People often mistake technology for a static picture. It's less like a picture and more like a movie. It's the velocity of technology innovation that matters. It's the acceleration.

I think it's important to reason from first principles rather than by analogy. The normal way we conduct our lives is we reason by analogy. [With analogy] we are doing this because it's like something else that was done, or it is like what other people are doing. [With first principles] you boil things down to the most fundamental truths…and then reason up from there.

I'm reasonably optimistic about the future, especially the future of the United States - for the century, at least.

America is the spirit of human exploration distilled.

It is despairing to consider that the cost and reliability of access to space have barely changed since the Apollo era over three decades ago. Yet in virtually every other field of technology, we have made great strides in reducing cost and increasing capability.

Most people can learn a lot more than they think they can. They sell themselves short without trying.

My mentality is that of a samurai. I would rather commit seppuku than fail.