A Good Philosophy to Live By

An excerpt from "House MD" (Season 1, Episode 17: Role Model). House accuses his patient, Senator Gary Wright, of lying about his medical history.

HOUSE
You need to stop lying to me.

SENATOR WRIHT
It must be miserable, always assuming the worst in people.

HOUSE
Oh, cut the crap, you’re dying.

SENATOR WRIHT
You’re clever, you’re witty, and you are a coward! You’re scared of taking chances.

HOUSE
I take chances all the time, it’s one of my worst qualities.

SENATOR WRIHT
On people?

HOUSE
Wanting to believe the best about people doesn’t make it true.

SENATOR WRIHT
Being afraid to believe it doesn’t make it false.

HOUSE
Well, that’s very moving. It’s a shame I don’t vote.

SENATOR WRIHT
This is who I am. I believe in people. I’m not hiply cynical and I don’t make easy, snide remarks. I would rather think that people are good and be disappointed once and again.

What Makes Someone Great

An excerpt from "House MD" (Season 1, Episode 9: DNR). Dr. Foreman, after being offered a job by Dr. Hamilton from L.A., discusses with his boss Dr. House.

HOUSE
I checked him out. He’s a great doctor. You think he’s better than I am?

FOREMAN
This about your ego?

HOUSE
Answer the question. It’s not going to change my opinion of myself. Might affect my opinion of you, but that shouldn’t affect your opinion of yourself. Now I’m getting confused. If you think he’s a better doctor than I am, then you should take the job. Otherwise, you should get him to buy you two or three more nostalgic lunches and politely decline.

FOREMAN
It’s that simple? I should just ignore the mockery and abuse?

HOUSE
Oh, how do I abuse you?

FOREMAN
How do you not? If I make a mistake –

HOUSE
I hold you accountable, so what?

FOREMAN
Dr. Hamilton forgives. He’s capable of moving on.

HOUSE
That is not what he does!

FOREMAN
I screwed up his case, he told me –

HOUSE
He never said you were forgiven. I was there, he said it wasn’t your fault.

FOREMAN
So?

HOUSE
So, it was. You took a chance, you did something great. You were wrong, but it was still great. You should feel great that it was great. You should feel like crap that it was wrong. That’s the difference between him and me. He thinks you do your job, and what will be, will be. I think that what I do and what you do matters. He sleeps better at night. He shouldn’t.

What Makes Someone Successful

An excerpt from "House MD" (Season 1, Episode 9: DNR). John Henry Giles is a fictitious famed musician being treated by Dr. Greg House.

GILES
It’s over. I lost my air. The session the other night, with those kids? That was a test to see if I could still play. I can’t.

HOUSE
And that’s all you are? A musician?

GILES
I got one thing, same as you.

HOUSE
Really? Apparently, you know me better than I know you.

GILES
I know that limp. I know the empty ring finger. And that obsessive nature of yours, that’s a big secret. You don’t risk jail and your career just to save somebody who doesn’t want to be saved unless you got something, anything, one thing. The reason normal people got wives and kids and hobbies, whatever. That’s because they don’t got that one thing that hits them that hard and that true. I got music, you got this. The thing you think about all the time, the thing that keeps you south of normal. Yeah, makes us great, makes us the best. All we miss out on is everything else. No woman waiting at home after work with the drink and the kiss, that ain’t gonna happen for us.

HOUSE
That’s why God made microwaves.

GILES
Yeah, but when it’s over, it’s over.