We're the kind of species that needs a frontier - for fundamental biological reasons. Every time humanity stretches itself and turns a new corner, it receives a jolt of productive vitality that can carry it for centuries. There is a new world next door. And we know how to get there.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Humanity grows stronger when it explores frontiers and faces new challenges.
- In plain terms
- We thrive when we explore new frontiers.
- What can you take from it?
- Support exploration to keep humanity vital.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What frontier should we tackle next?
- Is growth always good?
Another view
Some might say we should fix Earth before exploring.
More from Carl Sagan
We are like butterflies who flutter for a day and think it's forever.
Permalink to quote #94 When you make the finding yourself - even if you're the last person on Earth to see the light - you never forget it.
Permalink to quote #96 There is a place with four suns in the sky - red, white, blue, and yellow; two of them are so close together that they touch, and star-stuff flows between them…
Permalink to quote #93
Related quotes
The human mind always makes progress, but it is a progress in spirals.
Anne Louise Germaine de StaelAnne Louise Germaine de Stael quote #15 Progress, man's distinctive mark alone, Not God's, and not the beasts': God is, they are, Man partly is and wholly hopes to be.
Robert BrowningRobert Browning quote #33 The most advanced nations are always those who navigate the most.
Ralph Waldo EmersonRalph Waldo Emerson quote #252