Create Yours

Top 15 Michael T. Osterholm Quotes (2025 Update)

Michael T. Osterholm Quote: “In a 2015 TED Talk, Bill Gates asserted, “If anything kills over 10 million people in the next few decades, it’s most likely to be a highly infectious virus rather than a war. Not missiles, but microbes.”

1. “In a 2015 TED Talk, Bill Gates asserted, “If anything kills over 10 million people in the next few decades, it’s most likely to be a highly infectious virus rather than a war. Not missiles, but microbes.”

— Michael T. Osterholm

Michael T. Osterholm Quote: “In any pandemic, effective leadership is critical, and the first responsibility of the president or the head of any nation is to offer accurate and up-to-date information, provided by public health experts, not agenda-oriented political operatives.”

2. “In any pandemic, effective leadership is critical, and the first responsibility of the president or the head of any nation is to offer accurate and up-to-date information, provided by public health experts, not agenda-oriented political operatives.”

— Michael T. Osterholm

Michael T. Osterholm Quote: “The battle lines are well drawn: the microbes’ genetic simplicity and evolutionary swiftness against our intellect, creativity, and collective social and political will. We cannot overwhelm the pathogens, because they so vastly outnumber and outmaneuver us. Our survival depends on outsmarting them.”

3. “The battle lines are well drawn: the microbes’ genetic simplicity and evolutionary swiftness against our intellect, creativity, and collective social and political will. We cannot overwhelm the pathogens, because they so vastly outnumber and outmaneuver us. Our survival depends on outsmarting them.”

— Michael T. Osterholm

Michael T. Osterholm Quote: “Like Abraham Lincoln, I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts.”

4. “Like Abraham Lincoln, I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts.”

— Michael T. Osterholm

Michael T. Osterholm Quote: “The CDC and three other research groups submitted a paper for publication in the journal Science detailing how they had reconstructed the 1918 H1N1 influenza virus, using virus genes that had been identified in lung samples of patients who died during the 1918 pandemic.”

5. “The CDC and three other research groups submitted a paper for publication in the journal Science detailing how they had reconstructed the 1918 H1N1 influenza virus, using virus genes that had been identified in lung samples of patients who died during the 1918 pandemic.”

— Michael T. Osterholm

Michael T. Osterholm Quote: “As another example, in many healthcare settings, up to 35 percent of nurses are the parents of school-age children, and up to 20 percent of those would have to stay home with their children because they have no childcare alternatives. So, closing schools can have the effect of losing 20 percent of our vital nursing workforce in a time of medical crisis, before we even consider those that we will lose to illness itself.”

6. “As another example, in many healthcare settings, up to 35 percent of nurses are the parents of school-age children, and up to 20 percent of those would have to stay home with their children because they have no childcare alternatives. So, closing schools can have the effect of losing 20 percent of our vital nursing workforce in a time of medical crisis, before we even consider those that we will lose to illness itself.”

— Michael T. Osterholm

Michael T. Osterholm Quote: “Generally, seasonal flu is a remnant of a strain of the flu virus that once caused a pandemic.”

7. “Generally, seasonal flu is a remnant of a strain of the flu virus that once caused a pandemic.”

— Michael T. Osterholm

Michael T. Osterholm Quote: “But to understand the true biologic sense of the power of microbes, we must never forget that we are the ones trying to anticipate and respond to their evolution, not the other way around.”

8. “But to understand the true biologic sense of the power of microbes, we must never forget that we are the ones trying to anticipate and respond to their evolution, not the other way around.”

— Michael T. Osterholm

Michael T. Osterholm Quote: “We recognize in society that individual autonomy extends only up to the point that you begin to affect others.”

9. “We recognize in society that individual autonomy extends only up to the point that you begin to affect others.”

— Michael T. Osterholm

Michael T. Osterholm Quote: “That’s because I believe in what I call consequential epidemiology. That is, by attempting to change what could happen if we don’t act, we can positively alter the course of history, rather than merely record and explain it retrospectively.”

10. “That’s because I believe in what I call consequential epidemiology. That is, by attempting to change what could happen if we don’t act, we can positively alter the course of history, rather than merely record and explain it retrospectively.”

— Michael T. Osterholm

Michael T. Osterholm Quote: “Bill cites three tenets to his personal philosophy as it applies to public health, which we would all do well to follow: First, as confusing and bewildering as things may seem, we live in a cause-and-effect world. So somewhere, the answers are out there. Second, know the truth – and the first step to knowing the truth is wanting to know the truth, rather than any alternative that seems more satisfying or closer to your own worldview. Third, not one of us does anything worthwhile on our own.”

