Authors: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

99 Enlightening Quotes By Carl Sagan, The Author Of The Dragons Of Eden

Famous As: Astronomer and Planetary Scientist Best Known for His Scientific Contribution in Research on Extraterrestrial Life
Born On: November 9, 1934
Died On: December 20, 1996
Born In: Brooklyn, New York, United States
Founder / Co Founder: Planetary Society
Died At Age: 62
Carl Sagan was an American astronomer, who was also a leading figure in other branches of science like cosmology, astrophysics and astrobiology. Sagan is most famous for popularizing science among the general people through his books. His most important and perhaps most significant work is the research that he carried out on extraterrestrial life and that is something that remains one of the top priorities of space research organisations even today. Sagan was a prolific researcher who produced hundreds of research papers throughout a stellar career that spanned over a period of more than three decades. In addition to that, he had also written several popular science based books among which ‘Pale Blue Dot’ and ‘The Dragons of Eden’ are the most famous ones. Sagan was also the co-writer of the hugely popular show ‘Cosmos: A Personal Voyage’ that went on to win several awards. As one would ex-pect, Sagan has also left behind a rich haul of quotes that would appeal to curious minds of all ages, irrespective of their aptitude for the sciences and here are some of the choices ones.
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Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.

Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.

Carl Sagan
Every one of us is, in the cosmic perspective, precious. If a human disagrees with you, let him live. In a hundred billion galaxies, you will not find another.

Every one of us is, in the cosmic perspective, precious. If a human disagrees with you, let him live. In a hundred billion galaxies, you will not find another.

Carl Sagan
The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.

The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.

Carl Sagan
Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality.

Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality.

Carl Sagan
One glance at a book and you hear the voice of another person, perhaps someone dead for 1,000 years. To read is to voyage through time.

One glance at a book and you hear the voice of another person, perhaps someone dead for 1,000 years. To read is to voyage through time.

Carl Sagan
If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.

If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.

Carl Sagan
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.

For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.

Carl Sagan
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.

Carl Sagan
Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were, but without it we go nowhere.

Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were, but without it we go nowhere.

Carl Sagan
For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love.

For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love.

Carl Sagan
It pays to keep an open mind, but not so open your brains fall out.

It pays to keep an open mind, but not so open your brains fall out.

Carl Sagan
We are like butterflies who flutter for a day and think it is forever.

We are like butterflies who flutter for a day and think it is forever.

Carl Sagan
The universe is a pretty big place. If it's just us, seems like an awful waste of space.

The universe is a pretty big place. If it's just us, seems like an awful waste of space.

Carl Sagan
Frederick Douglass taught that literacy is the path from slavery to freedom. There are many kinds of slavery and many kinds of freedom, but reading is still the path.

Frederick Douglass taught that literacy is the path from slavery to freedom. There are many kinds of slavery and many kinds of freedom, but reading is still the path.

Carl Sagan
We are a way for the cosmos to know itself.

We are a way for the cosmos to know itself.

Carl Sagan
The nuclear arms race is like two sworn enemies standing waist deep in gasoline, one with three matches, the other with five.

The nuclear arms race is like two sworn enemies standing waist deep in gasoline, one with three matches, the other with five.

Carl Sagan
I consider it an extremely dangerous doctrine, because the more likely we are to assume that the solution comes from the outside, the less likely we are to solve our problems ourselves.

I consider it an extremely dangerous doctrine, because the more likely we are to assume that the solution comes from the outside, the less likely we are to solve our problems ourselves.

Carl Sagan
The cosmos is within us. We are made of star-stuff. We are a way for the universe to know itself.

The cosmos is within us. We are made of star-stuff. We are a way for the universe to know itself.

Carl Sagan
I don't want to believe. I want to know.

I don't want to believe. I want to know.

Carl Sagan
It is of interest to note that while some dolphins are reported to have learned English - up to fifty words used in correct context - no human being has been reported to have learned dolphinese.

It is of interest to note that while some dolphins are reported to have learned English - up to fifty words used in correct context - no human being has been reported to have learned dolphinese.

Carl Sagan
We make our world significant by the courage of our questions and the depth of our answers

We make our world significant by the courage of our questions and the depth of our answers

Carl Sagan
The universe seems neither benign nor hostile, merely indifferent.

The universe seems neither benign nor hostile, merely indifferent.

Carl Sagan
The beauty of a living thing is not the atoms that go into it, but the way those atoms are put together.

The beauty of a living thing is not the atoms that go into it, but the way those atoms are put together.

