Ivan Pavlov
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)
Don't allow haughtiness to take possession of you. Because of it you will be obstinate where it is necessary to agree, and refuse useful advice and friendly help.
Remember that science is a collective work, and only by a firm union of scientists can we advance and achieve the truth.
The dog is a very good subject for experiments. It is a very sensitive animal, and its reactions are very precise.
I am a pure experimenter and visualizer. I am not a theoretician.
The most important thing in science is to observe, observe, observe.
I am convinced that the time will come when the physiological and psychological will merge, and we will have a single science of life.
My whole life has been devoted to the study of the nervous system, and I have found it to be an inexhaustible source of wonder.
The conditioned reflex is the fundamental mechanism of adaptation.
I am an optimist. I believe in the power of science to improve human life.
The greatest joy for a scientist is to discover something new, to shed light on a dark corner of nature.
My work is my life. I cannot imagine living without it.
The brain is the most complex and fascinating organ in the body.
I have always tried to be objective in my research, to let the facts speak for themselves.
The study of the higher nervous activity is the key to understanding human behavior.
I am not afraid of making mistakes. Mistakes are part of the learning process.
The more we learn about the brain, the more we realize how much we still don't know.
My family is very important to me, but my work is also my family.
I have always been driven by curiosity, by the desire to understand how things work.
The scientific method is the most reliable way to acquire knowledge.
I believe that science can solve many of the world's problems.
Contemporaries of Ivan Pavlov
Other Psychologys born within 50 years of Ivan Pavlov (1849–1936).