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Neil deGrasse Tyson

Neil deGrasse Tyson Quotes

Astrophysicist

Neil deGrasse Tyson is an American astrophysicist, science communicator, and television personality. Born on October 5, 1958, he is renowned for his deep understanding of the cosmos and his ability to popularize scientific knowledge. Tyson grew up in New York City and earned a Ph.D. in astronomy from Columbia University. He served as the director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History and has been a member of various scientific committees.

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All Ifs People Universe Science Thinking Earth Knows World Space Want

Famous Neil deGrasse Tyson Quotes

“I want people to see that the cosmic perspective is simultaneously honest about the universe we live in and uplifting, when we realize how far we have come and how wonderful is this world of ours.”

People World Want Universe Realizing Wonderful Honest This World Perspective Uplifting Cosmic

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“The limits on your enlightenment come not from the age you stopped going to school but from the age you stopped being curious.”

Age School Limits Enlightenment Curious

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“You like to explore things, and your parents don't like it because it gets the pots and pans dirty, and because it's noisy - but for you it's fun, you're resting. You're actually doing experiments... Just tell your parents that they're experiments, and you want to become a scientist, and then they won't stop you from doing anything you want.”

Want Fun Parent Scientist Experiments Dirty Pot Noisy Pots And Pans

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“I think on some level, role models are overrated If you require a role model who looks just like you to be something you wanna be and you can't find one, is that a reason to not be what you wanna be? No!”

Ifs Thinking Looks Reason Levels Roles Like You Models Role Models Overrated

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“We live in a world where not everyone has the urge to help others... It is OK to encourage others to pull themselves up by the bootstraps, but if you do, just remember that some people have no boots.”

People Ifs World Helping Remember Helping Others Urges Boots Bootstraps

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“We're talking about a being whose very existence challenges our own sense of priority in the universe.”

Universe Challenges Existence Talking Priorities

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“There are no wild, seedless watermelons. There's no wild cows... You list all the fruit, and all the vegetables, and ask yourself, is there a wild counterpart to this? If there is, it's not as large, it's not as sweet, it's not as juicy, and it has way more seeds in it. We have systematically genetically modified all the foods, the vegetables and animals that we have eaten ever since we cultivated them. It's called artificial selection.”

Ifs Way Asks Animal Sweet Fruit Seeds Lists Vegetables Cows Artificial Selection Counterparts Juicy Genetically Modified

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“Whether or not you can become great at something, you can always become better.”

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“The people talking on their cell phone and following GPS instructions to where grandma's house is saying I don't need space - excuse me, that's how you know where grandma lives, and when to make the left turn.”

People Knows Needs Turns House Left Space Talking Phones Following Excuse Cells Instruction Cell Phone Grandma Excuse Me People Talking Gps Grandma's House

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“I as an astrophysicist, see the universe, feel the universe, smell the universe every day. Every day. And for people to say, I'm cool, I'm right here, it's all I need.”

People Needs Feels Universe Smell

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“I'm a little fatigued of adults saying we've got to worry about the kids. And these are the same adults that don't know science and are running things and wielding resources and legislation.”

Knows Littles Running Kids Worry Adults Resources Legislation

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“I can tell you about the universe, but she feels it; and when you feel the universe, it has a whole other meaning to you. Otherwise, you just put a Wiki page on camera. You can learn something, but it won't mean anything to you later on.”

Feels Mean I Can Whole Universe Pages Cameras

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“Access to science is greater than ever before. There are more vehicles out there that grant the public access to science. Not to mention the Internet.”

Greater Internet Access Grants Vehicle

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“I don't like trying to influence politicians, who are themselves representative of huge numbers of people. As an educator, I'd rather enlighten the people and educate the people and let they be the ones who put the pressure on their elected officials.”

People Trying Numbers Influence Huge Politician Pressure Officials Educate Representatives Enlightening Educator Elected Officials Huge Numbers

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“85 percent of the gravity of the universe has a point of origin about which we know nothing.”

Knows Universe Percent Gravity

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“So this show [Cosmos] does not only operate on you intellectually, because telling you stories of how science works and why it works and what was discovered and why it matters, but combines that with stunning visualizations of the cosmos. This has the chance of affecting you intellectually and emotionally, and as well as even spiritually, because the wonder and awe of the universe are especially potent when presented in this way."”