Carl Sagan
Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge.

Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge.

Carl Sagan
She had studied the universe all her life, but had overlooked its clearest message: For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love.

She had studied the universe all her life, but had overlooked its clearest message: For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love.

Carl Sagan
The absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence.

The absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence.

Carl Sagan
The cure for a fallacious argument is a better argument, not the suppression of ideas.

The cure for a fallacious argument is a better argument, not the suppression of ideas.

Carl Sagan
Exploration is in our nature. We began as wanderers, and we are wanderers still. We have lingered long enough on the shores of the cosmic ocean. We are ready at last to set sail for the stars.

Exploration is in our nature. We began as wanderers, and we are wanderers still. We have lingered long enough on the shores of the cosmic ocean. We are ready at last to set sail for the stars.

Carl Sagan
Extinction is the rule. Survival is the exception.

Extinction is the rule. Survival is the exception.

Carl Sagan
But I could be wrong.

But I could be wrong.

Carl Sagan
If it can be destroyed by the truth, it deserves to be destroyed by the truth.

If it can be destroyed by the truth, it deserves to be destroyed by the truth.

Carl Sagan
Who are we? We find that we live on an insignificant planet of a humdrum star lost in a galaxy tucked away in some forgotten corner of a universe in which there are far more galaxies than people.

Who are we? We find that we live on an insignificant planet of a humdrum star lost in a galaxy tucked away in some forgotten corner of a universe in which there are far more galaxies than people.

Carl Sagan
You have to know the past to understand the present.

You have to know the past to understand the present.

Carl Sagan
My view is that if there is no evidence for it, then forget about it. An agnostic is somebody who doesn’t believe in something until there is evidence for it, so I’m agnostic.

My view is that if there is no evidence for it, then forget about it. An agnostic is somebody who doesn’t believe in something until there is evidence for it, so I’m agnostic.

Carl Sagan
In all our searching, the only thing we've found that makes the emptiness bearable is each other.

In all our searching, the only thing we've found that makes the emptiness bearable is each other.

Carl Sagan
If I finish a book a week, I will read only a few thousand books in my lifetime, about a tenth of a percent of the contents of the greatest libraries of our time. The trick is to know which books to read.

If I finish a book a week, I will read only a few thousand books in my lifetime, about a tenth of a percent of the contents of the greatest libraries of our time. The trick is to know which books to read.

Carl Sagan
But nature is always more subtle, more intricate, more elegant than what we are able to imagine.

But nature is always more subtle, more intricate, more elegant than what we are able to imagine.

Carl Sagan
A celibate clergy is an especially good idea, because it tends to suppress any hereditary propensity toward fanaticism.

A celibate clergy is an especially good idea, because it tends to suppress any hereditary propensity toward fanaticism.

Carl Sagan
Books break the shackles of time, proof that humans can work magic.

Books break the shackles of time, proof that humans can work magic.

Carl Sagan
We are all star stuff.

We are all star stuff.

Carl Sagan
Understanding is a kind of ecstasy

Understanding is a kind of ecstasy

Carl Sagan
Atoms are mainly empty space. Matter is composed chiefly of nothing.

Atoms are mainly empty space. Matter is composed chiefly of nothing.

Carl Sagan
We are star stuff harvesting sunlight.

We are star stuff harvesting sunlight.

Carl Sagan
You are worth about 3 dollars worth in chemicals.

You are worth about 3 dollars worth in chemicals.

Carl Sagan
Observation: I can't see a thing. Conclusion: Dinosaurs.

Observation: I can't see a thing. Conclusion: Dinosaurs.

Carl Sagan
Avoidable human misery is more often caused not so much by stupidity as by ignorance, particularly our ignorance about ourselves.

Avoidable human misery is more often caused not so much by stupidity as by ignorance, particularly our ignorance about ourselves.

Carl Sagan
Books are like seeds. They can lie dormant for centuries and then flower in the most unpromising soil.

Books are like seeds. They can lie dormant for centuries and then flower in the most unpromising soil.

Carl Sagan
We are star stuff which has taken its destiny into its own hands.

We are star stuff which has taken its destiny into its own hands.

Carl Sagan
The sky calls to us. If we do not destroy ourselves, we will one day venture to the stars.

The sky calls to us. If we do not destroy ourselves, we will one day venture to the stars.

Carl Sagan
It's hard to kill a creature once it lets you see its consciousness.

It's hard to kill a creature once it lets you see its consciousness.

