Duty Quotes in Outlander

As a physician, Claire probably took the Hippocratic Oath, and she takes this oath seriously. So much so, that the fact that this grimy neckrag might do harm almost physically prevents her from using it.

Claire thinks Jamie is crazy for taking Laoghaire's punishment. She doesn't seem to realize that she's exactly the same way. As a physician, she does things all the time for people she doesn't know. Sure, it's not getting punched in the face, but her life is often in danger when she's trying to save the lives of others.

The political games of the era are really hard to figure out at times. Scottish politics of the 18th century isn't exactly a popular elective in high school, and even Claire doesn't understand a lot of it—she just knows she'll go wherever Jamie goes.

Being a physician is an integral part of Claire's identity. She feels a duty to her profession and to her patients, and it really makes her feel good to treat people, even if the methods are more archaic than she would prefer.

Even though they've barely been married an hour, Jamie pledges himself to Claire. It's his duty as a husband, after all, and he'll do everything he can to not let her down.

A man's word is his honor, and it actually means something in this time period. At least it does when we're talking about James Fraser. Other men… we're not sure we'd trust them as much as Jamie, at least not without a record of all their recent tweets and Snapchat logs.

Claire and Jamie make a vow of honesty on their wedding night. As a result, she feels super guilty when she realizes how much time she's spend plotting to essentially betray his trust. Which is more important to her: her duty as a wife, or returning to her own time?

Here Claire quotes Nathan Hale, a man who died spying on the British during the Revolutionary War. Claire is referring to Geillis's dubious loyalty here, as the witch is diverting money away from Scotland to France, to assist in the Jacobite uprising that will eventually wipe out all the Highlanders.

Jamie feels that it is his husbandly duty to sacrifice himself for Claire… even if the sacrifice means submitting himself as catcher to Randall's pitcher. He already feels like he failed Claire once, back when they were almost shot by the river, so it's not surprising to us that he chooses to make this sacrifice now.

Claire's relationship to Jamie is complicated by the fact that she is also a physician, and arguably the only physician who can treat him without killing him. As a result, sometimes she has to put him through great pain in order to heal him. At these times, she has to separate her doctor side from her wife side, and do her physician's duty.