Carl Sagan was an American author, astronomer, astrophysicist, astrobiologist, and planetary scientist too. He became a popular name due to his immense contribution towards scientific research on extraterrestrial life, and his teachings. He was also known as the scientist who assembled the first physical message sent into space. He had a strong belief that life exists outside Earth too. He had also taught as a professor at Harvard for a brief period of time. Furthermore, he was also the co-author or editor of over 20 books including famous ones like Broca’s Brain, and The Dragons of Eden.
He was a multi-talented personality who also co-wrote and narrated a famous award-winning TV series from the 80s called Cosmos: A Personal Voyage. The man won several awards during his lifetime such as NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal, Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction, and many more.
Here we have brought to you the 15 best quotes by Carl Sagan right from the pool of wisdom and intelligence he left behind for all of us:
1. The quest for knowledge…
“Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.”
2. The cosmic perspective…
“Every one of us is, from the cosmic perspective, precious. If a human disagrees with you, let him live. In a hundred billion galaxies, you will not find another.”
3. Composition of the human body
“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.”
4. What is science?
“Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge.”
5. Dependence on Technology
“We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology.”
6. What is the Universe?
“For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.”
7. The joy of reading….
“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.”
8. The art of knowing…
“I don’t want to believe it. I want to know.”
9. Science and spirituality…
“Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality.”
10. What does it take to claim?
“Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.”
11. What is the Universe?
“The universe is a pretty big place. If it’s just us, seems like an awful waste of space.”
12. To progress….
“We can judge our progress by the courage of our questions and the depth of our answers, our willingness to embrace what is true rather than what feels good.”
13. To have an open mind…
“It pays to keep an open mind, but not so open your brains fall out.”
14. Who is a genius?
“But the fact that some geniuses were laughed at does not imply that all who are laughed at are geniuses. They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, and they laughed at the Wright brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown.”
15. Who are we?
“We are like butterflies who flutter for a day and think it is forever.”
16. Not all that we see is true…
“The obvious is sometimes false: the unexpected is sometimes true.”
Apply these best quotes by Carl Sagan in your life to level up your wisdom and curiosity about this infinitely large universe!