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.

There is among doctors, in acute hospitals at least, a presumption of stupidity in their patients.

Memory is dialogic and arises not only from direct experience but from the intercourse of many minds.

Biologically, physiologically, we are not so different from each other; historically, as narratives - we are each of us unique.

I often feel that life is about to begin, only to realize it is almost over.

If a man with a dog sits quietly enjoying music and smiling, his dog might sit down beside him and smile, too. But who knows whether the dog is having a comparable experience or whether the dog is simply happy that his master is happy.

Fascinating, Doidge's book is a remarkable and hopeful portrait of the endless adaptability of the human brain.