Paul Farmer

“The idea that some lives matter less is the root of all that is wrong with the world.”

“For me, an area of moral clarity is: you're in front of someone who's suffering and you have the tools at your disposal to alleviate that suffering or even erase it, and you don't, that's a moral failure.”

“The only real nation is humanity.”

“If you're making mistakes it means you're out there doing something.”

“I have fought and will continue to fight for a simple principle: that every member of the human family has a right to dignified, and affordable, health care.”

“With the scale of misery in the world, to be preoccupied with your own feelings is a luxury you can't afford.”

“Equity is the only acceptable goal.”

“That's when I feel most alive, when I'm helping people.”

“The essence of global health equity is the idea that something so precious as health might be viewed as a right.”

“God gives us humans everything we need to flourish, but he's not the one who's supposed to divvy it up.”

“A decent provision for the poor is the true test of civilization.”

“Sickness and poverty are intertwined.”

“I can't sleep. There's so much to do.”

“The basis of our preferential option for the poor is a commitment to the most vulnerable.”

“There is nothing wrong with dedication and goals, but if you are fixated on them, you will miss the wonders of the journey.”