Bushfield Montross Quotes

The wisdom of that moment of pure emotion resonates with me still: that the dearest and most enduring moments of our lives are sometimes the quietest ones. ~ Christine Montross

Thus far we have been able to protect [our children] from the deep and enduring traumas that scar the minds and selves of so many of the patients I see. How - how? - can I make it always so? ~ Christine Montross

The midpoint in medicine between excessive emotional involvement with patients and a complete lack of empathy is not a simple one to locate. ~ Christine Montross

Even the most comic moment contains an element of melancholy; even the deepest tragedy harbors a trace of the ironic. ~ Christine Montross

Standing on the edge with my patients - abiding with them - means that I must harbor a true awareness that I, too, could lose my child through the play of circumstance over which I have no control. I could lose my home, my financial security, my safety. I could lose my mind. Any of us could. ~ Christine Montross

During my first semester of medical school, I cannot know how the emotional difficulty of the actions we perform on our cadavers will help us prepare for the agonizing moments we will observe in the lives of the living. ~ Christine Montross