Ann Druyan suggests an experiment: Look back again at the pale blue dot of the preceding chapter. Take a good long look at it. Stare at the dot for any length of time and then try to convince yourself that God created the whole Universe for one of th...
Again, it is absurd to hold that a man ought to be ashamed of being unable to defend himself with his limbs, but not of being unable to defend himself with speech and reason, when the use of rational speech is more distinctive of a human being than t...
A new concept of god: “something not very different from the sum total of the physical laws of the universe; that is, gravitation plus quantum mechanics plus grand unified field theories plus a few other things equaled god. And by that all they mea...
Now I've been criticized for advocating that people push their boundaries because sometimes people get caught. Sometimes people get fired. Sometimes people lose their jobs because of pushing the boundaries too far, but it's an interesting experience....
What caused me to undertake the catalog was the nebula I discovered above the southern horn of Taurus on September 12, 1758, while observing the comet of that year. ... This nebula had such a resemblance to a comet in its form and brightness that I e...
I'm frequently asked, "Do you believe there's extraterrestrial intelligence?" I give the standard arguments- there are a lot of places out there, the molecules of life are everywhere, I use the word billions, and so on. Then I say it would be astonis...
There is a wide yawning black infinity. In every direction the extension is endless, the sensation of depth is overwhelming. And the darkness is immortal. Where light exists, it is pure, blazing, fierce; but light exists almost nowhere, and the black...
[the night Gordon is shot, his wife opens her door and sees Stephens and Ramirez] Barbara Gordon: [realizing why they've come] No! Detective Stephens: I'm so sorry, Barbara... Barbara Gordon: [pushing Jimmy away] Jimmy, go play with your sister, go a...
Advertising is fundamentally persuasion and persuasion happens to be not a science, but an art.
Django: You said in seventy-six years on this plantation, you've seen all manner of shit done to niggers but I notice... you didn't mention kneecapping. [Django shoots Stephen in the kneecap] Stephen: Oh, God! Motherfucker! Damn it! Django: Seventy-s...
Education is such a noble profession, it's a wonderful way to serve.
Schools are not equal. There are still the haves and the have-nots.
Salesmanship, too, is an art; the perfection of its technique requires study and practice.
My wife watches me like a hawk.
I am a deficit hawk.
My fear of the future, she says, has not yet failed.
That was the appealing thing about comics: There literally is no budget in comics. You're only limited by your imagination.
Being a great believer in Scottish tradition, I followed the example of my fellow countrymen and moved to England.
Dr. Stephen Maturin: Mr Blakeney, it would appear that you have the makings of a naturalist. Blakeney: Well, sir, perhaps I could combine them to be a sort of... fighting naturalist, like you, sir. Dr. Stephen Maturin: They don't combine too well, I ...
What makes you a chaffinch?
It's amazing how confused and distracted and misdirected so many people are.
