7 Carl Sagan quotes that will inspire you

Cosmos: a personal voyage It was a legendary scientific dissemination program broadcast in the 80s. Its objective was to disseminate knowledge about the origin of life, science and, above all, astronomy. Each episode lasted an hour and the music was composed by none other than Vangelis.

Carl Sagan inspired several generations with that documentary series that lasted three seasons and was broadcast in 60 countries. Few popularizers of astronomy have touched our hearts so much to teach us the wonders of the universe and show us with humility that we are nothing more than the inhabitants of “a pale blue dot” in the universe.

It has been almost thirty years since we said goodbye to the famous astrophysicist and we continue to owe it to him to reveal all those worlds that open beyond the threshold of our planet. He taught us infinite things, he told us about human intelligence, he helped us have critical thinking. and to differentiate rigorous science from pseudoscience.

In additionwhat it achieved above all, is to turn us into dreamers. Residents of a small ship from which to understand that we are small, immense explorers in a vast universe full of mysteries to solve.

Carl Sagan was a professor of astronomy at Cornell University, wrote multiple books and was part of NASA robotic missions,

Carl Sagan Quotes

A pale blue dotpublished in 1994, is possibly one of Carl Sagan’s best-known books.. It was in 1990 when the Voyager 1 probe took a photo of our planet 6 billion kilometers away. That image went around the world and made us think: from that perspective we are nothing more than a speck of dust, a pale blue point in space.

Carl Sagan was also impacted by that photograph and decided to dedicate a book to it to reflect on ourselves, on humanity, astronomy and the cosmos that gave us life. From that distant point in space, Sagan explained, the Earth hardly catches our attention, it is little more than a blur in the middle of the cosmic sand.

However, for us it is unique, because it is our home, because there is everything we are, everything we love. There are the sum of all our joys, our sufferings and heartbreaks. Our wars and our advances also take place. For Sagan, educating and writing about astronomy was, above all, offering an experience of needed humility to human beings.

Its objective was none other than to remind us of the importance of taking care of that pale blue dot in which we live.

1. The importance of knowledge

This is one of Carl Sagan’s best-known phrases.. If there was something to which he gave special importance, it was the importance of books as a form of knowledge. It is in them where the seeds of wisdom are sown with which to promote our growth and our freedom.

Exiting the age of darkness will be possible as long as we can all have access to that knowledge, to those theories, research and disclosures with which to contribute to the truth.

2. The magic of connecting and building

Atoms connect and create matter, life, movement and everything that surrounds us. However, the way they do it is what makes up true beauty. Humanity also carries out the same process. We all inhabit the same planet, however, our relationships and the choices we make are what define us.

3. Yesterday defines what we are

This phrase is very recurring, we hear it frequently; Its essence, its meaning, never expires. Although there is no shortage of people who tell us that it is best to move forward without looking back, No one will get very far without first having learned from their mistakes. Nor without having looked in the rearview mirror to gain perspective and walk with greater safety.

4. Senseless technology, technology as a consumerist principle

This is one of Carl Sagan’s most prophetic phrases. Today it would be very difficult for us to understand life without technology and science. However, if we consider them our daily allies Why not have a few basic notions about them?

Making the effort to know what we use or what surrounds us will allow us to be more critical, more demanding. at the same time as promoters of a more useful science.

5. When the demons of ignorance are loose

This is one of the most beautiful Carl Sagan phrases. Science will never be able to advance if we surround it with prejudicesif we give more value to pseudosciences or try to make it respond exclusively to political, ideological or even economic interests.

6. Our planet, our home

We have neglected our beloved Gaia for a long time, long before Carl Sagan himself showed us her beauty. It is somewhat contradictory if we think about it, because since no one destroys their own home with a hammer or demolishing its foundations, that is what we are doing with our planet.

Far from allowing it to advance at its own pace, we insist on generating drastic, and at the same time fearful, changes.

When Carl Sagan wasn’t teaching or writing, he often collaborated to create plates for the Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 space probes.

7. Practice tolerance

This is one of Carl Sagan’s most beautiful phrases, a message that is repeated throughout all of his work. He talks about the importance of investing in coexistence, respect, humility and love for one’s neighbor.

It is very possible that we are not alone in the universe, that there are many more inhabited planets full of fascinating life. However, each one of us is unrepeatable, we are unique, magical and exceptional. Let’s value this, let’s remember that we are all connected, that we are stardust. contained in a barely perceptible point throughout the universe.

We are the only thing we have, let’s appreciate it…

Final note

It doesn’t matter that Carl Sagan left us almost thirty years ago. His legacy remains through his books and his famous program. Cosmos. It is true that today there are more popularizers of science and astronomy. However, No one transmits knowledge like him, and no one taught us so well the need to be humble.

We are nothing more than a tiny blue dot in the middle of the immense universe. The Earth is not the center around which every star and every galaxy gravitates. It is nothing more than a small speck in that vast cosmic ocean inhabited by a civilization that must invest more in science, culture and mutual respect. Let’s put light in those corners where darkness still reigns in our world.

Editorial credit: HappySloth / Shutterstock.com

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