I don't want to die ... I don't want to die poor. Two great motivators in the history of human cultures.

There's no shortage of people that we can put on, because science touches us all.

If aliens did visit us, I'd be embarrassed to tell them we still dig fossil fuels from the ground as a source of energy.

Like no other science, astrophysics cross-pollinate s the expertise of chemists, biologists, geologists and physicists, all to discover the past, present, and future of the cosmos-and our humble place within it.

One of the most significant events in our distant past is still perhaps the greatest mystery: the origins of life itself.

If an artist is reaching for the universe as a source of creative muse, then I'm there. I'm gonna say, "Yeah. Here's Saturn. Here's a black hole. Here's twisted space-time. Talk to me. What do you need? What do you want?" And I'll just feed you, because I think only then does science become mainstream - when science becomes a legitimate topic for artists.

I think the best thing a parent can do, when raising a child, is simply get out of their way.