Every day, I wake up and I say, 'Why... how... did I end up with 1.7 million Twitter followers?' It's freaky to me, every day, but that tells me that there's an appetite out there that had previously been underserved. There's an inner geek in us all, an inner bit of curiosity that people are discovering, and they like it.
Interpretation
The quote reflects on the surprising growth of Neil Degrasse Tyson's Twitter followers and highlights the universal curiosity that brings people together.
In this quote, Neil Degrasse Tyson expresses his astonishment at his massive following on Twitter, suggesting that it stems from a shared human curiosity that many people have. He emphasizes that this curiosity has often been overlooked, and his presence on social media caters to that unmet desire for knowledge and exploration, resonating with the 'inner geek' in everyone.
In practice
In a motivational speech about embracing curiosity, one might use this quote to illustrate the importance of recognizing our interests.
The problem is that many people operate on the assumption that NASA should go to Congress every year with hat in hand and justify it every year. Well, I see it as the greatest economic driver that there ever was. Economic drivers don't need justification.
The press still thinks [global warming] is controversial. So they find the 1% of the scientists and put them up as if they're 50% of the research results. You in the public would have no idea that this is basically a done deal and that we're on to other problems, because the journalists are trying to give it a 50/50 story. It's not a 50/50 story. It's not. Period.
As a scientist, I want to go to Mars and back to asteroids and the Moon because I'm a scientist. But I can tell you, I'm not so naive a scientist to think that the nation might not have geopolitical reasons for going into space.
In just one year, the expenditure of of the U.S.'s military budget is equivalent to the entire 50-year running budget of NASA combined.
One of my great laments is that education today seems to have... be less about passion and more about process, more about tactic or technique.
Lots of people think, well, we're humans; we're the most intelligent and accomplished species; we're in charge. Bacteria may have a different outlook: more bacteria live and work in one linear centimeter of your lower colon than all the humans who have ever lived. That's what's going on in your digestive tract right now. Are we in charge, or are we simply hosts for bacteria? It all depends on your outlook.
I dream. Sometimes I think that's the only right thing to do.
I do the very best I can to look upon life with optimism and hope and looking forward to a better day.
No true and permanent fame can be founded, except in labors which promote the happiness of mankind.
What else have I done nearly all my life than go hungry and go on singing?
I spread the message of hope and of unity. That's what gets me up in the morning. I can tell you what is wrong, but I can't tell you how to fix it. I'm a raptivist, not a politician. I deal in hope.
So, open your mouth, lad! For every voice counts!
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