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Carl Sagan Quotes

1934–1996 United States

United States
Academics
Activists
Agnostics
Astronomers

Also known as: Carl sagan, Dr. Carl Sagan, Sagan, Carl, The Demon-Haunted World

Random Carl Sagan quote

263 quotes

All of the books in the world contain no more information than is broadcast as video in a single large American city in a single year. Not all bits have equal value.

Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people, citizens of distant epochs, who never knew each other. Books break the shackles of time, proof that humans can work magic.

Cosmos (1980)

For a long time the human instinct to understand was thwarted by facile religious explanations.

Cosmos (1980)

It is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.

Skeptical scrutiny is the means, in both science and religion, by which deep thoughts can be winnowed from deep nonsense.

Whether we believe in God depends very much on what we mean by God.

Broca's Brain (1979)

We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology.

In more than one respect, the exploring of the Solar System and homesteading other worlds constitutes the beginning, much more than the end, of history.

We wish to pursue the truth no matter where it leads — but to find the truth, we need imagination and skepticism both.

Cosmos: A Personal Voyage (1990)

They wanted to know who was visiting the Moon these days.

Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space (1994)

The universe was made on purpose, the circle said.

Contact (1985)

Perhaps one per cent of the time, someone who has an idea that smells, feels and looks indistinguishable from the usual run of pseudoscience will turn out to be right.

The Demon-Haunted World : Science as a Candle in the Dark (1995)

I think the health of our civilization, the depth of our awareness about the underpinnings of our culture and our concern for the future can all be tested by how well we support our libraries.

Cosmos (1980)

The behavior of other animals renders such pretensions specious. They are just too much like us.

Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (1992)

In the vastness of space and the immensity of time, it is my joy to share a planet and an epoch with Annie.

Cosmos (1980)

In the long run, the aggressive civilizations destroy themselves, almost always. It's their nature. They can't help it.

Contact (1985)

Once intelligent beings achieve technology and the capacity for self-destruction of their species, the selective advantage of intelligence becomes more uncertain.

The Dragons of Eden (1977)

They were able to bring out the best in us.

The Demon-Haunted World : Science as a Candle in the Dark (1995)

Cleverly designed experiments are the key.

It is merely a coincidence. When enough fiction is written and enough scientific hypotheses are proposed, sooner or later there will be accidental concordances.

Broca's Brain (1979)

Attribution

Quotes and notes from Wikiquote: Carl Sagan (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.