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" For centuries, magicians have intuitively taken advantage of the inner workings of our brains. "

Neil deGrasse Tyson

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" No one is dumb who is curious. The people who don't ask questions remain clueless throughout their lives. "

Neil deGrasse Tyson

" If you're going to lead a space frontier, it has to be government; it'll never be private enterprise. Because the space frontier is dangerous, and it's expensive, and it has unquantified risks. And under those conditions, you cannot establish a capital-market evaluation of that enterprise. You can't get investors. "

Neil deGrasse Tyson

" One of the things that fascinates me most is when people are so charmed by the universe that it becomes part of their artistic output. "

Neil deGrasse Tyson

" Science is basically an inoculation against charlatans. "

Neil deGrasse Tyson

" We define ourselves as intelligent. That's odd, because we're doing the definition - We're creating our own definition and saying, 'We are intelligent!' "

Neil deGrasse Tyson

" The only way you can invent tomorrow is if you break out of the enclosure that the school system has provided for you by the exams written by people who are trained in another generation. "

Neil deGrasse Tyson

" The only driver stronger than an economic argument to do something is the war argument, the I-don't-want-to-die argument. "

Neil deGrasse Tyson

" If the United States commits to the goal of reaching Mars, it will almost certainly do so in reaction to the progress of other nations - as was the case with NASA, the Apollo program, and the project that became the International Space Station. "

Neil deGrasse Tyson

" It may be that our cosmic curiosity... is a genetically-encoded force that we illuminate when we look up and wonder. "

Neil deGrasse Tyson

" I think that intelligence is such a narrow branch of the tree of life - this branch of primates we call humans. No other animal, by our definition, can be considered intelligent. So intelligence can't be all that important for survival, because there are so many animals that don't have what we call intelligence, and they're surviving just fine. "

Neil deGrasse Tyson

" I was born the same week NASA was founded, so we're the same age and feel some of the same pains, joys, and frustrations. "

Neil deGrasse Tyson

" I claim that all those who think they can cherry-pick science simply don't understand how science works. That's what I claim. And if they did, they'd be less prone to just assert that somehow scientists are clueless. "

Neil deGrasse Tyson

" In the animal kingdom, one of the keys to survival is to outwit your enemies. And when you're surrounded by carnivores, one of the best strategies is to fade into the background and disappear. "

Neil deGrasse Tyson

" The cross pollination of disciplines is fundamental to truly revolutionary advances in our culture. "

Neil deGrasse Tyson

" Half of my library are old books because I like seeing how people thought about their world at their time. So that I don't get bigheaded about something we just discovered and I can be humble about where we might go next. Because you can see who got stuff right and most of the people who got stuff wrong. "

Neil deGrasse Tyson

" Dreams about the future are always filled with gadgets. "

Neil deGrasse Tyson

" It's always interesting just to see how the human mind is relating to the natural universe, and what we try to make of it just so we can believe we understand what's going on. "

Neil deGrasse Tyson

" I want people to see that the cosmic perspective is simultaneously honest about the universe we live in and uplifting, when we realize how far we have come and how wonderful is this world of ours. "

Neil deGrasse Tyson

" Passion is what gets you through the hardest times that might otherwise make strong men weak, or make you give up. "

Neil deGrasse Tyson

" You have people who believe they are scientifically literate but, in fact, are not. And I don't mind if you're not scientifically literate, but just admit that to yourself, so that you'll know, and perhaps you can take a first step to try to eradicate that. "

Neil deGrasse Tyson

" Computers have proved to be formidable chess players. In fact, they've beaten our top human chess champions. "

Neil deGrasse Tyson

" Just think for how long humanity was controlled by mystical, magical thinking - the diseases and suffering that led to. We managed to survive, but just barely. It wasn't pretty. "

Neil deGrasse Tyson

" The universe is hilarious! Like, Venus is 900 degrees. I could tell you it melts lead. But that's not as fun as saying, 'You can cook a pizza on the windowsill in nine seconds.' And next time my fans eat pizza, they're thinking of Venus! "

Neil deGrasse Tyson

" I see all this talk about jobs going overseas as a symptom of the absence of innovation. And the absence of innovation is a symptom of there being no major national priority to advance a frontier. "

Neil deGrasse Tyson

" I was transformed by picking up a pair of binoculars and looking up, and that's hard to do for a city kid because when you look up you just see buildings - and really, your first thought is to look in people's windows. So to look out of the space - out of living space - and look up to the sky, binoculars go far, literally and figuratively. "

Neil deGrasse Tyson

" Let's find a new way to think about the entire taxonomy of solar system objects, and not clutch to this concept of 'planet,' which, of course, only ever meant, 'Do you move against the background stars, regardless of what you're made of?' "

Neil deGrasse Tyson

" I've known from long ago that the universe was calling me. If you were one of those annoying adults that said, 'Oh, what are you gonna be when you grow up?' I would say, 'Astrophysicist.' And then they'd walk away real quickly. "

Neil deGrasse Tyson

" I want to know what dark matter and dark energy are comprised of. They remain a mystery, a complete mystery. No one is any closer to solving the problem than when these two things were discovered. "

Neil deGrasse Tyson

" In any city with lots of skyscrapers, lots of skyline, the moon seems bigger than it is. It's called the moon illusion. "

Neil deGrasse Tyson

" Fortunately, there's another handy driver that has manifested itself throughout the history of cultures. The urge to want to gain wealth. That is almost as potent a driver as the urge to maintain your security. And that is how I view NASA going forward - as an investment in our economy. "

Neil deGrasse Tyson