Carl Sagan
Across the sea of space, the stars are other suns.

Across the sea of space, the stars are other suns.

Carl Sagan
An organism at war with itself is doomed.

An organism at war with itself is doomed.

Carl Sagan
There are no forbidden questions in science, no matters too sensitive or delicate to be probed, no sacred truths.

There are no forbidden questions in science, no matters too sensitive or delicate to be probed, no sacred truths.

Carl Sagan
Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.

Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.

Carl Sagan
If we long for our planet to be important, there is something we can do about it. We make our world significant by the courage of our questions and by the depth of our answers.

If we long for our planet to be important, there is something we can do about it. We make our world significant by the courage of our questions and by the depth of our answers.

Carl Sagan
Sailors on a becalmed sea, we sense the stirring of a breeze.

Sailors on a becalmed sea, we sense the stirring of a breeze.

Carl Sagan
There are wonders enough out there without our inventing any.

There are wonders enough out there without our inventing any.

Carl Sagan
We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology.

We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology.

Carl Sagan
It is said that men may not be the dreams of the god, but rather that the gods are the dreams of men.

It is said that men may not be the dreams of the god, but rather that the gods are the dreams of men.

Carl Sagan
The visions we offer our children shape the future.

The visions we offer our children shape the future.

Carl Sagan
The Cosmos is all that is or ever was or ever will be.

The Cosmos is all that is or ever was or ever will be.

Carl Sagan
.. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that in glory and in triumph they could become the 'Momentary' masters of a 'Fraction' of a 'Dot'

.. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that in glory and in triumph they could become the 'Momentary' masters of a 'Fraction' of a 'Dot'

Carl Sagan
We can't help it. Life looks for life.

We can't help it. Life looks for life.

Carl Sagan
The way to find out about our place in the universe is by examining the universe and by examining ourselves - without preconceptions, with as unbiased a mind as we can muster.

The way to find out about our place in the universe is by examining the universe and by examining ourselves - without preconceptions, with as unbiased a mind as we can muster.

Carl Sagan
But I try not to think with my gut. If I'm serious about understanding the world, thinking with anything besides my brain, as tempting as that might be, is likely to get me into trouble.

But I try not to think with my gut. If I'm serious about understanding the world, thinking with anything besides my brain, as tempting as that might be, is likely to get me into trouble.

Carl Sagan
You could just as well say that an agnostic is a deeply religious person with at least a rudimentary knowledge of human fallibility.

You could just as well say that an agnostic is a deeply religious person with at least a rudimentary knowledge of human fallibility.

Carl Sagan
You can't convince a believer of anything; for their belief is not based on evidence, it's based on a deep seated need to believe

You can't convince a believer of anything; for their belief is not based on evidence, it's based on a deep seated need to believe

Carl Sagan
Any faith that admires truth, that strives to know God, must be brave enough to accommodate the universe.

Any faith that admires truth, that strives to know God, must be brave enough to accommodate the universe.

Carl Sagan
When we look up at night and view the stars, everything we see is shinning because of distant nuclear fusion.

When we look up at night and view the stars, everything we see is shinning because of distant nuclear fusion.

Carl Sagan
In the vastness of space and the immensity of time, it is my joy to share a planet and an epoch with Annie.

[Dedication to Sagan's wife, Ann Druyan, in Cosmos]

In the vastness of space and the immensity of time, it is my joy to share a planet and an epoch with Annie. [Dedication to Sagan's wife, Ann Druyan, in Cosmos]

Carl Sagan
Our species needs, and deserves, a citizenry with minds wide awake and a basic understanding of how the world works.

Our species needs, and deserves, a citizenry with minds wide awake and a basic understanding of how the world works.

Carl Sagan
If we long to believe that the stars rise and set for us, that we are the reason there is a Universe, does science do us a disservice in deflating our conceits?

If we long to believe that the stars rise and set for us, that we are the reason there is a Universe, does science do us a disservice in deflating our conceits?

Carl Sagan
The visions we offer our children shape the future. It _matters_ what those visions are. Often they become self-fulfilling prophecies. Dreams are maps.

The visions we offer our children shape the future. It _matters_ what those visions are. Often they become self-fulfilling prophecies. Dreams are maps.

Carl Sagan
Not explaining science seems to me perverse. When you're in love, you want to tell the world.

Not explaining science seems to me perverse. When you're in love, you want to tell the world.

Carl Sagan
We make our purpose.

We make our purpose.

