25 Carl Sagan Quotes About The Cosmos, Love and Earth

Looking for inspirational Carl Sagan quotes about the universe?

Carl Sagan was an American astronomer and planetary scientist best known for his contribution to research on extraterrestrial life.

Sagan was born Carl Edward Sagan in Brooklyn, New York on November 9, 1934.

His interest in astronomy began when he was five years old when his mother sent him to the library to find books on stars.

Soon afterward, his parents took him to the New York World’s Fair, where his interest in the future made his passion grow further.

He also quickly became a fan of the prevalent 1940s science-fiction stories in popular magazines of the time.

He was drawn in by reports of flying saucers that suggested extraterrestrial life.

Sagan spent most of his career as a professor of astronomy at Cornell University.

He has received multiple awards and honors, including the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal, the National Academy of Sciences Public Welfare Medal, two Emmy Awards, the Peabody Award, and the Hugo Award.

Sagan died of pneumonia at the age of 62 on December 20, 1996.

Carl Sagan is inspirational because, no matter how much recognition or how many awards he got, he never let it get to him.

He just continued pursuing his love of the sciences.

See what you can discover for yourself through these famous Carl Sagan quotes.

Check out our most popular quote article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily inspiration. 

Our inspirational quote category page has even more inspirational and educational quotes.

Carl Sagan quotes about our place in the universe

1. “Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.” – Carl Sagan

2. “Every one of us is, in the cosmic perspective, precious. If a human disagrees with you, let him live. In a hundred billion galaxies, you will not find another.”– Carl Sagan

You will also enjoy our article on science quotes.

3. “The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies was made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of star stuff.” – Carl Sagan

4. “Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality.” – Carl Sagan

5. “The universe is not required to be in perfect harmony with human ambition.” – Carl Sagan

6. “For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.” – Carl Sagan

7. “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.” – Carl Sagan

8. “The brain is like a muscle. When it is in use we feel very good. Understanding is joyous.” – Carl Sagan

9. “If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.” – Carl Sagan

10. “Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were, but without it we go nowhere.” – Carl Sagan

Also read these motivational Stephen Hawking quotes.

Carl Sagan quotes from Blue Dot

11. “It pays to keep an open mind, but not so open your brains fall out.” – Carl Sagan

12. “Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.” – Carl Sagan

13. “For all our failings, despite our limitations and fallibilities, we humans are capable of greatness.”― Carl Sagan

14. “We can judge our progress by the courage of our questions and the depth of our answers, our willingness to embrace what is true rather than what feels good.” – Carl Sagan

15. “We are like butterflies that flutter for a day and think it is forever.” – Carl Sagan

16. “The universe is a pretty big place. If it’s just us, seems like an awful waste of space.” – Carl Sagan

17. “We must understand the Cosmos as it is and not confuse how it is with how we wish it to be.”― Carl Sagan

18. “Frederick Douglass taught that literacy is the path from slavery to freedom. There are many kinds of slavery and many kinds of freedom, but reading is still the path.” – Carl Sagan

19. “Intellectual capacity is no guarantee against being dead wrong.”― Carl Sagan

20. “The nuclear arms race is like two sworn enemies standing waist deep in gasoline, one with three matches, the other with five.” – Carl Sagan

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Carl Sagan quotes about life and faith

21. “Skeptical scrutiny is the means, in both science and religion, by which deep thoughts can be winnowed from deep nonsense.” – Carl Sagan

22. “For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love.” – Carl Sagan

23. “Extinction is the rule. Survival is the exception.” – Carl Sagan

24. “It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.” – Carl Sagan

25. “I can find in my undergraduate classes, bright students who do not know that the stars rise and set at night, or even that the Sun is a star.” – Carl Sagan

What do you think about these Carl Sagan quotes?

In 1980, Carl Sagan co-founded the Planetary Society, an international non-profit focused on space exploration.

He also launched Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, a TV series he wrote and hosted.

Over Sagan’s career, he received many medals, including NASA’s Distinguished Public Service Medal (1977, 1981) and the National Academy of Sciences’ Public Welfare Medal (1994), plus a myriad of others.

Aside from being one of the well-known scientists of his time, he was also an author.

Among his famous works included: The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark; Cosmos; Pale Blue Dot: A Vision for the Human Future In Space; The Dragons of Eden: Speculations of the Evolution of Human Intelligence; and Contact.

Whether or not you’re a big science fan, you can still learn a thing or two from these Carl Sagan quotes.