Carl Sagan Quotes

The greatest and noblest pleasure which we have in this world is to discover new truths, and the next is to shake off old prejudices.

But in a broader sense, when I have more control, I want to expose people to new ideas.

The few have said, Think! The many have said, Believe! The first doubt was the womb and cradle of progress, and from the first doubt, man has continued to advance.

If you are only skeptical, then no new ideas make it through to you.

Well, the fact is that one imagination is critically important, and if you have had your imagination stimulated by what is basically a variety of subjects, you are much more amenable to accepting, to understanding and interacting with the realities of the world.

Doubt grows with knowledge.

The power to question is the basis of all human progress.

Large skepticism leads to large understanding. Small skepticism leads to small understanding. No skepticism leads to no understanding.

Progress is born of doubt and inquiry. The Church never doubts, never inquires. To doubt is heresy, to inquire is to admit that you do not know—the Church does neither.

We absolutely must leave room for doubt or there is no progress and no learning. There is no learning without having to pose a question. And a question requires doubt. People search for certainty. But there is no certainty.

No man really becomes a fool until he stops asking questions.

Too much openness and you accept every notion, idea, and hypothesis-which is tantamount to knowing nothing. Too much skepticism-especially rejection of new ideas before they are adequately tested-and you're not only unpleasantly grumpy, but also closed to the advance of science. A judicious mix is what we need.

Nothing puts a greater obstacle in the way of the progress of knowledge than thinking that one knows what one does not yet know.

Don't hold strong opinions about things you don't truly understand.

My wish for you... is that your skeptic-eclectic brain be flooded with the light of truth.

There is no harm in doubt and skepticism, for it is through these that new discoveries are made.

I believe that having an open mind is one of the most important qualities we can possess. Once our minds close, we stop evolving.

Our understanding of the world around us is constantly being redefined and expanded, and so therefore, it is wiser to be passionate about seeking for truth than knowing it.

The secret to discovery is to never believe existing facts.

Collecting facts is important. Knowledge is important. But if you don't have an imagination to use the knowledge, civilization is nowhere.

I'm not quite pompous enough to think of myself as an educator or a man capable of definitive refutation of falsehoods.

Men become civilized, not in proportion to their willingness to believe, but in proportion to their readiness to doubt.

The learned man knows that he is ignorant.

I respect faith, but doubt is what gives you an education.

That which the Fascists hate above all else, is intelligence.