Oliver Sacks

perception creation memory imagination

“Every act of perception, is to some degree an act of creation, and every act of memory is to some degree an act of imagination.”

― Oliver Sacks (1933-2015)

leg eye himself

“If a man has lost a leg or an eye, he knows he has lost a leg or an eye; but if he has lost a self—himself—he cannot know it, because he is no longer there to know it.”

― Oliver Sacks (1933-2015)

speak think speech thought

“We speak not only to tell other people what we think, but to tell ourselves what we think. Speech is a part of thought.”

― Oliver Sacks (1933-2015)

examine disease anatomy physiology person life

“In examining disease, we gain wisdom about anatomy and physiology and biology. In examining the person with disease, we gain wisdom about life.”

― Oliver Sacks (1933-2015)

language blind see another

“Language, that most human invention, can enable what, in principle, should not be possible. It can allow all of us, even the congenitally blind, to see with another person’s eyes.”

― Oliver Sacks (1933-2015)

11 sodium 79 gold

“At 11, I could say ‘I am sodium’ (Element 11), and now at 79, I am gold.”

― Oliver Sacks (1933-2015)

music emotion memory

“Music evokes emotion and emotion can bring it's memory.”

― Oliver Sacks (1933-2015)

music head

“It really is a very odd business that all of us, to varying degrees, have music in our heads.”

― Oliver Sacks (1933-2015)

pleasure music counting

“The pleasure we obtain from music comes from counting, but counting unconsciously. Music is nothing but unconscious arithmetic.”

― Oliver Sacks (1933-2015)