All of us cherish our beliefs. They are, to a degree, self-defining. When someone comes along who challenges our belief system as insufficiently well-based - or who, like Socrates, merely asks embarrassing questions that we haven't thought of, or demonstrates that we've swept key underlying assumptions under the rug - it becomes much more than a search for knowledge. It feels like a personal assault.

Human beings have a demonstrated talent for self-deception when their emotions are stirred.

The open road still softly calls.

I would be very ashamed of my civilization if we did not try to find out if there is life in outer space.

I hold that popularization of science is successful if, at first, it does no more than spark the sense of wonder.

We are made of star stuff. For the most part, atoms heavier than hydrogen were created in the interiors of stars and then expelled into space to be incorporated into later stars. The Sun is probably a third generation star.

The nuclear arms race is like two sworn enemies standing waist deep in gasoline, one with three matches, the other with five.