis just as his career was about to begin.
His memoir, When Breath Becomes Air, published after his death in 2016, chronicles his battle with illness. If you’re searching for perspective or gratitude, these powerful quotes from his book might help you see life in a new light.
28 Thought-Provoking Quotes from When Breath Becomes Air
Quotes on Resilience
- “I can’t go on. I’ll go on.” (Inspired by Samuel Beckett)
- “Be ready. Be seated. See what courage sounds like… But above all, see what it is to still live, to profoundly influence others after you are gone.”
Quotes on Life’s Meaning
- “What makes life meaningful enough to go on living?”
- “Even if I’m dying, until I actually die, I am still living.”
- “If the unexamined life was not worth living, was the unlived life worth examining?”
Wisdom from a Physician’s Perspective
- “The physician’s duty is… to take into our arms a patient and family whose lives have disintegrated and work until they can stand back up.”
- “When there is no place for the scalpel, words are the surgeon’s only tool.”
On Facing Illness
- “Severe illness wasn’t life-altering, it was life-shattering.”
- “Any major illness transforms a patient’s—really, an entire family’s—life.”
Philosophical Reflections
- “Human knowledge is never contained in one person. It grows from the relationships we create.”
- “You can’t ever reach perfection, but you can believe in an asymptote toward which you are ceaselessly striving.”
Final Thoughts
When Breath Becomes Air offers more than a doctor’s story—it’s a raw look at life’s fragility and the strength we find when facing the impossible. These quotes remind us to appreciate every moment and continue striving forward, no matter the obstacles.
