Science is a way to not fool ourselves.
Carl SaganRead
We start out a million years ago in a small community on some grassy plain; we hunt animals, have children, and develop a rich social, sexual, and intellectual life, but we know almost nothing about our surroundings.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on human origins and the evolution of our social and intellectual lives despite limited understanding of the world around us.
Carl Sagan's quote emphasizes the journey of humanity from primitive beginnings to complex societal structures. It captures the essence of our evolutionary history, highlighting how, even when surrounded by the vastness of nature, early humans built rich social and intellectual lives while still being largely unaware of the broader universe. This illustrates the contrast between our current knowledge and the humble, communal lifestyle of our ancestors.
Themes
HumanityEvolutionSocietyKnowledgeNature
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a lecture about human evolution and the origins of society.
More from Carl Sagan
All quotes →In 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
Similar quotes
i will show you fear in a handful of dust." t.s. eliot we don't actually fear death, we fear that no one will notice our absence, that we will disappear without a trace.
T. S. EliotRead
If you hate somebody, it's like a boomerang that misses its target and comes back and hits you in the head. The one who hates is the one who hurts.
Louis ZamperiniRead
I am 100 percent in favor of the intelligent use of drugs, and 1,000 percent against the thoughtless use of them, whether caffeine or LSD. And drugs are not central to my life.
Timothy LearyRead
If the Bible is not the Word of God and inspired, the whole of Christendom for 1800 years has been under an immense delusion; half the human race has been cheated and deceived, and churches are monuments of folly. If the Bible is the Word of God and inspired, all who refuse to believe it are in fearful danger; they are living on the brink of eternal misery. No man, in his sober senses, can fail to see that the whole subject demands most serious attention.
J. C. RyleRead
It was all I had, all I've ever had, the only currency, the only proof that I was alive. Memory.
Abraham VergheseRead
Society’s future will depend on a continuous improvement program for the human character. And what will that future bring? I do not know, but it will be exciting.
Neil ArmstrongRead