“The key to your happiness is to own your slippers, own who you are, own how you look, own your family, own the talents you have, and own the ones you don't. If you keep saying your slippers aren't yours, then you'll die searching, you'll die bitter, always feeling you were promised more. Not only our actions, but also our omissions, become our destiny.”

American physician and author

Abraham Verghese is an American physician and author. He is the Linda R. Meier and Joan F. Lane Provostial Professor of Medicine at Stanford Medical School, where he also serves as Vice Chair for the Theory and Practice of Medicine and Internal Medicine Clerkship Director. He is the author of four best-selling books, including two memoirs and two novels. He also co-hosts the Medscape podcast Medicine and the Machine with Eric Topol, reflecting his ongoing interest in medicine, teaching, and the place of technology in clinical care.