There is no other species on Earth that does science. It is, so far, entirely a human invention, evolved by natural selection in the cerebral cortex for one simple reason: it works. It is not perfect. It can be misused. It is only a tool. But it is by far the best tool we have, self-correcting, ongoing, applicable to everything.

All inquires carry with them some element of risk. There is no guarantee that the universe will conform to our predispositions.

Organic as a dandelion seed, [the ship of our imagination] will carry us to worlds of dreams and worlds of facts

Our passion for learning ... is our tool for survival.

I believe that the extraordinary should be pursued. But extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.

Present global culture is a kind of arrogant newcomer. It arrives on the planetary stage following four and a half billion years of other acts, and after looking about for a few thousand years declares itself in possession of eternal truths. But in a world that is changing as fast as ours, this is a prescription for disaster. No nation, no religion, no economic system, no body of knowledge, is likely to have all the answers for our survival. There must be many social systems that would work far better than any now in existence. In the scientific tradition, our task is to find them.

The universe is not required to be in perfect harmony with human ambition.