It is always with excitement that I wake up in the morning

When Jonas Salk proclaimed, “It is always with excitement that I wake up in the morning wondering what my intuition will toss up to me, like gifts from the sea. I work with it and rely on it. It's my partner,” he revealed the sacred bond between the human mind and the mysterious force of intuition. These words, spoken by the man who gave the world the polio vaccine, are not merely the musings of a scientist—they are the testimony of one who knew that the greatest discoveries come not only from reason and logic, but also from listening to the quiet whispers of the soul.

The origin of this quote rests in Salk’s own life of struggle and triumph. During the height of the 20th century, polio struck fear into families across the globe, crippling children and sowing despair. Salk’s work, which would culminate in the creation of a vaccine, was not guided by formulas alone. It was guided by intuition—by those sudden flashes of insight that came to him unbidden, like waves delivering treasures upon the shore. For Salk, intuition was not a fleeting fancy but a companion, a partner that walked alongside reason, granting him the courage to see solutions where others saw only obstacles.

Throughout history, we see echoes of this partnership. Archimedes, leaping from his bath, cried “Eureka!” not from the steady march of logic, but from intuition striking like lightning. Einstein spoke of imagining himself riding a beam of light, a vision that birthed the theory of relativity. These men did not reject reason; rather, they married it to intuition, allowing each to strengthen the other. Salk stood in this lineage, knowing that discovery is not merely the stacking of facts, but the art of listening to the unseen currents of inspiration.

His words also remind us of the joy that comes with this way of living. To rise each morning with “excitement” is to live not in dread of toil, but in anticipation of wonder. Many rise with weariness, enslaved by routine. But Salk awoke as a seeker, awaiting the gifts his intuition might bring, as though the universe itself were offering him secrets to unravel. To live in this way is to see life not as a burden, but as an adventure—each day a new page in the story of discovery.

There is also a profound lesson in humility here. Salk, though celebrated for his brilliance, did not claim to master his insights. He described them as gifts, freely given, beyond his control. This humility teaches us that even the greatest among us are not sole authors of their achievements; they are vessels through which inspiration flows. To recognize this is to remain grateful, to remain open, and to never grow arrogant in the face of success.

The teaching for us is clear: cherish your intuition, and make it your partner. Reason will build the foundation, but intuition will provide the spark. Trust those inner stirrings, for they may be the very voice of truth whispering in your soul. Wake each day not only to work, but to wonder—waiting, like Salk, for the sea to toss its treasures at your feet.

So let us remember Jonas Salk’s words: “I work with it and rely on it. It’s my partner.” May they inspire us to embrace our own intuition with reverence, to blend it with reason, and to step into each morning with excitement rather than dread. For in this union of mind and spirit lies the key to discovery, to creativity, and to a life lived not in monotony, but in continual revelation.