Motivation has a significant role in the process of language learning. It is important to understand its theoretical evolution in this field to be able to consider its relevance in the learning and teaching of a foreign language. Motivation is a term that is commonly used among language teachers and language learners but perhaps many are not aware of the different theories related to this topic and their teaching implications. This essay is an attempt to understand motivation over the past forty years in the different theories associated with language acquisition. Finally, there is a personal comment on motivation and its relevance at a public high school in Pasto, Colombia.