Quotes From Timeless Science Books: Cosmos by Carl Sagan
We are all starstuff
“The Cosmos is all that is or ever was or ever will be.”
That is the brilliant first line from Carl Sagan’s 1980 TV series, Cosmos, as well as the first line of his book of the same name. This series was a clear demarcation line in my life when I watched it a little over a decade ago. There was a before, and an after, where the after was marked by a much more intense desire to understand the world around me.
Sagan has a way of communicating the wonder of the universe and history of science in an erudite, yet down to earth way. He is also able to successfully pull off a level of earnestness and poetic language that feels missing or discouraged in today’s discourse.
To see what I mean, just check out his famous thoughts about our Pale Blue Dot.
I read the book version of Cosmos several years ago and found it to be equally awe-inspiring and cosmically humbling as the TV version.
Before getting to the quotes, here is one more video I would recommend, if only to get a sense of his voice, because it is so much more fun to read the below in his voice and cadence. This explanation from his Cosmos series about Googol, a Googolplex, and infinity is something I…
