 As to his nationalism , he wished to see Scotland on an equal footing with other nations . His national pride was intense ; in a Preparatory Note to The Voyage of the Scotia he wrote : " While ' Science ' was the talisman of the Expedition , ' Scotland ' was emblazoned on its flag " . This insistence on emphasising the Scottish character of his enterprises could be irksome to those who did not share his passion . However , he retained the respect and devotion of those whom he led , and of those who had known him longest . John Arthur Thomson , who had known Bruce since Granton , wrote of him when reviewing Rudmose Brown 's 1923 biography : " We never heard him once grumble about himself , though he was neither to hold or bend when he thought some injustice was being done to , or slight cast on , his men , on his colleagues , on his laboratory , on his Scotland . Then one got glimpses of the volcano which his gentle spirit usually kept sleeping " . 
