When humans first set out for the Moon in 1969, it was, on the one hand, an achievement, and on the other – only a small part of a long fascination with the beauty of outer space and the astonishing vastness of everything that awaits us in the cosmos.
The Universe, the planets, the stars – all of this has invariably served as a source of inspiration. And that goes for films and fiction as well as for reality.
Here are the 30 best quotes about space that will inspire you to always look up at the stars.
Quotes from astronauts
«At that moment I thought, «We did it», meaning «We survived». I was also acutely aware that my childhood dream of flying into space had just come true», – Ron Garan.
«It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth. I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn't feel like a giant. I felt very, very small», – Neil Armstrong.
«I find it curious that I never heard an astronaut say that he wanted to go to the Moon so that he could look back and see the Earth. We all wanted to see what the moon looked like up close. And yet, for most of us, the most memorable sight was not the moon but our beautiful blue-and-white home, majestically moving around the sun, all alone in the endless black of space», – Alan Bean.
«The Earth was small, light blue, and so touchingly alone, our home that must be defended like a holy relic. The Earth was absolutely round. I believe I never knew what the word «round» meant until I saw the Earth from space», – Alexei Leonov.
«The Earth reminded us of a Christmas tree ornament hanging in the blackness of space. As we moved farther and farther away, it diminished in size. Finally, it shrank to the size of a marble, the most beautiful marble you can imagine. That beautiful, warm, living object looked so fragile, so delicate, that if you touched it with a finger it would crumble and fall apart», – James Irwin.
«Suddenly, from behind the rim of the moon, in long, slow-motion moments of immense majesty, there emerges a sparkling blue-and-white jewel, a light, delicate sky-blue sphere laced with slowly swirling veils of white, rising gradually like a small pearl in a thick sea of black mystery. It takes more than a minute to fully realize that this is Earth… home», – Edgar Mitchell.
«I know that the sky is not the limit, because there are footprints on the Moon – and I left some of them!» – Buzz Aldrin.
«The Earth is a small town with many neighborhoods in a very big universe», – Ron Garan.
«Space is for everybody. It's not just for a few people in science or math, or for a select group of astronauts. It's our new frontier, and everyone should know about space», – Christa McAuliffe.
«You instantly develop a global consciousness, a people orientation, an intense dissatisfaction with the state of the world, and a compulsion to do something about it. From out here, on the Moon, international politics looks so petty», – Edgar Mitchell.
Quotes from other famous people
«Be humble, for you are made of earth. Be noble, for you are made of stars», – a Serbian proverb.
«Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious. And however difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at. The important thing is that you simply don't give up», – the scientist Stephen Hawking.
«It's not just beautiful here – the stars are like trees in a forest, alive and breathing. And they're watching me», – the writer Haruki Murakami.
«I think cosmology really does affect the way we perceive humanity's role in nature. One thing we've learned from astronomy is that the future that lies ahead is longer than the past. Even our sun is only halfway through its life», – the astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.
«I assure you that galaxies are made of the same stuff as you. The same energy that spins planets around stars makes the electrons dance in your heart», – the writer Kamal Ravikant.
«Once you can accept the universe as matter expanding into nothing that is something, wearing stripes with plaid comes easy», – the scientist Albert Einstein.
«You can't look up at the night sky on the planet Earth and not wonder what it's like to be up there, among the stars. And I always look at the Moon and see it as the most romantic place in the cosmos», – the actor Tom Hanks.
«The history of astronomy is a history of receding horizons», – the astrophysicist Edwin Hubble.
«Humanity reaches for the heavens for the same reason we were once drawn to unknown lands and across the open sea. We choose to explore space because doing so improves our lives and lifts our national spirit. Let us continue the journey», – former U.S. President George Bush.
«Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe», – the scientist Albert Einstein.
«I saw the world from the stars, and it looked unbearably lonely», – the writer Shaun David Hutchinson.
«Of course there are worlds. Millions of them! Every star you see has worlds, and most of the ones you don't see, too», – the writer Isaac Asimov.
«The universe is under no obligation to make sense to you», – the astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.
«Space exploration will go on, whether we join it or not, and it is one of the greatest adventures of all time», – former U.S. President John F. Kennedy.
«Man must rise above the Earth – to the top of the atmosphere and beyond – for only thus will he fully understand the world in which he lives», – Socrates.
«I don't think the human race will survive the next thousand years unless we spread out into space. Too many accidents can happen to life on a single planet. But I'm an optimist», – the scientist Stephen Hawking.
«The cosmos is within us. … We are a way for the Universe to know itself», – the astronomer Carl Sagan.
«The Earth is the cradle of humanity, but humanity cannot remain in the cradle forever», – the scientist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky.
«Astronomy compels the soul to look upward, and leads us from this world to another», – Plato.
«The Universe is not a stagnant place where technology stands still and only a few control its destiny. Rather, it is a multidimensional, dynamic entity that interacts with all things, even the smallest. And what role each of us plays in it, and what influence we have on it, depends on our own choices», – the science fiction writer R. G. Risch.
