Avicenna (Ibn Sina)

Who Was Avicenna?

Avicenna (980–1037), known in the Islamic world as Ibn Sina, was a Persian polymath, philosopher, and physician whose works profoundly influenced both the Islamic Golden Age and Western medieval thought.

QUOTES

Here are some of Avicenna’s (Ibn Sina’s) most inspiring and notable quotes:

“The knowledge of anything, since all things have causes, is not acquired or complete unless it is known by its causes.”
“There are no incurable diseases—only the lack of will. There are no worthless herbs—only the lack of knowledge.”
“Doubt is the origin of wisdom.”
“The world is divided into men who have wit and no religion and men who have religion and no wit.”
“The more brilliant the lightning, the quicker it disappears.”
“Medicine is the science by which we learn the various states of the human body; in health, when not in health, the means by which health is likely to be lost, and when lost, is likely to be restored.”
“An ignorant doctor is the aide-de-camp of death.”
“The soul is like a glass lamp, knowledge is the light giving fire, and the wisdom of God is the oil.”
“The world is not without a beginning and is not without an end.”
“Prefer a short life with width to a narrow one with length.”

These quotes reflect Avicenna’s profound understanding of philosophy, medicine, ethics, and human nature.

Key Contributions

Medicine: His most famous work, The Canon of Medicine (Al-Qānūn fī al-Ṭibb), became the standard medical textbook in Europe and the Islamic world for centuries.
Philosophy: Avicenna integrated Aristotelian philosophy with Islamic theology, notably in his work The Book of Healing (Kitāb al-Shifāʾ), advancing logic, metaphysics, and epistemology.
Science: He contributed significantly to astronomy, chemistry, psychology, and mathematics.

Legacy:

Avicenna’s synthesis of philosophy and science set the foundation for future generations, influencing prominent thinkers such as Thomas Aquinas and Albertus Magnus, bridging Eastern and Western intellectual traditions.

Avicenna remains celebrated as one of history’s greatest minds, embodying the spirit of intellectual curiosity and interdisciplinary scholarship.

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Avicenna (Ibn Sina)

QUOTES

Here are some of Avicenna’s (Ibn Sina’s) most inspiring and notable quotes:

Key Contributions

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