Life and the universe compare to each other like a child and a parent, parent and offspring.

When we discover New Earth - a planet we could call home - the question of the plurality of worlds will come front and center, reminding us yet again that we are not the center of the universe.

My parents gave me a small telescope, then I built my own, and one thing led to another. So thats how I ended up going from being a hobby astronomer to a professional astronomer.

Deep and elegant explanations relate to natural or social phenomena and the observer often has no place in them.

In science, it is rare that a transformational change occurs during our lifetimes.

It feels great to discover a planet, just like any discovery in science, except that it has more of the feel of exploration - you can go back and look at it. However, I can never visit.

We love our planet Earth. We should - it is our home, and there's no place like home. There can't ever be a better place than Earth.

Rational beliefs bring us closer to getting good results in the real world.

In the bush, trust no one you don't know.

The nightmare always becomes laughter, once it's understood.

Art civilizes us and it connects us and activates us. And so it's really important to connect with compassion, with stories about people who are different from us.

The measure of great men should always be measured by the means they have used to acquire it.

I prefer my prose evocative rather than simply effective, with a bit of poetry to it.

I flatter myself [we] have in this country extinguished forever the ambitious hope of making laws for the human mind.

I love fashion, I'm actually a pretty talented seamstress, so I can make stuff for myself, but that's really time-consuming.

gossip, after it reaches a certain point of insult and falsehood, becomes a source of amusement to its victims.

You shall find this to be God's usual course: not to give his children the taste of his delights till they begin to sweat in seeking after them.