In the end, people don't view their life as merely the average of all its moments-which, after all, is mostly nothing much plus some sleep. For human beings, life is meaningful because it is a story. A story has a sense of a whole, and its arc is determined by the significant moments, the ones where something happens. Measurements of people's minute-by-minute levels of pleasure and pain miss this fundamental aspect of human existence. A seemingly happy life maybe empty. A seemingly difficult life may be devoted to a great cause. We have purposes larger than ourselves.

Our reluctance to honestly examine the experience of aging and dying has increased the harm we inflict on people and denied them the basic comforts they most need.

Life is choices, and they are relentless. No sooner have you made one choice than another is upon you.

In one study, old people assigned to a geriatrics team stayed independent for far longer, and were admitted to the hospital less.

You know, 97 percent of the time, if you come into a hospital, everything goes well. But three percent of the time, we have major complications.

The definition of what it means to be dying has changed radically. We are able to extend people's lives considerably, including sometimes, good days.

Just using a checklist requires [doctors] to embrace different values from ones we've had, like humility, discipline, teamwork.