Quotes by Carl Sagan


Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it we go nowhere.
– Carl Sagan
When you make the finding yourself - even if you're the last person on Earth to see the light - you'll never forget it.
– Carl Sagan
Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.
– Carl Sagan
Our ancestors worshipped the Sun, and they were not that foolish.
It makes sense to revere the Sun and the stars, for we are their children.
– Carl Sagan
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.
– Carl Sagan
But the fact that some geniuses were laughed at does not imply that all who are laughed at are geniuses. They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown.
– Carl Sagan
I maintain there is much more wonder in science than in pseudoscience. And in addition, to whatever measure this term has any meaning, science has the additional virtue, and it is not an inconsiderable one, of being true.
– Carl Sagan
If we long to believe that the stars rise and set for us, that we are the reason there is a Universe, does science do us a disservice in deflating our conceits?
– Carl Sagan
It is of interest to note that while some dolphins are reported to have learned English -- up to fifty words used in correct context -- no human being has been reported to have learned dolphinese.
– Carl Sagan
Skeptical scrutiny is the means, in both science and religion, by which deep insights can be winnowed from deep nonsense.
– Carl Sagan
A celibate clergy is an especially good idea, because it tends to suppress any hereditary propensity toward fanaticism.
– Carl Sagan
Where we have strong emotions, we're liable to fool ourselves.
– Carl Sagan
We've arranged a civilization in which most crucial elements profoundly depend on science and technology.
– Carl Sagan
We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology.
– Carl Sagan
We have also arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology. This is a prescription for disaster. We might get away with it for a while, but sooner or later this combustible mixture of ignorance and power is going to blow up in our faces.
– Carl Sagan
The brain is like a muscle. When it is in use we feel very good. Understanding is joyous.
– Carl Sagan
Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge.
– Carl Sagan
Personally, I would be delighted if there were a life after death, especially if it permitted me to continue to learn about this world and others, if it gave me a chance to discover how history turns out.
– Carl Sagan
If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.
– Carl Sagan
I am often amazed at how much more capability and enthusiasm for science there is among elementary school youngsters than among college students.
– Carl Sagan
For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love.
– Carl Sagan