Carl Sagan
If we are merely matter intricately assembled, is this really demeaning? If there's nothing here but atoms, does that make us less or does that make matter more?

If we are merely matter intricately assembled, is this really demeaning? If there's nothing here but atoms, does that make us less or does that make matter more?

Carl Sagan
Knowing a great deal is not the same as being smart; intelligence is not information alone but also judgement, the manner in which information is coordinated and used.

Knowing a great deal is not the same as being smart; intelligence is not information alone but also judgement, the manner in which information is coordinated and used.

Carl Sagan
The universe is not required to be in perfect harmony with human ambition.

The universe is not required to be in perfect harmony with human ambition.

Carl Sagan
The fossil record implies trial and error, the inability to anticipate the future, features inconsistent with a Great Designer (though not a Designer of a more remote and indirect temperament.)

The fossil record implies trial and error, the inability to anticipate the future, features inconsistent with a Great Designer (though not a Designer of a more remote and indirect temperament.)

Carl Sagan
I would suggest that science is, at least in my part, informed worship.

I would suggest that science is, at least in my part, informed worship.

Carl Sagan
If we ruin the earth, there is no place else to go

If we ruin the earth, there is no place else to go

Carl Sagan
I've always thought an agnostic is an atheist without the courage of his convictions.

I've always thought an agnostic is an atheist without the courage of his convictions.

Carl Sagan
A galaxy is composed of gas and dust and stars - billions upon billions of stars. Every star may be a sun to someone.

A galaxy is composed of gas and dust and stars - billions upon billions of stars. Every star may be a sun to someone.

Carl Sagan
Those at too great a distance may, I am well are, mistake ignorance for perspective.

Those at too great a distance may, I am well are, mistake ignorance for perspective.

Carl Sagan
And you are made of a hundred trillion cells. We are, each of us, a multitude.

And you are made of a hundred trillion cells. We are, each of us, a multitude.

Carl Sagan
It is the tension between creativity and skepticism that has produced the stunning and unexpected findings of science.

It is the tension between creativity and skepticism that has produced the stunning and unexpected findings of science.

Carl Sagan
The immense distances to the stars and the galaxies mean that we see everything ins pace int he past, some as they were before the Earth came to be. Telescopes are time machines.

The immense distances to the stars and the galaxies mean that we see everything ins pace int he past, some as they were before the Earth came to be. Telescopes are time machines.

Carl Sagan
Perhaps the depth of love can be calibrated by the number of different selves that are actively involved in a given relationship.

Perhaps the depth of love can be calibrated by the number of different selves that are actively involved in a given relationship.

Carl Sagan
Every kid starts out as a natural-born scientist, and then we beat it out of them. A few trickle through the system with their wonder and enthusiasm for science intact.

Every kid starts out as a natural-born scientist, and then we beat it out of them. A few trickle through the system with their wonder and enthusiasm for science intact.

Carl Sagan
A book is proof that humans are capable of working magic.

A book is proof that humans are capable of working magic.

Carl Sagan
There are as many atoms in one molecule of DNA as there are stars in a typical galaxy.

There are as many atoms in one molecule of DNA as there are stars in a typical galaxy.

Carl Sagan
Better the hard truth, I say, than the comforting fantasy.

Better the hard truth, I say, than the comforting fantasy.

Carl Sagan
All colours are arbitrary.

All colours are arbitrary.

Carl Sagan
Skeptical scrutiny is the means, in both science and religion, by which deep thoughts can be winnowed from deep nonsense.

Skeptical scrutiny is the means, in both science and religion, by which deep thoughts can be winnowed from deep nonsense.

Carl Sagan
By looking far out into space we are also looking far back into time, back toward the horizon of the universe, back toward the epoch of the Big Bang.

By looking far out into space we are also looking far back into time, back toward the horizon of the universe, back toward the epoch of the Big Bang.

Carl Sagan
Science is only a Latin word for knowledge

Science is only a Latin word for knowledge

Carl Sagan
Science is a way to call the bluff of those who only pretend to knowledge. It is a bulwark against mysticism, against superstition, against religion misapplied to where it has no business being.

Science is a way to call the bluff of those who only pretend to knowledge. It is a bulwark against mysticism, against superstition, against religion misapplied to where it has no business being.

Carl Sagan
You mustn't think of the Universe as a wilderness. It hasn't been that for billions of years,

You mustn't think of the Universe as a wilderness. It hasn't been that for billions of years," he said. "Think of it more as... ..cultivated.

Carl Sagan