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Books permit us to voyage through time, to tap the wisdom of our ancestors.
Carl Sagan
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Books allow us to explore past knowledge and insights.

In this quote, Carl Sagan emphasizes the unique power of books to transport us through time, granting access to the insights and experiences of those who came before us. By reading, we can learn from the wisdom of our ancestors and enrich our understanding of the world.

Themes

BooksWisdomKnowledgeAncestorsEducation

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech about the importance of literacy, one might quote Carl Sagan to emphasize how reading enhances our understanding of history.

More from Carl Sagan

Science is a way to not fool ourselves.
Carl SaganRead
In more than one respect, the exploring of the Solar System and homesteading other worlds constitutes the beginning, much more than the end, of history.
Carl SaganRead
How smart does a chimpanzee have to be before killing him constitutes murder?
Carl SaganRead
The hole in the ozone layer is a kind of skywriting. At first it seemed to spell out our continuing complacency before a witch's brew of deadly perils. But perhaps it really tells of a newfound talent to work together to protect the global environment.
Carl SaganRead
There is a reward structure in science that is very interesting: Our highest honors go to those who disprove the findings of the most revered among us. So Einstein is revered not just because he made so many fundamental contributions to science, but because he found an imperfection in the fundamental contribution of Isaac Newton.
Carl SaganRead
The simplest thought, like the concept of the number one, has an elaborate logical underpinning.
Carl SaganRead

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History can come in handy. If you were born yesterday, with no knowledge of the past, you might easily accept whatever the government tells you. But knowing a bit of history--while it would not absolutely prove the government was lying in a given instance--might make you skeptical, lead you to ask questions, make it more likely that you would find out the truth.
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