Ivan Pavlov

Psychology Russian 1849 – 1936 368 quotes

Discovered classical conditioning

Most quoted

"Thanks to our recent works, the physiology of the brain has been advanced to a new stage, and the study of the highest part of the nervous system, which is of such colossal importance to man, has been placed on a solid foundation of exact knowledge."

— from Nobel Lecture, 1904

"One can truly say that the irresistible progress of natural science since the time of Galileo has made its first halt before the study of the higher parts of the brain, the organ of the most complicated relations of the animal to the external world."

— from Scientific Study of the So-Called Psychical Processes in the Higher Animals, 1909

"The physiologist who succeeds in penetrating deeper and deeper into the digestive canal becomes convinced that it consists of a number of chemical laboratories equipped with various mechanical devices."

— from Nobel Lecture, 1904

All quotes by Ivan Pavlov (368)

The brain is a marvel of engineering.

Unknown

The study of the brain is the ultimate frontier of science.

Unknown

The conditioned reflex is a powerful tool for understanding the mind.

Lectures on Conditioned Reflexes

The nervous system is a system of communication.

Unknown

The organism is a complex and integrated whole.

Unknown

The external environment is a constant source of information.

Unknown

The conditioned reflex is a key to understanding human behavior.

Lectures on Conditioned Reflexes

The scientist must be humble and respectful of nature.

Unknown

The truth is a journey, not a destination.

Unknown

The brain is the seat of consciousness.

Unknown

Don't be a photographer, be a physiologist!

Biographical accounts

If you want to be a good physiologist, you must be a good cook.

Biographical accounts

Science demands from a man all his life. If you had two lives, that would not be enough. Give your complete passion and your complete attention to science.

Lectures and writings

The dog is a very good subject. He doesn't complain, he doesn't talk back, and he doesn't ask for a raise.

Biographical accounts

Observation and observation, and again observation.

Lectures and writings

I am an experimenter, and I am not a philosopher.

Biographical accounts

The dog is a very honest animal. He tells you exactly what he thinks.

Biographical accounts

Don't think, just observe.

Biographical accounts

The dog is a very good model for human behavior, especially when it comes to eating.

Biographical accounts

Facts are the air of the scientist. Without facts you can never fly.

Lectures and writings