Culture is the sum total of shared habits and expectations - Atul Gawande

In psychology, there's something called the broken-leg problem. A statistical formula may be highly successful in predicting whether or not a person will go to a movie in the next week. But someone who knows that this person is laid up with a broken leg will beat the formula. No formula can take into account the infinite range of such exceptional events.

If there is a credo in practical medicine, it is that the important thing is to be sensible.

Effort does matter; diligence and attention to the minutest details can save you.