Science is a way to not fool ourselves.
The visions we offer our children shape the future. It _matters_ what those visions are. Often they become self-fulfilling prophecies. Dreams are maps.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The aspirations we present to children significantly influence their future. These visions can create realities, shaping their dreams into achievable paths.
Carl Sagan highlights the pivotal role that visions and dreams play in a child's development. By presenting inspiring and positive aspirations, adults can guide children toward realizing their potential and shaping a future that reflects those ideals. The idea that dreams serve as 'maps' suggests that having a clear vision helps in navigating life's challenges, leading to self-fulfilling prophecies where beliefs and goals translate into reality.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
A teacher might use this quote during a motivational speech to inspire students about their potential.
More from Carl Sagan
All quotes βIn more than one respect, the exploring of the Solar System and homesteading other worlds constitutes the beginning, much more than the end, of history.
How smart does a chimpanzee have to be before killing him constitutes murder?
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.
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.
The simplest thought, like the concept of the number one, has an elaborate logical underpinning.
Similar quotes
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I am a passionate traveler, and from the time I was a child, travel formed me as much as my formal education. In order to appreciate cultures of another nation, one needs to go there, know the people and mingle with the culture of that country. One way to do that, if one is lucky enough, is to buy things from those cultures.
I love working with kids, talking with them and listening to them. I always encourage kids to reach beyond their dreams. Don't try to be like me. Be better than me.
My undergraduates, at first, get all starry-eyed about the idea of finding their passion, but over time, they get far more excited about developing their passion and seeing it through. They come to understand that that's how they and their futures will be shaped and how they will ultimately make their contributions.
Live in the serene peace of laboratories and libraries
People think of black English as ungrammatical, but it bears the same relationship to standard English as contemporary Hebrew does to ancient Hebrew.