Indeed the reasoned criticism of a prevailing belief is a service to the proponents of that belief; if they are incapable of defending it, they are well advised to abandon it. This self-questioning and error-correcting aspect of the scientific method is its most striking property.
Carl SaganIf we are to survive, our loyalties must be broadened further, to include the whole human community, the entire planet Earth.
Carl SaganIt is said that men may not be the dreams of the god, but rather that the gods are the dreams of men.
Carl SaganWho are we? We find that we live on an insignificant planet of a humdrum star lost in a galaxy tucked away in some forgotten corner of a universe in which there are far more galaxies than people.
Carl SaganScience is more than a body of knowledge. It's a way of thinking: a way of skeptically interrogating the universe.
Carl SaganAt the heart of science is an essential balance between two seemingly contradictory attitudes-an openness to new ideas, no matter how bizarre or counterintuitive they may be, and the most ruthless skeptical scrutiny of all ideas, old and new. This is how deep truths are winnowed from deep nonsense.
Carl Sagan