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John Glenn

John Glenn Quotes

Former United States Senator

John Glenn, born on July 18, 1921, was a former United States Senator and astronaut from the United States. He was the first American to orbit the Earth and the first elderly astronaut in American history. Glenn made significant contributions in both political and space exploration fields and is hailed as a pioneer of the American space industry.

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Famous John Glenn Quotes

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my years on this planet, it’s that the happiest and most fulfilled people are those who devoted themselves to something bigger and more profound than merely their own self-interest.”

Wisdom Devotion Altruism Self Sacrifice

Author:John Glenn

“We (the DOE) are poisoning our people in the name of national security.”

People Doe Names Security Danger Nuclear National Security Poisoning

Author:John Glenn

“There is still no cure for the common birthday.”

“The most important thing we can do is inspire young minds and to advance the kind of science, math and technology education that will help youngsters take us to the next phase of space travel.”

“We have an infinite amount to learn both from nature and from each other.”

Amount Infinite

Author:John Glenn

“You know, old folks can have dreams, too, as well as young folks, and then work toward them. And to have a dream like this come true for me is just a terrific experience.”

Knows Wells Dream Young Folks Terrific

Author:John Glenn

“Just because I'm 77 doesn't mean I don't have a dream.”

Author:John Glenn

“Liftoff is very, very gentle, contrary to what most people think. Because you remember, the weight of the booster - the amount of thrust on the engine is just barely enough to get the booster underway. And so it's a very gentle liftoff, contrary to what most people think when they see all the fire and smoke of launch.”

People Thinking Enough Remember Fire Amount Weight Contrary Smoke Gentle Engines Thrust

Author:John Glenn

“We had a lot of confidence that there was going to be a successful mission. We weren't off on some suicide effort, certainly [with Friendship 7].”

Effort Successful Suicide Missions

Author:John Glenn

“It was the time of the Cold War and so there were was a lot of pressure on the - to get going and the Russians were claiming that they were - Soviets were claiming they were ahead of us in technology. And so it was against that backdrop that the early space flights took off.”

War Space Technology Cold Pressure Flight Cold War Backdrop Space Flight

Author:John Glenn

“That whole day [ of the space flight] is very vividly impressed on my memory because it was such a new experience. We hadn't done that before. And then I've recalled it so often since then I think that it's a - it's remained very vivid over the past 50 years, seems to me like about a week or two instead of 50 years.”

Thinking Years Two Done Whole Seems Past Memories Space Week Flight Impressed Vivid Over The Past New Experiences Space Flight

Author:John Glenn

“We're going to go to the moon. We're going to go on to Mars. We're going to set up a base on the moon. OK, but no money to pay for it, nothing in the budget for it. And so the decision made at that time was to cancel the whole shuttle program to save money, which I think was very, very short sighted.”

Thinking Made Whole Decision Pay Goes On Moon Program Budgets Mars No Money Saving Money Decisions Made Short Sighted Shuttle Program

Author:John Glenn

“Because now, you know, it's going to be a number of years yet before we have our own new boosters and new spacecraft to go to our own International Space Station and proceed with all the research that we spent $100 billion putting up there to give us that research capability for the future for people right here on Earth.”

People Knows Giving Years Earth Space Numbers Research International Billions Stations Capability Spacecraft International Space Station

Author:John Glenn

“I don't like the way the whole thing has developed. And I just hope that we develop our own transportation system, both spacecraft and new boosters, as soon as possible. I hate to think that we may be out there seven to ten years out and dependent on the Russians for our journey into space.”

Thinking Way Years May Whole Hate Space Journey Ten I Hate Seven Dependent Transportation Spacecraft

Author:John Glenn

“I still have my [flight] license and I can still pass a flight physical.”

Stills I Can Flight License

Author:John Glenn

“I still love to fly and I'll never get over that.”

Stills Get Over

Author:John Glenn

“We had an airplane, a Beechcraft Baron, that we - I had since 1981. And Annie [Glenn] and I both of had to have knee replacements unfortunately over the past year, and it made it more difficult to climb up on the airplane. We weren't using it that much so we did - it hurt a lot but I finally sold the airplane.”

Years Made Past Difficult Hurt Made It Knees Climbs Airplane It Hurts Over The Past Replacements Annie

Author:John Glenn

“There had been a number of failures but we weren't going out to ride a failure. And we felt they'd corrected all the difficulties with the boosters before that time and the launch problems. And so we had a lot of confidence that there was going to be a successful mission. We weren't off on some suicide effort, certainly.”

