Science is a way to not fool ourselves.
Carl SaganRead
The surface of the Earth is the shore of the cosmic ocean. On this shore, we've learned most of what we know. Recently, we've waded a little way out, maybe ankle-deep, and the water seems inviting. Some part of our being knows this is where we came from. We long to return, and we can, because the cosmos is also within us. We're made of star stuff. We are a way for the cosmos to know itself.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on humanity's connection to the cosmos, suggesting that we are both part of and observers of the universe.
Carl Sagan emphasizes the intrinsic link between humans and the universe, portraying Earth as a mere shore at the edge of a vast cosmic ocean. He suggests that by exploring the cosmos, we are not only seeking to understand the universe outside of us, but also the universe within us, as we are fundamentally composed of the same elements that make up the stars. This interconnectedness implies that our search for knowledge and our place in the universe is a journey toward understanding our own nature and existence.
Themes
CosmosUniverseConnectionExistenceKnowledgeStardust
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared during a space exploration event to emphasize our connection to the universe.
More from Carl Sagan
All quotes →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
Similar quotes
I do but quote from one of those speeches when I declare that "I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so."
Abraham LincolnRead
nothing which we are to perceive in this world equals the power of your intense fragility
E. E. CummingsRead
When a violent minority that crosses color lines comes to believe that killing those you know or do not know is a reasonable solution to problems, we are in need of another vision.
Stanley CrouchRead
Baby, we have no choice of what color we're born or who our parents are or whether we're rich or poor. What we do have is some choice over what we make of our lives once we're here.
Mildred D. TaylorRead
The more powerful the class, the more it claims not to exist, and its power is employed above all to enforce this claim. It is modest only on this one point, however, because this officially nonexistent bureaucracy simultaneously attributes the crowning achievements of history to its own infallible leadership. Though its existence is everywhere in evidence, the bureaucracy must be invisible as a class. As a result, all social life becomes insane.
Guy DebordRead
A Soul Knowing: You are the sum total of the Body, Mind, and Soul, and each of these aspects of you has a purpose and a function, but only one has an agenda: the Soul.
Neale Donald WalschRead