Carl Sagan Quotes

What is called for is an exquisite balance between two conflicting needs: the most skeptical scrutiny of all hypotheses that are served up to us and at the same time a great openness to new ideas. If you are only skeptical, then no new ideas make it through to you. On the other hand, if you are open to the point of gullibility and have not an ounce of skeptical sense in you, then you cannot distinguish useful ideas from the worthless ones.

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

It is sometimes important for science to know how to forget the things she is surest of.

The improver of natural knowledge absolutely refuses to acknowledge authority, as such. For him, skepticism is the highest of duties; blind faith the one unpardonable sin.

Part of the scientific temperament is this tolerance for holding multiple hypotheses in mind at the same time.

If you are only skeptical, then no new ideas make it through to you. You become a crotchety old person convinced that nonsense is ruling the world. (There is, of course, much data to support you.) But every now and then, a new idea turns out to be on the mark, valid and wonderful. If you are too much in the habit of being skeptical about everything, you are going to miss or resent it, and either way you will be standing in the way of understanding and progress.

Incredulity is not wisdom.

He that cometh to seek after knowledge, with a mind to scorn, shall be sure to find matter for his humour, but no matter for his instruction.

A liberally educated person meets new ideas with curiosity and fascination. An illiberally educated person meets new ideas with fear.

If you want to stay in for the long haul, and lead a life that is free from illusions either propagated by you or embraced by you, then I suggest you learn to recognize and avoid the symptoms of the zealot and the person who knows he is right. For the dissenter, the skeptical mentality is at least as important as any armor of principle.

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

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

I know too much to be a sceptic and too little to be a dogmatist.

It is crucial for scientists to be willing to be wrong; otherwise, you might not do the most important experiments, or you may ignore your most important findings.

The recipe for perpetual ignorance is: Be satisfied with your opinions and content with your knowledge.

I believe in an open mind, but not so open that your brains fall out.

True science teaches, above all, to doubt and to be ignorant.

Doubt grows with knowledge.

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

I love to doubt as well as know.

Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge.

It is important that students bring a certain …, irreverence to their studies; they are not here to worship what is known, but to question it.

True science teaches, above all, to doubt

We need a world where the values of science are celebrated: free inquiry, free speech and a healthy skepticism, all coupled with a sense of wonder, a respect for truth and an ability to reason.

Doubt is the origin of wisdom.