Patrick Soon-Shiong Quotes

Powerful Patrick Soon-Shiong for Daily Growth

About Patrick Soon-Shiong

Patrick Soon-Shiong, born on August 16, 1952, in Shanghai, China, is a renowned physician scientist, surgeon, inventor, pharmaceutical entrepreneur, and philanthropist of Chinese descent. Raised in South Africa, he displayed a keen intellect from an early age, graduating from the University of Witwatersrand Medical School at just 20 years old. His life took a dramatic turn when his family was forced to flee South Africa due to anti-Asian violence, eventually settling in the United States. In the US, he pursued a residency at Harvard Medical School and continued his research career at Johns Hopkins University. Soon-Shiong's life's work is deeply intertwined with the fight against cancer. His groundbreaking research led to the development of Abraxane, an effective treatment for pancreatic and breast cancers, and AAACT (Antibody-Albumin-Coupled Cytokine Therapy), a pioneering immunotherapy approach. He is also the founder and chairman of NantWorks, a closely held Los Angeles-based company with subsidiaries in healthcare, logistics, artificial intelligence, and other sectors. Under his leadership, NantWorks aims to integrate various industries to solve complex global problems. Soon-Shiong's philanthropic endeavors are as significant as his professional achievements. He has made substantial donations to various educational institutions and medical research organizations, including the University of Southern California (USC) and USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, which bear his name. In a world where science, business, and philanthropy intersect, Patrick Soon-Shiong stands as an inspiring figure, using his unique blend of skills to make significant strides in the fight against cancer and to improve global healthcare.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Healing is a process of wholeness, it means making something whole."

This quote by Patrick Soon-Shiong suggests that healing, particularly in the context of health or wellbeing, is not just about curing diseases or injuries, but also about restoring the body or mind to a state of balance, integrity, and completeness – a sense of wholeness. It implies that true healing involves addressing the root causes and underlying imbalances, rather than merely treating symptoms. This perspective emphasizes a holistic approach to health care, considering both physical and emotional aspects of wellbeing in the process of healing.


"Innovation and progress demand that we take calculated risks."

The quote by Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, "Innovation and progress demand that we take calculated risks," emphasizes the need for bold action in driving innovation and making advancements. It suggests that true progress often requires taking strategic and well-thought-out risks, as these are crucial to pushing boundaries, challenging established norms, and moving forward in an ever-evolving world. This quote underscores the importance of balancing caution with ambition, encouraging individuals and organizations alike to embrace risk-taking as a means to foster growth, spark change, and achieve remarkable progress.


"The best way to predict your future is to create it."

This quote by Patrick Soon-Shiong emphasizes that one should not rely on predictions or prophecies about their future, but rather take action to shape it according to their own desires and aspirations. It suggests that having a proactive approach towards life, taking control of your decisions, and creating opportunities for yourself are the keys to shaping a fulfilling future. In essence, it's a call to action to seize opportunities and make things happen instead of waiting for them to come.


"Science is not just about finding the truth, but also understanding the process of discovery itself."

This quote by Patrick Soon-Shiong emphasizes that the pursuit of science goes beyond merely discovering facts; it's also about comprehending the methodology and journey involved in the unveiling of knowledge. It suggests that the process of scientific discovery, which includes asking questions, hypothesizing, experimenting, analyzing data, and iterating, is just as important as the final findings themselves. This perspective highlights the significance of learning from failure, refining approaches, and fostering a culture of curiosity and continuous inquiry in science.


"To make a difference in someone's life, you don't have to be brilliant, rich or powerful, but you do have to CARE."

This quote emphasizes that caring for others is one of the most impactful actions one can take, regardless of personal attributes like intelligence, wealth, or power. It suggests that when we genuinely care about someone, we are more likely to make a meaningful difference in their life, as compared to simply having resources or skills. The quote underscores that empathy and compassion have immense value in shaping positive change in people's lives.


The idea would be in my mind - and I know it sounds strange - is that the most important advances in medicine would be made not by new knowledge in molecular biology, because that's exceeding what we can even use. It'll be made by mathematicians, physicists, computer scientists, figuring out a way to get all that information together.

- Patrick Soon-Shiong

Idea, Exceeding, Use, Biology

It was really an easy decision for me to be a part of the Lakers. It's priceless. It is one of the few places where I truly get lost in the joy of the moment of that game. All of the stresses and all the responsibilities are gone.

- Patrick Soon-Shiong

Decision, Game, Lakers, Stresses

I think of L.A. as truly the melting pot. It's basically a mini-country unto itself.

- Patrick Soon-Shiong

Think, I Think, Unto, Pot

I have an obligation to use what I know to try to bring real, usable medical science to every doctor and bedside and patient.

- Patrick Soon-Shiong

Medical, Bring, Use, Usable

I am convinced that in order for you, as a patient, to be protected, it has to be transparent, evidence-based, objective information. Not self-serving information. Not pharma-driven information. Not ad-driven information. It is transparent, objective, evidence-based information.

- Patrick Soon-Shiong

Objective, Transparent, Am, Self-Serving

My commitment is to Los Angeles, so whatever helps this continue to be a great city, that's what I would be focused to do, and the Dodgers are certainly iconic to Los Angeles.