Way Wells Doe Matter Stories Shows Universe Chance Wonder Awe Cosmos Visualization Stunning

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“We account for all the matter and energy that we're familiar with, measure up how much gravity it should have, it's one-sixth of the gravity that's actually operating on the universe. We call that dark matter. It really should be called dark gravity. We don't know what that is.”

Knows Should Matter Universe Energy Dark Should Have Accounts Familiar Gravity Dark Matter Matter And Energy

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“As children we all wonder - we wonder all the time. And that gets lost in adulthood. It gets beaten out, it gets filtered out or diluted out.”

Children Lost Wonder Adulthood Beaten

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“Deep down within anyone there's a flame that maybe had gone dormant that can be fanned or ignited in case it had blown out. This is the flame of curiosity, the flame of wonder, of awe, of all the things that make you want to learn something more tomorrow than you knew today.”

Want Today Wonder Cases Gone Tomorrow Curiosity Flames Awe Deep Down Dormant

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“If you're a scientist, and you have to have an answer, even in the absence of data, you're not going to be a good scientist.”

Ifs Answers Scientist Absence Data

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“Speaking as just simply an American who cares about the economic health of our country, I see one of the surest ways to bring wealth and prosperity to the country is to innovate in science and technology.”

Way Country Care Wealth Technology Economic Prosperity Our Country Who Cares Science And Technology

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“If you find life on Europa [Jupiter's moon], like, what would you call it? Would it be, like, Europeans?”

Ifs Moon Jupiter

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“I want to create the airplane that flies in the rarified atmosphere of Mars. This is what galvanizes a generation to want to become scientists and engineers in the first place, not we need a scientist to develop a plane that's 20 percent more fuel-efficient than the one your parents flew.”

Want Needs Firsts Parent Generations Percent Scientist Planes Atmosphere Fuel Efficient Airplane Engineers Mars Flew Scientists And Engineers

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“Intelligent life can't be all that common because it's really rare on Earth and especially since we define ourselves to be intelligent. But in the eyes of an alien coming here who has the technology to make it here, they might observe us and conclude that there's no sign of intelligent life on Earth.”

Might Eye Earth Common Technology Intelligent Aliens Intelligent Life

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“The miniaturization of electronics, which ultimately was driven by the marketplace, was started by NASA, because it costs money to get something into orbit. So you want to trim your electronics, miniaturize your electronics, miniaturize your satellites.”

Want Cost Driven Marketplace Nasa Orbit Satellites Electronics

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“No one with a living room radio that was a piece of furniture at the time would say, gee. I want to carry that around on my hip pocket. That was not a thought until NASA initiated this whole exercise. So there's an influence that's not just spinoff.”

Want Whole Rooms Pieces Influence Exercise Radio Hips Pockets Furniture Living Room Nasa

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“What would aliens say when told earthlings shift clocks twice a year to fool themselves into thinking there's more sunlight?”

Thinking Years Fool Aliens Clock Sunlight

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“I'd like - inviting aliens and have them observe what we do because so much of what we do that we take for granted will just be weird or extraordinary or just plain dumb when observed by an alien from another civilization.”

Civilization Extraordinary Aliens Granted Dumb Inviting

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“Everyone has all different experiences in school. I just know that throughout my life, at no time did any teacher ever point to me and say, hey. He'll go far.”

Knows Different School Teacher Hey Different Experiences

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“The school system is constructed to praise you if you get high grades. And if you get straight A's, you're the one that everyone puts forward, and they prognosticate that the straight-A person is the one most likely to succeed, because that's the way the school system is constructed and conceived.”

Ifs Way Persons School Succeed Praise Grades Getting High School System

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“I knew my interest in the universe and I owned a telescope that I bought with money I earned by walking dogs. 50 cents per walk, per dog, and that accumulated quickly. I bought a camera, a telescope. I taught myself astrophotography. I did all this.”

Universe Interest Walks Dog Taught Walking Cameras Cents Telescopes

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“The greatest teachers are the ones that turn a B student into an A student, or a failing student into a B student.”

Turns Teacher Failing Students

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“I want to encourage people to not think in terms of gifts, but think in terms of, wow. You work hard to succeed at that, because that's exactly what I do.”

