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Carl Sagan

Carl Sagan Quotes

Astronomer

Carl Sagan was an American astronomer, cosmologist, author, and science communicator, born on November 9, 1934, in Brooklyn, New York. He is renowned for his profound research into the cosmos and his dedication to popularizing science. Sagan proposed numerous theories about the origin of the universe and life, and he made complex scientific knowledge accessible to the public with his unique perspective and clear, engaging writing style.

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Famous Carl Sagan Quotes

“Any sufficiently crisp question can be answered by a single binary digit-0 or 1, yes or no.”

Crisps Binary Yes Or No

Book:Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence

Source: Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence

“Curiosity and the urge to solve problems are the emotional hallmarks of our species.”

Problem Emotional Species Curiosity Solve Urges Hallmark

Book:Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence

Source: Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence

“We are the first species to have taken our evolution into our own hands.”

Firsts Hands Taken Evolution Species

Book:Broca's brain: reflections on the romance of science

Source: Broca's brain: reflections on the romance of science

“Who will speak for Planet Earth?”

Earth Speak Planets Enthusiasm Planet Earth

Author:Carl Sagan

“Ours is the first generation that has grown up with science-fiction ideas.”

Firsts Ideas Fiction Generations Science Fiction

Book:Broca's brain: reflections on the romance of science

Source: Broca's brain: reflections on the romance of science

“We have entered, almost without noticing, an age of exploration and discovery unparalleled since the Renaissance.”

Age Discovery Innovation Exploration Renaissance Noticing

Book:Broca's brain: reflections on the romance of science

Source: Broca's brain: reflections on the romance of science

“All inquiries carry with them some element of risk.”

Risk Elements Inquiry

Book:Broca's brain: reflections on the romance of science

Source: Broca's brain: reflections on the romance of science

“Both the Freudian and the Platonic metaphors emphasize the considerable independence of and tension among the constituent parts of the psyche, a point that characterizes the human condition.”

Humans Psychology Conditions Independence Metaphor Tension Human Condition Constituents Platonic

Book:Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence

Source: Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence

“Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge. Its goal is to find out how the world works, to seek what regularities there may be, to penetrate to the connections of things-from subatomic particles, which may be the constituents of all matter, to living organisms, the human social community, and thence to the cosmos as a whole.”

“Accommodation to change, the thoughtful pursuit of alternative futures are keys to the survival of civilization and perhaps of the human species.”

Humans Keys Civilization Survival Species Pursuit Alternatives Thoughtful Human Species Accommodations

Book:Broca's brain: reflections on the romance of science

Source: Broca's brain: reflections on the romance of science

“The words "question" and "quest" are cognates. Only through inquiry can we discover truth.”

Truth Quests Inquiry

Book:Broca's brain: reflections on the romance of science

Source: Broca's brain: reflections on the romance of science

“The universe forces those who live in it to understand it.”

Universe Force Regularity Predictability

Book:Broca's brain: reflections on the romance of science

Source: Broca's brain: reflections on the romance of science

“Books tap the wisdom of our species -- the greatest minds, the best teachers -- from all over the world and from all our history. And they're patient.”

World Mind Book Teacher Species Patient Best Teacher

Author:Carl Sagan

“I worry that, especially as the Millennium edges nearer, pseudo-science and superstition will seem year by year more tempting, the siren song of unreason more sonorous and attractive.”

Years Seems Song Worry Edges Attractive Cosmos Superstitions Tempting Millennium Pseudo Pseudoscience Sirens Siren Song

Book:Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark

Source: Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark

“Humans - who enslave, castrate, experiment on, and fillet other animals - have had an understandable penchant for pretending animals do not feel pain.”

Inspirational Feels Humans Pain Animal Experiments Pretending Vegan Animal Behavior

Author:Carl Sagan

“I'd like the [Cosmos] series to be so visually stimulating that somebody who isn't even interested in the concepts will just watch for the effects. And I'd like people who are prepared to do some thinking to be really stimulated.”

People Thinking Science Watches Effects Concepts Series Prepared Cosmos

Book:Conversations with Carl Sagan

Source: Conversations with Carl Sagan

“A single message from space will show that it is possible to live through technological adolescence. . . . It is possible that the future of human civilization depends on the receipt of interstellar messages.”

Humans Shows Space Depends Walking Civilization Moon Messages Adolescence Technological Star Gazing Human Civilization Receipts Interstellar

Author:Carl Sagan

“In the deepest sense the search for extraterrestrial intelligence is a search for ourselves.”

Walking Moon Star Gazing Extraterrestrial

Book:Broca's brain: reflections on the romance of science

Source: Broca's brain: reflections on the romance of science

“The Bill of Rights decoupled religion from the state, in part because so many religions were steeped in an absolutist frame of mind - each convinced that it alone had a monopoly on the truth and therefore eager for the state to impose this truth on others.”

Mind States Church Rights Bills Convinced Monopoly Bill Of Rights Frame Of Mind

Book:Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark

Source: Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark

“Science is a way of thinking that helps you not to fool yourself.”

Thinking Way Helping Fool Way Of Thinking

Author:Carl Sagan

“The passion to explore is at the heart of being human.”

Humans Heart Passion Nature Human Nature Being Human

Author:Carl Sagan

“We are made of starstuff.”

Made Science Stars

Book:Conversations with Carl Sagan

Source: Conversations with Carl Sagan

About the Author

Born: November 9, 1934
Died: December 20, 1996
Known for: Astronomer
Quotes: 872

Related Topics

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Popular Topics

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Books & Sources

The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the DarkRelated source material

CosmosRelated source material

Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in SpaceRelated source material

Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the DarkRelated source material

Broca's brain: reflections on the romance of scienceRelated source material

The Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human IntelligenceRelated source material

ContactRelated source material

The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for GodRelated source material

Billions & Billions: Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the MillenniumRelated source material

Conversations with Carl SaganRelated source material

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