One of the things I say is I don't think any of us should be average. Everybody's got a gift. The chance of finding your gift and then sharing it. There's just no room in this world to be average, you need to be the best you can be.

I always feel sad, to be honest, to see people badly injured. That's important because if someone's life is being changed like that it's extraordinarily important for that person - and you can't forget whether it was ten years ago, twenty or today. So I feel the same each time - I feel sad but I also feel that I should do the best I can to make it the best I can for them. So that's how I cope - by working.

One of the things I say is I don't think any of us should be average. Everybody's got a gift. The chance of finding your gift and then sharing it. There's just no room in this world to be average, you need to be the best you can be.

My mother's great line was, Grasp the nettle with two hands, girl, because if you don't somebody else will.

You see it in schools all over... the concept that 'I'll be somewhat less than my best in order to make those around me feel more comfortable' is alive and well... I'm very keen that they understand that if they make themselves a little less than they can be, it is a one-way street to mediocrity.

We're not able to do anything about the bomb, but we can do something about the results. We're able to heal the people - not all of them. Some people died. But we're able to heal people, so we're doing something positive. And that's a great motivator.

I can do something about people who need me, who have been injured. So the biggest thing about being a doctor is my education and training means I can help people to reduce their suffering and that's what being a doctor is, to reduce suffering and to try to improve the life of people who have been injured.