black
grey
blue
red
brown
white

Knowing a great deal is not the same as being smart; intelligence is not information alone but also judgement, the manner in which information is coordinated and used.

Carl Sagan

I’ve always thought an agnostic is an atheist without the courage of his convictions.
CARL SAGAN

Atheist Conviction Courage
Our species needs, and deserves, a citizenry with minds wide awake and a basic understanding of how the world works.
CARL SAGAN

Awake Citizen Deserve Mind Species Understand Work World
The truth may be puzzling. It may take some work to grapple with. It may be counterintuitive. It may contradict deeply held prejudices. It may not be consonant with what we desperately want to be true. But our preferences do not determine what’s true.
CARL SAGAN

desperatel Determination Preference Prejudice Puzzle True Truth Want Work
The universe is not required to be in perfect harmony with human ambition.
CARL SAGAN

Ambition Harmony Human Perfection Requirement Universe
A galaxy is composed of gas and dust and stars – billions upon billions of stars. Every star may be a sun to someone.
CARL SAGAN

Compose Dust Galaxy Gas Stars Sun
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

Atheist Courage Depth Embrace Goodness Judgement Progress Science Willing
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

Assure Delusion Grasp Persistence Satisfaction Universe
There are as many atoms in one molecule of DNA as there are stars in a typical galaxy.
CARL SAGAN

Atom DNA Galaxy Molecule Science Stars Typical
A book is made from a tree. It is an assemblage of flat, flexible parts (still called “leaves”) imprinted with dark pigmented squiggles.
CARL SAGAN

Assemble Book Leaf Print Tree
Any faith that admires truth, that strives to know God, must be brave enough to accommodate the universe.
CARL SAGAN

Accommodation Admire Enough Faith God Strive Truth Universe
Writing is the greatest of human inventions, binding together people, citizens of distant epochs, who never knew one another.
CARL SAGAN

Blind Citizen Distant Greatness Human Invention People Togetherness Writing
The significance of our lives and our fragile planet is then determined only by our own wisdom and courage.
CARL SAGAN

Courage Determination Fragile Live Planet Significance Wisdom
Every kid starts out as a natural-born scientist, and then we beat it out of them. A few trickle through the system with their wonder and enthusiasm for science intact.
CARL SAGAN

Beat Born Enthusiam Kids Natural Science Scientist Start System Wonder
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

Cosmic Disagree Finding Galaxy Human Love Mercy Perspective Precious
We live on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
CARL SAGAN

Dust Live Sun Suspend
There are no forbidden questions in science, no matters too sensitive or delicate to be probed, no sacred truths.
CARL SAGAN

Delicate Forbidden Matter Scare Science Sensitive Truth

Knowing a great deal is not the same as being smart; intelligence is not information alone but also judgement, the manner in which information is coordinated and used.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

Knowing a great deal is not the same as being smart; intelligence is not information alone but also judgement, the manner in which information is coordinated and used.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More Carl Sagan Quotes