Season 1

“You're right, I'm weird. Part of my weirdness is that I perseverate. That means I keep thinking about things.”

— David Shore, Dr. Shaun Murphy, Freddie Highmore, imdb.com

“If you want to get anything in life, Shaun, there's one thing you got to do: never be afraid.”

— David Shore, Steve Murphy, Dylan Kingwell, imdb.com

“We'd be 'better people,' spending a lot more on malpractice insurance.”

— David Shore, Dr. Marcus Andrews, Hill Harper, imdb.com

“The rationalization is exactly the same. Words like 'temperament' and 'Oh, no! Ohh! How are the patients going to react?.' Aren't we judged by how we treat people? I don't mean as doctors. I mean as people. Especially those who... who don't have the same advantages that we have.”

— David Shore, Dr. Aaron Glassman, Richard Schiff, imdb.com

“A surgeon needs to communicate. Not just information, but sympathy, empathy.”

— David Shore, Dr. Marcus Andrews, Hill Harper, imdb.com

“Dr. Aaron Glassman: We should hire him because he is qualified and because he is different. How long ago was it that we wouldn't hire black doctors in this hospital? How m... how long ago was it that we wouldn't hire female doctors at this hospital? Dr. Marcus Andrews: So you're comparing being Afri…”

— David Shore, Dr. Marcus Andrews, Hill Harper, imdb.com

“Those are assets. Undeniable assets for any doctor, particularly a surgeon.”

— David Shore, Dr. Aaron Glassman, Richard Schiff, imdb.com

“Yes, he has autism, but he also has savant syndrome - genius-level skills in several areas. He has almost perfect recall. He has spatial intelligence. And he sees things and analyzes things in ways that... that are just remarkable.”

— David Shore, Dr. Aaron Glassman, Richard Schiff, imdb.com

“I vetted him like I would any other candidate.”

— David Shore, Dr. Aaron Glassman, Richard Schiff, imdb.com

“I can accept that he will have insights that none of the rest of us will have. Can you accept that he will make mistakes none of the rest of us will make? You won't be the one who pays the price.”

— David Shore, Dr. Marcus Andrews, Hill Harper, imdb.com

“Well, I... I would love to make you happy, Doctor. I would love to hire someone who never, ever makes a mistake. Unfortunately, God already has a job.”

— David Shore, Dr. Aaron Glassman, Richard Schiff, imdb.com

“Dr. Aaron Glassman: He's not Rain Man. He's high-functioning. He's capable of living on his own, capable of managing his own affairs. Dr. Marcus Andrews: High-functioning. Is that our new hiring standard?”

— David Shore, Dr. Marcus Andrews, Hill Harper, imdb.com

“I'm sorry, is this really necessary? Really? A special meeting of the Board of Directors - as much as I love you all - questioning one of my hiring decisions? Did you bother to look up the definition of 'President' while you were skimming the dictionary?”

— David Shore, Dr. Aaron Glassman, Richard Schiff, imdb.com

“Dr. Claire Browne: Well, I'm sure you have a lot of questions. Dr. Shaun Murphy: No.”

— David Shore, Dr. Shaun Murphy, Freddie Highmore, imdb.com

“Autism, a mental condition characterized by difficulty in communicating and using language and abstract concepts. That's the definition. Does it sound like I'm describing a surgeon?”

— David Shore, Dr. Marcus Andrews, Hill Harper, imdb.com

“Neither one had the chance to become an adult. They should have become adults. They should have had children of their own and loved those children and I want to make that possible for other people.”

— David Shore, Dr. Shaun Murphy, Freddie Highmore, imdb.com

“Why were you rude to me when we first met, then nicer to me the second time we met, and now you want to be my friend? Which time was it that you were pretending?”

— David Shore, Dr. Shaun Murphy, Freddie Highmore, imdb.com

“The day that the copper pipes in the old building smelled like burnt food, my brother went to heaven in front of my eyes.”

— David Shore, Dr. Shaun Murphy, Freddie Highmore, imdb.com

“The day that the rain smelled like ice cream, my bunny went to heaven in front of my eyes.”

— David Shore, Dr. Shaun Murphy, Freddie Highmore, imdb.com

“You're not helping. I don't need theories. I don't need white boards. I don't need doctors! I don't want to think about the tumor! I don't want to think about dying! You know what I want? You know what I actually want? I want to go on a long drive somewhere. I want to eat pancakes. I want to watch f…”

— David Shore, Lloyd Gilyard, Jr., Dr. Aaron Glassman, Richard Schiff, imdb.com