Carl Sagan

Carl Sagan

Astronomer, Astrophysicist

Carl Sagan was an influential astronomer and science communicator, known for his work 'Cosmos' and advocacy for scientific literacy.

Science Stars Thinking Atheist Cosmos Children
Born
November 9, 1934
Died
December 20, 1996
Quotes
592
Rank
#212

Quote collection

Carl Sagan quotes (page 7 of 30)

592 quotes — follow a thought to its full quote page.

Carl Sagan Astronomer, Astrophysicist
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"If we could travel into the past, it's mind-boggling what would be possible. For one thing, history would become an experimental science, which it certainly isn't today. The possible insights into our own past and nature and origins would be dazzling. For another, we would be facing the deep paradoxes of interfering with the scheme of causality that has led to our own time and ourselves. I have no idea whether it's possible, but it's certainly worth exploring."

Past Ideas Mind
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Carl Sagan Astronomer, Astrophysicist
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"The secrets of evolution are death and time-the deaths of enormous numbers of lifeforms that were imperfectly adapted to the environment; and time for a long succession of small mutations."

Science Numbers Long
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Carl Sagan Astronomer, Astrophysicist
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"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."

Inspirational Motivational Atheist
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Carl Sagan Astronomer, Astrophysicist
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"If God is omnipotent and omniscient, why didn't he start the universe out in the first place so it would come out the way he wants? Why's he constantly repairing and complaining? No, there's one thing the Bible makes clear: The biblical God is a sloppy manufacturer. He's not good at design, he's not good at execution. He'd be out of business, if there was any competition."

Biblical Design Competition
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Carl Sagan Astronomer, Astrophysicist
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"We should be teaching our children the scientific method and the reasons for a Bill of Rights. With it comes a certain decency, humility and community spirit."

Atheist Children Teaching
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Carl Sagan Astronomer, Astrophysicist
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"Our perceptions are fallible. We sometimes see what isn't there. We are prey to optical illusions. Occasionally we hallucinate. We are error-prone."

Errors Perception Optical Illusions
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Carl Sagan Astronomer, Astrophysicist
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"A blade of grass is a commonplace on Earth; it would be a miracle on Mars. Our descendants on Mars will know the value of a patch of green. And if a blade of grass is priceless, what is the value of a human being?"

Miracle Would Be Mars
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Carl Sagan Astronomer, Astrophysicist
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"History is full of people who out of fear, or ignorance, or lust for power has destroyed knowledge of immeasurable value which truly belongs to us all. We must not let it happen again."

Truth Ignorance People
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Carl Sagan Astronomer, Astrophysicist
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"Imagine a room awash in gasoline, and there are two implacable enemies in that room. One of them has nine thousand matches. The other has seven thousand matches. Each of them is concerned about who's ahead, who's stronger. Well that's the kind of situation we are actually in. The amount of weapons that are available to the United States and the Soviet Union are so bloated, so grossly in excess of what's needed to dissuade the other, that if it weren't so tragic, it would be laughable. What is necessary is to reduce the matches and to clean up the gasoline."

Science Two Enemy
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Carl Sagan Astronomer, Astrophysicist
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"The sky calls to us. If we do not destroy ourselves, we will one day venture to the stars."

Stars Sky One Day
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Carl Sagan Astronomer, Astrophysicist
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"The Universe forces those who live in it to understand it. Those creatures who find everyday experience a muddled jumble of events with no predictability, no regularity, are in grave peril. The Universe belongs to those who, at least to some degree, have figured it out."

Everyday Events Degrees
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Carl Sagan Astronomer, Astrophysicist
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"Stars are phoenixes, rising from their own ashes."

Stars Phoenix Ashes
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Carl Sagan Astronomer, Astrophysicist
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"If we are not able to ask skeptical questions, to interrogate those who tell us that something is true, to be skeptical of those in authority, then, we are up for grabs for the next charlatan (political or religious) who comes rambling along."

Religious Political Rambling
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Carl Sagan Astronomer, Astrophysicist
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"An atheist is someone who is certain that God does not exist, someone who has compelling evidence against the existence of God. I know of no such compelling evidence. Because God can be relegated to remote times and places and to ultimate causes, we would have to know a great deal more about the universe than we do now to be sure that no such God exists. To be certain of the existence of God and to be certain of the nonexistence of God seem to me to be the confident extremes in a subject so riddled with doubt and uncertainty as to inspire very little confidence indeed."

Atheist Inspire Doubt
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Carl Sagan Astronomer, Astrophysicist
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"Science ... looks skeptically at all claims to knowledge, old and new. It teaches not blind obedience to those in authority but to vigorous debate, and in many respects that's the secret of its success."

Secret Looks Old And New
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Carl Sagan Astronomer, Astrophysicist
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"Our ancestors lived out of doors. They were as familiar with the night sky as most of us are with our favorite television programs."

Night Doors Sky
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Carl Sagan Astronomer, Astrophysicist
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"Anything else you're interested in is not going to happen if you can't breathe the air and drink the water. Don't sit this one out. Do something. You are by accident of fate alive at an absolutely critical moment in the history of our planet."

Fate Rivers Air
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Carl Sagan Astronomer, Astrophysicist
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"The cosmos is within us. We are made of star stuff"

Stars Cosmos Stuff
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Carl Sagan Astronomer, Astrophysicist
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"The significance of our lives and our fragile planet is then determined only by our own wisdom and courage. We are the custodians of life's meaning. We long for a Parent to care for us, to forgive us our errors, to save us from our childish mistakes. But knowledge is preferable to ignorance. Better by far to embrace the hard truth than a reassuring fable. If we crave some cosmic purpose, then let us find ourselves a worthy goal."

Mistake Ignorance Errors
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Carl Sagan Astronomer, Astrophysicist
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"There are no forbidden questions in science, no matters too sensitive or delicate to be probed, no sacred truths."

Matter Sacred Sensitive
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