I used to very politely say that if there is free will then it's in all sorts of boring places, like whether you're going to pick up this or that fork as you begin your meal. There really is none: It's all biology.
Robert SapolskyRead
I would still very much love to change the world, and there are three or four neurological diseases that I've got a personal grudge against. I wouldn't mind mopping them up in one amazing experiment to come out of my lab, and I certainly wouldn't mind transforming hundreds of thousands of people's lives overnight with some discovery.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote expresses a desire to make a significant impact on the world through scientific discovery, particularly in curing neurological diseases.
Robert Sapolsky's quote reflects a passionate ambition to enact positive change in the world, specifically through the lens of scientific research focused on neurological diseases. He conveys a deep personal motivation to address these challenges and imagines the profound potential of his work to transform lives swiftly and significantly. It highlights the interplay between personal grievance and professional dedication, showcasing how scientific endeavors can be driven by personal experiences and the hope of broader societal impacts.
Themes
ChangeWorldScienceNeurological DiseasesTransformation
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about healthcare advancements, one could use this quote to emphasize the importance of scientific research.
More from Robert Sapolsky
All quotes →When you've wised up enough, there is a very clear conclusion that you have to reach after a while, which is, at the end of the day, it is really impossible for one person to make a difference.
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My adolescent rebellions took the form of, if anything, passive aggressively doing what was asked of me but doing it ten times more than what was asked of me, so that eventually they'd have to beg me to stop.
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When humans invented material inequality, they came up with a way of subjugating the low-ranking like nothing ever seen before in the primate world.
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Yes, genes are important for understanding our behavior. Incredibly important - after all, they code for every protein pertinent to brain function, endocrinology, etc., etc. But the regulation of genes is often more interesting than the genes themselves, and it's the environment that regulates genes.
Robert SapolskyRead
I expected social rank to be the determining factor in health, and in some ways that's true. But far more important is what sort of society that rank occurs in. Being low ranking in a benevolent troop is a hell of a lot better for your blood pressure than being low ranking in an aggressive troop.
Robert SapolskyRead
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