- Patrick Soon-Shiong

City, Certainly, Angeles, Great City

What we discovered, counter-intuitively, is that when you start killing a cancer cell, one of the things it does in order to survive is to spread even further. It causes itself to form new blood vessels. We've termed this 'reactionary angiogenesis.'

- Patrick Soon-Shiong

Discovered, Cell, Does, To Survive

You don't inherit cancer; you actually get it.

- Patrick Soon-Shiong

Cancer, Get, Actually, Inherit

If you look upon chronic diseases as an epidemic, and you see that the chronically ill are the poor, then you see that this issue of the uninsured is not really a moral but a financial obligation to change health care.

- Patrick Soon-Shiong

Chronically, Issue, Epidemic, Chronic

We need to think of chronic disease, hypertension, cancer, like H1N1. In fact, there's an epidemic of chronic disease.

- Patrick Soon-Shiong

Think, Fact, Disease, Chronic

Every patient is a consumer, and every consumer is a potential patient. What NantWorks is doing is building the world the way Da Vinci saw it, and augmenting every frame a human being sees as they work, live and play.

- Patrick Soon-Shiong

Play, Doing, Human Being, Consumer

In South Africa, being Chinese meant I wasn't white and I wasn't black. I trained in Baragwanath Hospital, the largest black hospital in South Africa. That was around 1976, the time of the Soweto Uprising, when police fired on children and students who were protesting. I was part of the group of interns who volunteered to treat them.

- Patrick Soon-Shiong

Treat, Volunteered, Largest, Protesting

It took 23 years from Abraxane being conceived to us showing now with conclusiveness that it works in pancreatic cancer. We cannot afford as a society to wait another 23 years to make sure that the patients get the right care, at the right time, at the right place.

- Patrick Soon-Shiong

Wait, Works, We Cannot, Right Time

We're really going after truly creating sustainability of a disease-free state, creating a complete system for managing cancer patients for life, so that you can manage from onset of disease all the way through.

- Patrick Soon-Shiong

Through, Disease, Going, Manage

I was working with stem cells as part of a NASA programme. We realised that the science of stem-cell proliferation was also fundamental to cancer cells when cancer enters the phase of metastasis.

- Patrick Soon-Shiong

Phase, Realised, Stem-Cell

The foundations and the intent of the Affordable Care Act are laudable. The way it's being implemented is a disaster.

- Patrick Soon-Shiong

Affordable, Foundations, Implemented

We know that if you just were to take the drugs that you were supposed to take for diabetes or hypertension, just take it, as opposed to not take it, we could save $7,000, $3,000 per patient per year.

- Patrick Soon-Shiong

Year, Could, Opposed, Diabetes

You'd believe that a patient with hypertension, if you know you have hypertension or diabetes, you would take your drug every day. The compliance rate is more like 30% or 40%. Which means that 60% of patients don't take their drugs, and they actually go into these crises, end up in the hospital.

- Patrick Soon-Shiong

Believe, Every Day, Your, Diabetes

It's unconscionable that cancer patients get the wrong diagnosis 30 percent of the time and that it takes so long to treat them with appropriate drugs for their cancer.

- Patrick Soon-Shiong

Treat, Appropriate, Patients, Diagnosis

We need to and must protect privacy. But I think that people will be willing and even eager to share medical information about themselves for the greater good of mankind.

- Patrick Soon-Shiong

Medical, Think, I Think, Greater Good

I'm a physician. I've been blessed with ideas and resources to use technology to make the world a better place. That's what I would like to leave behind.

- Patrick Soon-Shiong

Behind, Better Place, Been, Physician

Yes, iD is a machine vision and sensor browser for the physical world. That's what we have been working on with Coca-Cola, Verizon, Bank of America and Disney to launch content when an image is recognised.

- Patrick Soon-Shiong

Yes, Image, Been, Browser

There is no right or wrong way of giving. People in Los Angeles have made major contributions in different ways to the city: Eli Broad to art. David Geffen to hospitals. I'm not judgmental.

- Patrick Soon-Shiong

Art, Hospitals, Angeles, Los Angeles

You have in the U.S. around two million new diagnoses of cancer a year, and 13 million survivors, so you have about 10,000 patients that require analysis every day. That's about five petabytes that need to be transmitted and computed on a daily basis.

- Patrick Soon-Shiong

Every Day, Year, About, Survivors

Baseball is like cricket, and I grew up in a country where they had cricket. So I understand cricket, soccer and basketball. I played basketball at the club level and a little bit in college, so that's why I'm a basketball fanatic.

- Patrick Soon-Shiong

Soccer, College, Country, Fanatic

I love doing a lot of things I'm told I can't do. I think that's what drives me and keeps me awake every day.

- Patrick Soon-Shiong

Love, Doing, Think, Keeps

I want to do transformational work to actually fix the world.

- Patrick Soon-Shiong

Work, World, Actually, Fix

I'm truly passionate about basketball. I'm not as passionate about baseball as I am about basketball, but I watch baseball and I watch football. I love sports in general.

- Patrick Soon-Shiong

Love, Sports, Passionate, Baseball

The pancreas is by far the most complex organ in the body.

- Patrick Soon-Shiong

Most, Far, Organ, Complex

I like to look for patterns in science and life. It's what I do.

- Patrick Soon-Shiong

Science, Look, Like, Patterns

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