black
grey
blue
red
brown
white

The beauty of a living thing is not the atoms that go into it, but the way those atoms are put together.

Carl Sagan

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
I don’t want to believe. I want to know.
CARL SAGAN

Atheist Believe Knowledge Proof Science Want
What an astonishing thing a book is.
CARL SAGAN

Astonish Book One Liner
Books are like seeds. They can lie dormant for centuries and then flower in the most unpromising soil.
CARL SAGAN

Book Century Flower Lie Promise Seed Soil
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
The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena.
CARL SAGAN

Arena Cosmic Earth Stage Vast
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
The very act of understanding is a celebration of joining, merging, even if on a very modest scale, with the magnificence of the Cosmos.
CARL SAGAN

Act Celebration Cosmic Magnificant Merge Modest Scale Understand
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
Perhaps the depth of love can be calibrated by the number of different selves that are actively involved in a given relationship.
CARL SAGAN

Depth Different Giving Involvement Love Number Perhaps Relationship
And you are made of a hundred trillion cells. We are, each of us, a multitude.
CARL SAGAN

Biology Cell Science
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
Every star may be a sun to someone.
CARL SAGAN

Deep One Liner Stars Sun
Arguments from authority carry little weight, authorities have made mistakes in the past. They will do so again in the future. Perhaps a better way to say it is that in science there are no authorities; at most, there are experts.
CARL SAGAN

Argument Authority Expert Future Mistake Past Weight
Exploration is in our nature. We began as wanderers, and we are wanderers still. We have lingered long enough on the shores of the cosmic ocean. We are ready at last to set sail for the stars.
CARL SAGAN

Cosmic Enough Explore Investigation Nature Ocean Ready Sail Shore Stars Wander
The absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.
CARL SAGAN

Absence Evidence One Liner

The beauty of a living thing is not the atoms that go into it, but the way those atoms are put together.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

The beauty of a living thing is not the atoms that go into it, but the way those atoms are put together.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More Carl Sagan Quotes