Carl Sagan Quotes: Wisdom from a Legendary Scientist

The cosmos is within us. We are made of star-stuff.

Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.

We are like butterflies who flutter for a day and think it is forever.

We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology.

Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it, we go nowhere.

For small creatures such as we, the vastness is bearable only through love.

We’ve arranged a global civilization in which most crucial elements profoundly depend on science and technology.

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.

The universe is a pretty big place. If it’s just us, seems like an awful waste of space.

Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality.

Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge.

Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.

If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.

It pays to keep an open mind, but not so open your brains fall out.

Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge.

Skeptical scrutiny is the means, in both science and religion, by which deep thoughts can be winnowed from deep nonsense.

The cosmos is also within us, we’re made of star stuff. We are a way for the cosmos to know itself.

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

The universe seems neither benign nor hostile, merely indifferent.

The beauty of a living thing is not the atoms that go into it, but the way those atoms are put together.

We are a way for the universe to know itself. Some part of our being knows this is where we came from.

A celibate clergy is an especially good idea, because it tends to suppress any hereditary propensity toward fanaticism.

If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.

Life is but a momentary glimpse of the wonder of this astonishing universe, and it is sad to see so many dreaming it away on spiritual fantasy.

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.

It is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.

The significance of our lives and our fragile planet is then determined only by our own wisdom and courage.

The brain is like a muscle. When it is in use, we feel very good. Understanding is joyous.

Every star may be a sun to someone.

In the vastness of space and the immensity of time, it is my joy to share a planet and an epoch with Annie.

For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.

We are star stuff which has taken its destiny into its own hands.

If we long to believe that the stars rise and set for us, that we are the reason there is a Universe, does science do us a disservice in deflating our conceits?

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

If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the Universe.

I would love to believe that when I die I will live again, that some thinking, feeling, remembering part of me will continue.

Perhaps we’ve never been visited by aliens because they have looked upon Earth and decided there’s no sign of intelligent life.

The universe is a pretty big place. If it’s just us, seems like an awful waste of space.

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, they laughed at the Wright Brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown.

Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality.

The universe is not required to be in perfect harmony with human ambition.

Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge.

The suppression of uncomfortable ideas may be common in religion or in politics, but it is not the path to knowledge.

The universe is not required to be in perfect harmony with human ambition.

The beauty of a living thing is not the atoms that go into it, but the way those atoms are put together.

If we long to believe that the stars rise and set for us, that we are the reason there is a Universe, does science do us a disservice in deflating our conceits?

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.

Exploration is in our nature. We began as wanderers, and we are wanderers still. We have lingered long enough on the shores of the cosmic ocean. We are ready at last to set sail for the stars.

We’re made of star-stuff. We are a way for the cosmos to know itself.