The Cosmos is all that is or ever was or ever will be. Our feeblest contemplations of the Cosmos stir us—there is a tingling in the spine, a catch in the voice, a faint sensation as if a distant memory, of falling from a height. We know we are approaching the greatest of mysteries.

About Carl Sagan

Carl Edward Sagan (; SAY-gən; November 9, 1934 – December 20, 1996) was an American astronomer, planetary scientist and science communicator. Initially an assistant professor at Harvard, Sagan later moved to Cornell, where he was the David Duncan Professor of Astronomy and Space Sciences and directed the Laboratory for Planetary...

More quotations from Carl Sagan

Skeptical scrutiny is the means, in both science and religion, by which deep insights can be winnowed from deep nonsense.

—Carl Sagan

religion science doubt nonsense skepticism insight

Skeptical scrutiny is the means, in both science and religion, by which deep insights can be winnowed from deep nonsense.

—Carl Sagan

religion knowledge science scrutiny nonsense skepticism

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 in Cosmos

perspective preciousness universe disagreement

War is murder writ large.

—Carl Sagan in Cosmos

war violence murder

Nobody listens to mathematicians

—Carl Sagan in Cosmos

mathematics

More quotations tagged with “excitement”

I would sum up my fear about the future in one word: boring. And that's my one fear: that everything has happened; nothing exciting or new or interesting is ever going to happen again.… The future is just going to be a vast, conforming suburb of the soul.

—J. G. Ballard

fear future soul boredom excitement interest

You know how it feels right before a tornado hits? I mean when the sky’s still clear, but the wind’s starting to cool off and change direction. You know something’s coming, but you don’t always know what. That’s how things feel to me right now.

—P.C. Cast in Betrayed

feelings excitement weather anticipation

Adventure is just bad planning.

—Roald Amundsen

planning adventure excitement

Character is the ability to carry out a good resolution long after the excitement of the moment has passed.

—Cavett Robert

character excitement resolutions drudgery

Everything I do with you feels like an adventure.

—Steph Campbell in Depths

relationships adventure excitement

History

9 Nov 2014 Added
26 Oct 2026 Wording changed

Previous wording

The Cosmos is all that is or ever was or ever will be. Our feeblest contemplations of the Cosmos stir us — there is a tingling in the spine, a catch in the voice, a faint sensation as if a distant memory, of falling from a height. We know we are approaching the greatest of mysteries.