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)
As long as the brain is a mystery, the universe, the reflection of the structure of the brain, will also be a mystery.
The neuron is the fundamental unit of the nervous system.
The most beautiful and profound emotion we can experience is the sensation of the mystical. It is the sower of all true science.
The nerve cell is the most exquisite mechanism in the world.
The brain is a forest of a million trees.
Science is a ladder, not a road.
The most important thing is to never stop questioning.
The brain is a garden where the seeds of thought are sown.
The secret of success is to know how to profit by your mistakes.
The nervous system is a complex network of interconnected neurons.
The pursuit of truth is the noblest of all endeavors.
The brain is a universe within itself.
To be a scientist, one must be a poet in spirit.
The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance, but the illusion of knowledge.
The brain is a symphony of electrical impulses.
Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.
The nervous system is the seat of consciousness.
The true scientist is a perpetual child, always asking 'why?'.
The brain is a marvel of biological engineering.
Observation, not books, is the source of knowledge.
Contemporaries of Santiago Ramón y Cajal
Other Biologys born within 50 years of Santiago Ramón y Cajal (1852–1934).