HISPANIC QUOTATIONS: RAMÓN Y CAJAL

 

Santiago Ramón y Cajal, in Los tónicos de la voluntad (1912), reminds us that “Es vulgarísima verdad que, en grado variable, el afán de aprobación y aplauso mueve a todos los hombres…” (it is a most commonplace truth that the desire for approval and applause moves all human beings, though to varying degrees.) More than a critique, his remark is an invitation to self-examination. We like to imagine ourselves guided solely by principle or pure curiosity, yet vanity quietly shapes our ambitions, our work, and even our acts of generosity.

Cajal’s insight endures because it is both humbling and liberating. By acknowledging this universal longing for recognition, we can keep it in proportion—use it as a spur to effort without allowing it to dictate our values. In that balance lies the tonic he sought to offer: a clearer understanding of what truly motivates us and what, with discipline, elevates our will.