Problem Felt Numbers Effort Successful Difficulty Suicide Missions Going Out

Author:John Glenn

“We thought that the odds of things working OK were up in the upper 90 percent or we wouldn't have gone. But the - there were some problems cropped up on the flight but was able to take care of those OK and - although they were things that we hadn't really trained that much for. But it was the time of the Cold War and so there were was a lot of pressure on the - to get going and the Russians were claiming that they were - Soviets were claiming they were ahead of us in technology.”

War Problem Care Able Technology Gone Cold Percent Pressure Take Care Flight Odds Cold War

Author:John Glenn

“I hate to think that we may be out there seven to ten years out and dependent on the Russians for our journey into space.”

Thinking Years May Hate Space Journey Ten I Hate Seven Dependent

Author:John Glenn

“I think that it's good for us to be able to travel in space and do research in space, and I emphasize the research, because space travel to me is far more than just seeing how far we can go.”

Thinking Able Space Seeing Research Space Travel

Author:John Glenn

“Exploration, of course, is going to new places, but I don't think we go to new places just solely to say: "Well, we've been there," and come back, interesting though it may be. To me, each time we go farther into space we should use that to do basic research - basic research that can't be done before you go there.”

Thinking Should Wells May Done Use Courses Space Interesting Research Exploration New Places Basic Research

Author:John Glenn

“I think we're a long ways from really putting colonies of people out there who would live their whole lives out there in space. I don't see that happening for quite some time.”

People Thinking Way Long Whole Space Happenings Whole Life Long Way Colony

Author:John Glenn

“I think no matter where we go in space to me the important thing is not only getting there and getting back, but it's also doing research, because that opens up as a possibility with that new distance of travel in space.”

Thinking Important Matter Space Possibility Research Important Things Distance

Author:John Glenn

“As far as actually setting up colonies of people who would live their whole lives in space, I think we're a long ways from doing that yet, and I think we have many, many decades before we could be able to even consider something like that.”

People Thinking Way Long Whole Able Space Decades Whole Life Setting Settings Long Way Colony

Author:John Glenn

“I think sometime we will go to Mars and I think we'll explore it with humans sometime, but I think it's really wise to do all the robotic exploration ahead of time and learn as much as possible. Once we have learned as much as possible with the robots, then that's the time to send people, and let them then continue the research that the robots have started.”

People Thinking Humans Wise Research Exploration Mars Robots Robotics Ahead Of Time

Author:John Glenn

“In America, we have no means of getting to our own Space Station. We have to pay the Russians to put our people up there to send them into space - rendezvous with the Station and bring them back at the end of their stay, and that to me is just wrong. We're supposed to be the world's greatest space-faring nation, and to cancel our own means of getting there I thought was a mistake, even though it would save some money.”

People World Mean Ends America Nations Space Pay Mistake Supposed To Be Stations Rendezvous

Author:John Glenn

“America had an emphasis on the individual and so education became available for everyone.”

America Individual Available Emphasis

Author:John Glenn

“America put more money into research, into the new and the unknown than any nation in history, and the same thing with education, and those two things led us into a worldwide preeminence in a very short period of time.”

Two America Nations Periods Research Two Things More Money

Author:John Glenn

“America needs the best education system in the world. We have it in higher education. We do not have it in general education for all of our people - the K-12 education. Other nations are far, far outdoing the United States in that area. We still have the lead in research, but once again, other nations are pouring more into research also. We still have a lead, but to me it's just very, very important that we keep that lead in basic research.”

“America is in a newly competitive position around the world, and unless we keep our lead in education for all of our people and do the research along with that, other nations will start outdoing us and they will be leaders in the world.”

People World America Nations Leader Position Research Around The World Lead In Education For All

Author:John Glenn

“On K-12 education America has gone down, down, down compared to the other nations. It doesn't mean that we have gotten dumber. It just means that we have not advanced as fast in those areas as other nations have done, and we're way down right now.”

Way Mean Done America Nations Gone Right Now Areas

Author:John Glenn

“I think in America we have to get back to being the best educated general citizenry in the world and make sure we do not lose our lead in research, if we're to have a leadership position in the world.”

