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Chris Hadfield

Chris Hadfield Quotes

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Famous Chris Hadfield Quotes

“In any new situation, whether it involves an elevator or a rocket ship, you will almost certainly be viewed in one of three ways. As a minus one: actively harmful, someone who creates problems. Or as a zero: your impact is neutral and doesn't tip the balance one way or the other. Or you'll be seen as a plus one: someone who actively adds value. Everyone wants to be a plus one, of course. But proclaiming your plus-oneness at the outset almost guarantees you'll be perceived as a minus one, regardless of the skills you bring to the table or how you actually perform.”

WayWantProblemValuesThreeCoursesSituationBalanceSkillsTablesImpactAddShipsOnenessOne WayGuaranteesPlusZeroRocketsElevatorsMinusProclaimingThree WaysNew Situations
Author:Chris Hadfield
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“Life off Earth is in two important respects not at all unworldly: you can choose to focus on the surprises and pleasures, or the frustrations. And you can choose to appreciate the smallest scraps of experience, the everyday moments, or to value only the grandest, most stirring ones.”

TwoImportantMomentsEarthValuesPleasureFocusAppreciateSurpriseEverydayFrustrationSmallestStirringScrapEveryday Moments
Book:An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth
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“Competence means keeping your head in a crisis, sticking with a task even when it seems hopeless, and improvising good solutions to tough problems when every second counts. It encompasses ingenuity, determination and being prepared for anything.”

MeanProblemSeemsSolutionsToughDeterminationTasksCrisisPreparedHopelessCompetenceIngenuityEvery SecondImprovisingTough Problems
Book:An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth
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“The Nile, draining out into the Mediterranean. The bright lights of Cairo announce the opening of the north-flowing river’s delta, with Jerusalem’s answering high beams to the northeast. This 4,258 mile braid of human life, first navigated end-to-end in 2004, is visible in a single glance from space.”

FirstsHumansEndsLightSpaceRiversMilesOpeningHuman LifeVisibleGlancesBeamJerusalemDrainingBright LightsDeltaNileCairoBraidsFlowing River
Author:Chris Hadfield
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“My optimism and confidence come not from feeling I'm luckier than other mortals, and they sure don't come from visualizing victory. They're the result of a lifetime spent visualizing defeat and figuring out how to prevent it. Like most astronauts, I'm pretty sure that I can deal with what life throws at me because I've thought about what to do if things go wrong, as well as right. That's the power of negative thinking.”

IfsThinkingLifeWellsI CanFeelingsResultsDealsVictoryNegativeOptimismLifetimeDefeatMortalsAstronautTime SpentNegative ThinkingVisualizing
Author:Chris Hadfield
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“Other anatomical changes associated with long-duration space flight are definitely negative: the immune system weakens, the heart shrinks because it doesn't have to strain against gravity, eyesight tends to degrade, sometimes markedly (no one's exactly sure why yet). The spine lengthens as the little sacs of fluid between the vertebrae expand, and bone mass decreases as the body sheds calcium. Without gravity, we don't need muscle and bone mass to support our own weight, which is what makes life in space so much fun but also so inherently bad for the human body, long-term.”

NeedsHumansHeartLittlesLongSometimesBodyFunTermSpaceSupportMassNegativeWeightBonesFlightLong TermMusclesGravityShedStrainHuman BodyShrinksFluidImmuneSpineDecreaseDurationDegradeImmune SystemEyesightCalciumSpace Flight
Book:An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth
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“One Chief Astronaut used to make a point of phoning the front desk at the clinic where applicants are sent for medical testing, to find out which ones treated the staff well-and which ones stood out in a bad way. The nurses and clinic staff have seen a whole lot of astronauts over the years, and they know what the wrong stuff looks like. A person with a superiority complex might unwittingly, right there in the waiting room, quash his or her chances of ever going to space.”

KnowsWayYearsWellsLooksPersonsWholeMightUsedStuffWaitingChanceSpaceRoomsFrontsComplexesMedicalTreatedChiefsNurseDesksStaffSuperiorityTestingAstronautClinicWaiting RoomsSuperiority ComplexFront Desk
Author:Chris Hadfield
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“There's really just one thing I can control: my attitude during the journey, which is what keeps me feeling steady and stable, and what keeps me headed in the right direction. So I consciously monitor and correct, if necessary, because losing attitude would be far worse than not achieving my goal.”

IfsI CanFeelingsWould BeGoalAttitudeOne ThingJourneyAchieveLosingJust OneSteadyStableMy AttitudeRight Direction
Book:An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth
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“Ultimately, leadership is not about glorious crowning acts. It's about keeping your team focused on a goal and motivated to do their best to achieve it, especially when the stakes are high and the consequences really matter. It is about laying the groundwork for others' success, and then standing back and letting them shine.”

InspirationalMatterGoalTeamAchieveConsequenceStandingShiningFocusedGloriousMotivatedStakesGroundwork
Book:An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth
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