Science is a way to not fool ourselves.
Carl SaganRead
Some 5 billion years from now, there will be a last perfect day on Earth... then the sun will begin to die, life will be extinguished, the oceans will boil and evaporate away.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the inevitable end of life on Earth as the sun changes, emphasizing the transient nature of existence.
Carl Sagan highlights the eventual fate of our planet, reminding us that despite the beauty and perfection of life on Earth, it is temporary. This poignant reflection serves as a reminder of the cosmic timescale and the ultimate fate of the universe, urging us to appreciate the present while contemplating the vastness of time and space.
Themes
EarthSunLifeTransienceCosmos
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech on climate change, one might say this quote to emphasize the urgency of taking care of our planet.
More from Carl Sagan
All quotes βIn more than one respect, the exploring of the Solar System and homesteading other worlds constitutes the beginning, much more than the end, of history.
Carl SaganRead
How smart does a chimpanzee have to be before killing him constitutes murder?
Carl SaganRead
The hole in the ozone layer is a kind of skywriting. At first it seemed to spell out our continuing complacency before a witch's brew of deadly perils. But perhaps it really tells of a newfound talent to work together to protect the global environment.
Carl SaganRead
There is a reward structure in science that is very interesting: Our highest honors go to those who disprove the findings of the most revered among us. So Einstein is revered not just because he made so many fundamental contributions to science, but because he found an imperfection in the fundamental contribution of Isaac Newton.
Carl SaganRead
The simplest thought, like the concept of the number one, has an elaborate logical underpinning.
Carl SaganRead
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Octavia E. ButlerRead
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Einstein, stop telling God what to do!
Niels BohrRead
Should a young scientist working with me come to me after two years of such work and ask me what to do next, I would advise him to get out of science. After two years of work, if a man does not know what to do next, he will never make a real scientist.
Ernest RutherfordRead
You have that one basic string, but it can vibrate in many ways. But we're trying to get a lot of particles because experimental physicists have discovered a lot of particles.
Edward WittenRead
Mathematics, in the development of its ideas, has only to take account of the immanent reality of its concepts and has absolutely no obligation to examine their transient reality.
Georg CantorRead