People Thinking Want Hard Term Hard Work Succeed Wow

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“Any astrophysicist does not feel small looking up at the universe; we feel large.”

Feels Doe Universe

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“That is a cosmic perspective, that's correct. And in tandem with that, you will never find people who truly grasp the cosmic perspective such as the entire community of astrophysicists leading nations into battle. No, that doesn't happen. When you have a cosmic perspective, there's this little speck called Earth and you say you're going to do what? You're on this side of a line in the sand and you want to kill people for what?”

People Want Littles Happens Earth Nations Sides Community Lines Perspective Battle Sand Cosmic Specks Lines In The Sand

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“So not enough people in this world, I think, carry a cosmic perspective with them. It could be life-changing.”

People Thinking World Enough This World Perspective Life Changing Cosmic

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“We have people who believe they are scientifically literate but, in fact, are not.”

People Believe Facts

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“We're an elective democracy where science and technology will define where the economically strong countries in the world will be. And science and technological literacy is important for security, as well.”

World Wells Important Country Strong Technology Democracy Security Technological Literacy Science And Technology

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“The center line of science literacy - which not many people tell you, but I feel this strongly, and I will go to my grave making this point - is how you think.”

People Thinking Feels Lines Graves Literacy Science Literacy

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“Extreme skepticism and extreme gullibility are two equal ways of not having to think at all. And I don't think I'm the first to say that.”

Thinking Way Firsts Two Equal Extremes Skepticism Gullibility

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“Something we all have as kids and is beaten out of us as adults. Parents come up to me, "How do I get my kids interested in science?" They're already interested in science. Just stop beating it out of them.”

Kids Parent Adults Come Up Beaten

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“Exploration is what you do when you don't know what you're doing. That's what scientists do every day. If a scientist already knew what they were doing, they wouldn't be discovering anything, because they already knew what they were doing.”

Ifs Knows Scientist Exploration Discovering

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“What are we promoting in society? Well-behaved automatons that spew back what they learned in a book. That's not science. You can get a parrot to do that.”

Wells Book Promoting Parrots

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“Never presume that just because you disagree with an idea that you must be correct.”

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“It seems that we're better at finding someone to blame for our problems than we are at finding creative solutions to fix them.”

Problem Seems Creative Findings Solutions Blame Finding Someone Creative Solutions

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“My investment of time, as an educator, in my judgment, is best served teaching people how to think about the world around them. Teach them how to pose a question. How to judge whether one thing is true versus another.”

People Thinking World Teach One Thing Teaching Judging Judgment Investment Versus Educator

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“Our five senses are faulty data-taking devices, and they need help.”

Needs Helping Science Five Senses Data Devices Need Help Five Senses

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“The value of science is not simply what the next model of the iPod you will buy next week, but its real value comes about when it's time to distinguish reality from everything else. And to be scientifically literate is to be trained in what it is, to recognize your own frailty as a data-taking device.”

Real Reality Science Values Next Week Models Data Devices Ipods Frailty Next Week Real Value

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“The telescope... is a conduit to the cosmos.”

Science Cosmos Telescopes

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“There are photons that have been traveling for 30,000 years, and I'm... snatching them from this journey and planting them into my digital detector. And then I started feeling bad for the photon, and I said maybe it wanted to continue but I got in its way. But then I said, no, those are probably happier photons than the one that slammed into the mountainside that will go unanalyzed and will not contribute to the depth of our understanding of the universe.”

Way Years Has Beens Said Feelings Wanted Science Universe Understanding Journey Depth Digital Feeling Bad Photons

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

About the Author

Born: October 5, 1958
Known for: Astrophysicist
Quotes: 822

Related Topics

Ifs People Universe Science Thinking Earth Knows World Space Want

Popular Topics

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Books & Sources

Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic QuandariesRelated source material

Astrophysics for People in a HurryRelated source material

The Sky is Not the Limit: Adventures of an Urban AstrophysicistRelated source material

Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate FrontierRelated source material

Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on CivilizationRelated source material

CosmosRelated source material

Letters from an AstrophysicistRelated source material

Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic EvolutionRelated source material

Astrophysics for Young People in a HurryRelated source material

Cosmic Queries: StarTalk's Guide to Who We Are, How We Got Here, and Where We're GoingRelated source material

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