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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

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

Atheist Conviction Courage
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
We live in a vast and awesome universe in which, daily, suns are made and worlds destroyed, where humanity clings to an obscure clod of rock.
CARL SAGAN

Awesome Cling Destroy Humanity Live Rock Sun Universe Vast World
If I finish a book a week, I will read only a few thousand books in my lifetime, about a tenth of a percent of the contents of the greatest libraries of our time. The trick is to know which books to read.
CARL SAGAN

Book Content Finish Library Lifetime Percent Reading Time Trick Week
Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality.
CARL SAGAN

Compatible Profound Science Soource Spiritual
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
All over the world there are enormous numbers of smart, even gifted, people who harbor a passion for science.
CARL SAGAN

Enormous Gift Habour Number Passion People Science Smart World
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
Science is an attempt, largely successful, to understand the world, to get a grip on things, to get hold of ourselves, to steer a safe course.
CARL SAGAN

Attempt Course Ourselves Safe Science Success Understand World
We are all stardust.
CARL SAGAN

One Liner Stardust
If it can be destroyed by the truth, it deserves to be destroyed by the truth.
CARL SAGAN

Deserve Destroy Justice Science Truth
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
I consider it an extremely dangerous doctrine, because the more likely we are to assume that the solution comes from the outside, the less likely we are to solve our problems ourselves.
CARL SAGAN

Assume Come Consideration Danger Extreme Ourselves Outside Problem Solution
Our ancestors lived out of doors. They were as familiar with the night sky as most of us are with our favorite television programs.
CARL SAGAN

Ancestor Door Family Favourite Live Night Program Sky Television
Where we have strong emotions, we’re liable to fool ourselves.
CARL SAGAN

Atheist Emotion Fools Liable Ourselves Strong
Other things being equal, it is better to be smart than to be stupid.
CARL SAGAN

Equality Inspirational Smart Stupidity

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.

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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.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More Carl Sagan Quotes