Ifs Thinking World America Loses Position Research Educated Being The Best Get Back Lead In Citizenry

Author:John Glenn

“Most of our competitor nations around the world have a national education system and America is the only major nation in the world that operates off of local school boards. They receive very little direction from state boards of education or from the nation. So local school boards direct basically what happens and too often they're not willing to track or to do the supervision of the education system that will make it world competitive.”

World Littles States Happens School America Nations Willing Majors Direct Track Locals Around The World Boards Competitors Education System Supervision School Board Board Of Education

Author:John Glenn

“If we could do something that enhances the body's immune system here on Earth, it would be a tremendous step forward in the fight against disease and cancer and other things.”

Ifs Body Would Be Earth Fighting Steps Disease Cancer Immune Steps Forward Immune System

Author:John Glenn

“I don't know what you could say about a day in which you have seen four beautiful sunsets.”

Knows Beautiful Night Space Darkness Four Sunset Space Exploration Beautiful Sunset

Author:John Glenn

“This is a day we have managed to avoid for a quarter of a century. We've talked about it before and speculated about it, and it finally has occurred. We hoped we could push this day back forever.”

Space Forever Century This Day Exploration Quarters Space Travel Quarter Of A Century

Author:John Glenn

“Too many people, when they get old, think that they have to live by the calendar.”

People Thinking Age Funny Aging Live By Old People Calendars Senior Citizen

Author:John Glenn

“When others kid me about being bald, I simply tell them that the way I figure it, the good Lord only gave men so many hormones, and if others want to waste theirs on growing hair, that's up to them.”

Ifs Men Way Want Humor Kids Funny Sex Lord Growing Figures Hair Waste Humorous Hormones Baldness

Author:John Glenn

“I was sold on flying as soon as I had a taste for it.”

Taste Flying Flight Aviation Great Aviation

Author:John Glenn

“There are times when you devote yourself to a higher cause than personal safety.”

Causes Higher Safety Personal Safety

Author:John Glenn

“The moment of twilight is simply beautiful.”

Moments Beautiful Twilight Simply Beautiful

Author:John Glenn

“As I hurtled through space, one thought kept crossing my mind - every part of this rocket was supplied by the lowest bidder.”

Inspirational Mind Funny Space Humorous Cosmos Senators Lowest Rockets Astronaut Crossings Supplies Aviator

Author:John Glenn

“If there is one thing I’ve learned in my years on this planet, it’s that the happiest and most fulfilled people I’ve known are those who devoted themselves to something bigger and more profound than merely their own self interest.”

People Ifs Years Self Interest Known One Thing Planets Bigger Profound I've Learned Devoted Fulfilled Self Interest Things I've Learned

Author:John Glenn

“I suppose the one quality in an astronaut more powerful than any other is curiosity. They have to get some place nobody's ever been.”

Powerful Quality Curiosity Astronaut

Author:John Glenn

“I think a mentor gets a lot of satisfaction in a couple of ways. They're doing something constructive, so they feel good about that. And when they see the results of this, with the young people they're working with, it's very, very rewarding.”

People Thinking Way Feels Young Results Couple Satisfaction Feel Good Mentor Constructive Mentoring

Author:John Glenn

“We used to joke about canned men, putting people in a can and seeing how far you can send them and bring them back. That's not the purpose of this program... Space is a laboratory, and we go into it to work and learn the new.”

People Men Used Purpose Space Seeing Jokes Program Laboratory Star Gazing

Author:John Glenn

“To get your name well enough known that you can run for a public office, some people do it by being great lawyers or philanthropists or business people or work their way up the political ladder. I happened to become known from a different route.”

People Way Wells Different Enough Running Political Names Space Known Happened Office Lawyer Routes Ladders Star Gazing Philanthropist Public Office

Author:John Glenn

“By its very definition, civic responsibility means taking a healthy role in the life of one's community. That means that classroom lessons should be complemented by work outside the classroom. Service-learning does just that, tying community service to academic learning.”

Should Mean Doe Community Responsibility Roles Healthy Lessons Definitions Work Out Academic Classroom Philanthropy Civics Community Service Civic Responsibility

Author:John Glenn

“To sit back and let fate play its hand out and never influence it is not the way man was meant to operate.”

Men Way Play Hands Fate Influence

Author:John Glenn

About the Author

Born: July 18, 1921
Died: December 8, 2016
Known for: Former United States Senator
Quotes: 55

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John Glenn: A MemoirRelated source material

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