Meredith Grey quotes from Grey's Anatomy

Meredith

[voiceover] They train doctors slowly. They watch us practice on frogs, and pigs, and dead people, and then live people. They drill us relentlessly. They raise us like children. And eventually, they take a cold, hard boot, and they kick us out of the nest.

Meredith

[voiceover] We all want to grow up. We're desperate to get there, to grab all the opportunities we can... to live. We're so busy trying to get out of that nest... We don't think about the fact that it's going to be cold out there... really freakin' cold. Because growing up sometimes means leaving people behind. And by the time we stand on our own two feet... we're standing there alone.

Meredith

[voiceover] Question: When was the last time a complete stranger took off her clothes in front of you, pointed to a big purple splotch on her back, and asked, "What the hell is this thing?" If you're a normal person, the answer is hopefully "never". If you're a doctor, the answer is probably about five minutes ago. People expect doctors to have all of the answers. The truth is we love to think that we have all of the answers too. Basically doctors are know-it-alls until something comes along that reminds us we're not.

Meredith

[voiceover] We're all looking for answers in medicine, in life, in everything. Sometimes the answers we're looking for have been hiding just below the surface. Other times we find answers when we didn't even realize we were asking the question. Sometimes the answers can catch us completely by surprise. And sometimes, even when we find the answer we've been looking for, we're still left with a whole hell of a lot of questions.

Meredith

[voiceover] The human body is a highly pressurized system, the blood pressure measures the force of blood pulsating through the arteries. It's important to keep this pressure regulated, low or inadequate pressure can cause weakness or failure. It's when the pressure gets too high that problems really occur. If the pressure continues to increase, a closer examination is called for because it's the best indicator that something is going terribly wrong.

Meredith

[voiceover] Every pressurized system needs a relief valve, there has to be a way to reduce the stress, the tension before it becomes too much to bear. There has to be a way to find relief because if the pressure doesn't find a way out it'll make one. It will explode. It's the pressure we put on ourselves that's the hardest to bear. The pressure to be better than we are. The pressure to be better than we think we can be. It never ever ever lets up. It just builds and builds and builds.

Meredith

[voiceover] We doctors, take pride in the fact that we can basically sleep standing up. Anytime, anywhere. But it's a false pride because the truth is, after about 20 hours without sleep, you might as well just come to work drunk, doctor, or not. So, it's no wonder that fatal medical errors increase at night. When we doctors are, proudly, sleeping on our feet. Recently, our communal pride has been shattered, and our egos have been wounded by new laws that require that we sleep all day before we work all night. We're not happy about it. But as someone who may one day need medical care, you really should be.

Meredith

[voiceover] Under the cover of darkness, people do things they'd never do under the harsh glare of day. Decisions feel wiser, people feel bolder. But when the sun rises, you have to take responsibility for what you did in the dark and face yourself under the cold, harsh light of day.

Meredith

[voiceover] The first 24 hours after surgery are critical. Every breath you take, every fluid you make, is meticulously reported and analyzed. Celebrated or mourned. But what about the next 24 hours? What happens with that first day turns to two and weeks turn into months? What happens when the immediate danger has passed, when the machines are disconnected and the teams of doctors and nurses are gone? Surgery is when you get saved, but post-op, after surgery, is when you heal. But, what if you don't?

Meredith

[voiceover] The goal of any surgery is total recovery - to come out better than you were before. Some patients heal quickly and feel immediate relief. For others the healing happens gradually, and it's not until months or even years later that you realize you don't hurt anymore. So the challenge after any surgery is to be patient. But if you can make it through the first weeks and months, if you believe that healing is possible, then you can get your life back. But that's a big if.

Meredith

[voiceover] One of the hardest lessons as a doctor is learning to prioritize. We're trained to do all we can to save life and limb, but, if cutting off a limb, means saving a life, we learn to do it without hesitation. It's not an easy lesson to learn, and it always comes down to one question, "what are the stakes?" What do we stand to gain or lose? At the end of the day, we're just gamblers trying not to bet the farm.

Meredith

[voiceover] Surgery is a high stakes game. But no matter how high the stakes, sooner or later, you're just going to have to go with your gut, and, maybe just maybe, that'll take you right where you were meant to be in the first place.

Meredith

[voiceover] How much can you actually accomplish in an hour? Run an errand maybe, sit in traffic, get an oil change. When you think about it an hour isn't very long. Sixty minutes. Thirty-six hundred seconds. That's it. In medicine, though, an hour is often everything. We call it the golden hour. That magical window of time that can determine whether a patient lives or dies.

Meredith

[voiceover] An hour, one hour, can change everything forever. An hour can save your life. An hour can change your life. An hour can change your mind. Sometimes an hour is just a gift we give ourselves. For some, an hour can mean almost nothing. For others, an hour makes all the difference in the world. But in the end, it's still just an hour. One of many. Many more to come. Sixty minutes. Thirty-six hundred seconds. That's it. Then it starts all over again. And who knows what the next hour might hold.

Meredith

[voiceover] Everyone figures doctors are the most responsible people they know. They hold lives in their hands. They're not flakes. They don't lose track of important details or make stunningly bad judgment calls. 'Cause that would be bad, right?