Santiago Ramón y Cajal
Considered the 'father of modern neuroscience' for his pioneering work on the structure of the nervous system, demonstrating the neuron doctrine.
Most quoted
"The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well."
— from Recollections of My Life
"What is a scientist after all? It is a curious man looking through a keyhole, the keyhole of the enigma of nature, trying to understand what is going on."
— from Recuerdos de mi vida
"The growth and development of the nervous system proceed by the formation of new connections between neurons, not by the fusion of pre-existing elements."
— from New Ideas on the Structure of the Nervous System in Man and Vertebrates, 1891
All quotes by Santiago Ramón y Cajal (380)
The brain is a fire, and the neurons are its flames. To understand the fire, we must study the flames with care.
The brain is a storm, and the neurons are its lightning. To understand the storm, we must study the lightning with care.
The brain is a wind, and the neurons are its breezes. To understand the wind, we must study the breezes with care.
The brain is a sun, and the neurons are its rays. To understand the sun, we must study the rays with care.
The brain is a moon, and the neurons are its light. To understand the moon, we must study the light with care.
The brain is a star, and the neurons are its twinkle. To understand the star, we must study the twinkle with care.
The brain is a jewel, and the neurons are its facets. To understand the jewel, we must study the facets with care.
The brain is a clock, and the neurons are its ticks. To understand the clock, we must study the ticks with care.
The brain is a key, and the neurons are its teeth. To understand the key, we must study the teeth with care.
The brain is a world consisting of a number of unaccounted-for constellations and of an infinite number of unexplored galaxies.
Every man can be, if he so wills, the sculptor of his own brain.
Truth is not found in the comfortable armchair, but in the arduous journey of discovery.
The tree of knowledge is not a tree of life, but a tree of death, for it teaches us that we are mortal.
Life is a tragedy for those who feel, and a comedy for those who think.
The human brain is a labyrinth of wonders, a universe within a universe.
Science is the poetry of reality.
To be a scientist, one must have a passion for truth and an insatiable curiosity.
The beauty of the world is in its details, and the beauty of science is in revealing them.
The mind, like a parachute, only functions when open.
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.
Contemporaries of Santiago Ramón y Cajal
Other Biologys born within 50 years of Santiago Ramón y Cajal (1852–1934).