Authors

Rachel Naomi Remen

Rachel Naomi Remen is an American physician, clinical professor of family and community medicine, and author of Kitchen Table Wisdom and My Grandfather's Blessings. She pioneered integrative medicine education, founded the Commonweal Cancer Help Program, and teaches clinicians and patients about the healing power of meaning and relationship.

Quotes: 3

Quotes by Rachel Naomi Remen

Perhaps the secret of living well is not in having all the answers but in pursuing unanswerable questions in good company. — Rachel Naomi Remen

Living Well Through Questions and Companionship

Rachel Naomi Remen shifts the idea of a good life away from mastery and certainty. Instead of treating wisdom as the possession of final answers, she suggests that living well may depend on how we travel through mystery.

Created on: 4/8/2026

The most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to listen. Just listen. Perhaps the most important thing we ever give each other is our attention. — Rachel Naomi Remen

Listening as the Deepest Form of Human Connection

Rachel Naomi Remen’s reflection begins with a simple but radical claim: connection does not always require advice, eloquence, or solutions. Instead, it often starts with listening—quiet, steady, undivided attention offer...

Created on: 3/17/2026

Ask yourself what you want to be, not what you want to have. — Rachel Naomi Remen

Becoming Over Having: A Journey of Self-Discovery

Rachel Naomi Remen’s quote prompts us to focus on what we wish to become, rather than what we wish to possess. This subtle distinction shifts our attention from external acquisitions—such as money, status, or material go...

Created on: 6/17/2025