Words to Reflect On: Highlights from Dr. Azra Raza’s Talks at LUMS
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The LUMS community had the honour of welcoming Dr. Azra Raza, a globally renowned oncologist, author, and professor at Columbia University, for a series of riveting talks from November 20-22. She captivated audiences with her unique ability to intertwine science, art, and humanity. Over multiple sessions, she shared her transformative vision for cancer care, her love of Urdu poetry, and heartfelt advice for the youth. From challenging conventional thinking in medicine to celebrating the resilience of the human spirit, her words left a profound impact.
Here are some of the most thought-provoking quotes from her visit.
On the Urgency of Early Detection
"No one is winning the war on cancer. Either you die of cancer, or you die of the treatment. Why are these the only two choices?”
“Over a trillion dollars have been spent on cancer research, 4 million research papers published, and yet, we have not made one iota of difference. Why is technology not being used for early detection rather than developing treatments for end-stage disease?”
“Even if you detect cancer at stage 1, it still requires surgery or chemo or radiation. To me, stage 1 is too late. We need to find the first cell stage of cancer."
On the Human Cost of Cancer
“The book I wrote is my cry of lamentation, because I decided to look at everything related to cancer through the prism of human anguish.”
"Cancer entered my own home. My husband got the very disease he had dedicated his life to curing since the age of 15. Even I didn't realize how painful a disease it is until I lived with a cancer patient. And I’m someone who's been seeing patients with cancer for over 20 years!”
"I see 30 to 40 cancer patients every week. On a daily basis, I navigate that fine line between fear of death, uncertain future, physical pain, psychic anguish, and emotional trauma. But then I am also privileged to witness the dignity, the hope, the poise, the composure with which humans face such ordeals.”
On the Role of Art and Poetry
"Not only is poetry possible in this age, it is precisely what we need to provide the helium for our sagging spirits."
“The best of art emerges only after personal or general catastrophes. Our Urdu past masters shine contemporaneously in parallel with the crises they faced. The most astonishing aspect of subcontinental culture is that the pinnacle of Urdu literature coexisted with the collapsing dynasties.”
“Poetry is essential in dark times because it can show us new ways of seeing the world, to reframe our challenges, to find light in darkness. It informs two exceptionally powerful impulses: it inspires creativity, but also, provides the spiritual resilience essential to face the crisis.”
On Striving and Resilience
“No matter how bleak the situation, it cannot bring life to a halt. Inaction is sacrilege. Action is the answer. Immobility is death. Movement is life. Age has no meaning.”
“Whether you're young or old, if you choose to remain ashore, if you stop adventuring, you're dead already. Until your last breath, you must not only remain intellectually invested, you must continue to act."
"Our superpower as humans is our capacity to change. We need to use that capacity."
“Ghalib's grand themes urge us to rise above our circumstances no matter how perilous the time, how appalling the abominations, how ghastly the ordeals, how terrifying the spectre, how evil the circumstances.”
On Collaborative Effort in Science
"Van Gogh could stand by himself and paint the starry nights—art is ‘I,’ but science is ‘we.’ It has to be a community effort. It takes a village to do one meaningful biological experiment. Science requires collaboration, not silos. Whether it’s social sciences, life sciences, or natural sciences - everything is interconnected."
On Advice to Youth
"You have to be authentic; you have to be sincere to your purpose. Don't expect any reward or return."
“To young doctors and people wanting to be doctors, my first advice always is, to listen to the patient. The second is that you will be working with many different doctors, many different specialties…observe everyone's style of dealing with the patient, but then develop your own by imbibing the best from many.”
“Everyone must exercise for an hour and a half every day. If you don't take care of your body, where are you going to live?”
"There is only one purpose in life for all of us, and that is to reduce the suffering of mankind in every way we can."
"The only way to show love for God is through love for humanity. It’s easy to sit in a mosque and keep reciting—but the harder, more meaningful path, is to serve."
"The success of a culture is not in constant 'winning' but in understanding human frailty—our longing, pain, and anguish."
On the LUMS Community
“It's such an honour and a pleasure to be at LUMS. It's my first visit here ever, and it's been a fantastic eye-opener for me to see so many incredibly talented and exceptionally well-trained people who are original thinkers, who are really charting new courses.”
“I applaud you for your persistence, resilience, and your spirit. I am so impressed by the younger people that you are training that are rising up to the challenges.”
