Basic mechanisms controlling orbital order and orbital fluctuations in transition metal oxides are discussed. The lattice driven classical orbital picture, e.g. like in manganites LaMnO$_3$, is contrasted to the quantum behavior of orbitals in frustrated superexchange models as realised in pseudocubic titanites ATiO$_3$ and vanadates AVO$_3$. In YVO$_3$, the lattice and superexchange effects strongly compete -- this explains the extreme sensitivity of magnetic states to temperature and doping. Lifting the $t_{2g}$ orbital degeneracy by a relativistic spin-orbital coupling is considered on example of the layered cobaltates. We find that the spin-orbital mixing of low-energy states leads to unusual magnetic correlations in a triangular lattice of the CoO$_2$ parent compound. Finally, the magnetism of sodium-rich compounds Na$_{1-x}$CoO$_2$ is discussed in terms of a spin/orbital polaronic liquid.
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