11. “Bill cites three tenets to his personal philosophy as it applies to public health, which we would all do well to follow: First, as confusing and bewildering as things may seem, we live in a cause-and-effect world. So somewhere, the answers are out there. Second, know the truth – and the first step to knowing the truth is wanting to know the truth, rather than any alternative that seems more satisfying or closer to your own worldview. Third, not one of us does anything worthwhile on our own.”

— Michael T. Osterholm

Michael T. Osterholm Quote: “In a 2015 TED Talk, Bill Gates asserted, “If anything kills over 10 million people in the next few decades, it’s most likely to be a highly infectious virus rather than a war. Not missiles, but microbes. Now, part of the reason for this is that we’ve invested a huge amount in nuclear deterrents. But we’ve actually invested very little in a system to stop an epidemic. We’re not ready for the next epidemic.”

12. “In a 2015 TED Talk, Bill Gates asserted, “If anything kills over 10 million people in the next few decades, it’s most likely to be a highly infectious virus rather than a war. Not missiles, but microbes. Now, part of the reason for this is that we’ve invested a huge amount in nuclear deterrents. But we’ve actually invested very little in a system to stop an epidemic. We’re not ready for the next epidemic.”

— Michael T. Osterholm

Michael T. Osterholm Quote: “This is an instructive model for the proliferation of other infectious diseases as population growth and “progress” create better roads and more mobility while reducing jungle and forestland. As a result, microbes that may have stayed in their particular niches for centuries or longer are now emerging into far larger problems.”

13. “This is an instructive model for the proliferation of other infectious diseases as population growth and “progress” create better roads and more mobility while reducing jungle and forestland. As a result, microbes that may have stayed in their particular niches for centuries or longer are now emerging into far larger problems.”

— Michael T. Osterholm

Michael T. Osterholm Quote: “When you know how to relieve torment and don’t, then you become the tormentor.”

14. “When you know how to relieve torment and don’t, then you become the tormentor.”

— Michael T. Osterholm

Michael T. Osterholm Quote: “What we really need is a game-changing influenza vaccine that will target the conserved – or unchanging – features of the influenza viruses that are more likely to cause human influenza pandemics and subsequently seasonal influenza in the following years.”

15. “What we really need is a game-changing influenza vaccine that will target the conserved – or unchanging – features of the influenza viruses that are more likely to cause human influenza pandemics and subsequently seasonal influenza in the following years.”

— Michael T. Osterholm

Michael T. Osterholm Quote: “The fundamental concept here is that if antibiotics are a societal trust – if my use affects your ability to use them, and then your use affects my grandkids’ ability to use them – why are we allowing people to choose? We recognize in society that individual autonomy extends only up to the point that you begin to affect others.”

16. “The fundamental concept here is that if antibiotics are a societal trust – if my use affects your ability to use them, and then your use affects my grandkids’ ability to use them – why are we allowing people to choose? We recognize in society that individual autonomy extends only up to the point that you begin to affect others.”

— Michael T. Osterholm

Michael T. Osterholm Quote: “There are only four events that truly have the power to negatively affect the entire planet. One is all-out thermonuclear war. Another is an asteroid striking earth. The third is global climate change. And the fourth is infectious disease.”

17. “There are only four events that truly have the power to negatively affect the entire planet. One is all-out thermonuclear war. Another is an asteroid striking earth. The third is global climate change. And the fourth is infectious disease.”

— Michael T. Osterholm

Motivational Quotes

Motivational Quotes

Inspirational Entrepreneurship Quotes

Inspirational Entrepreneurship Quotes

Positive Quotes

Positive Quotes

Albert Einstein Quotes

Albert Einstein Quotes

Motivational Quotes

Motivational Quotes

INSPIRATIONAL SUCCESS MOTIVATIONAL

Inspirational Entrepreneurship Quotes

Inspirational Entrepreneurship Quotes

ENTREPRENEURSHIP BUSINESS INSPIRATIONAL

Positive Quotes

Positive Quotes

Albert Einstein Quotes

Albert Einstein Quotes

ENTREPRENEURSHIP BUSINESS INSPIRATIONAL

Steve Jobs Quotes

Steve Jobs Quotes

ENTREPRENEURSHIP BUSINESS APPLE

Inspirational Quotes

Inspirational Quotes

COURAGE MOTIVATIONAL STRENGTH

INSPIRATIONAL SUCCESS MOTIVATIONAL

Swami Vivekananda Quotes

Swami Vivekananda Quotes

LIFE SPIRITUALITY

Save image...
Permalink
Open in new tab
Copy quote text

Beautiful Wallpapers and Images

We hope you enjoyed our collection of 15 Michael T. Osterholm Quotes.

All the images on this page were created with QuoteFancy Studio.

Use QuoteFancy Studio to create high-quality images for your desktop backgrounds, blog posts, presentations, social media, videos, posters, and more.

Thank you!

Please check your email.