71 Space Quotes About Future Life and Progress

By Danielle Dahl | Published August 23, 2022

These ‘out of this world’ space quotes range from funny and inspirational to political and poetic.

The stars and the heavens have drawn people toward them for as long as there have been people.

The unknown, the vastness, that there is so much more than what we know; it almost too much for the human brain to ponder.

It doesn’t surprise me that humanity would find a way to fly into space; I mean, we mastered the art of flight, which is no small fear for our wingless bodies.

The curiosity of the human mind, and our ability to solve problems and reach for the stars, is what sets us apart from every other species.

These quotes are from some of the greatest minds in the world.

Some are from the funniest minds.

There are even a few from those who think we need not travel to space.

Each one though captures an element of the veracity of the human spirit, our perseverance, or our quest for knowledge.

Don’t forget to also check out these universe quotes celebrating our place in the Cosmos.

Check out our most popular quote article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily inspiration.

Explore our complete collection of motivational quotes here.

Earth and the universe space quotes

1. “Earth is a small town with many neighborhoods in a very big universe.” ― Ron Garan

2. “And in that moment, I was hit with the realization that this delicate layer of atmosphere is all that protects every living thing on Earth from perishing in the harshness of space.” ― Ron Garan

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3. “The Earth is the cradle of humanity, but mankind cannot stay in the cradle forever.” ― Konstantin Tsiolkovsky

4. “I don’t think the human race will survive the next thousand years, unless we spread into space. There are too many accidents that can befall life on a single planet. But I’m an optimist. We will reach out to the stars.” ― Stephen Hawking
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5. “The planet was our mother and our burial ground. No wonder the human spirit wished to leave. Leave this prolific belly. Leave also this great tomb.” ― Saul Bellow

6. “As long as we are a single-planet species, we are vulnerable to extinction by a planetwide catastrophe, natural or self-induced. Once we become a multi-planet species, our chances to live long and prosper will take a huge leap skyward.” ― David Grinspoon

7. “The time was fast approaching when Earth, like all mothers, must say farewell to her children.” ― Arthur C. Clarke

8. “Earth is the best planet in our solar system. We go to space to save Earth.” ― Jeff Bezos

9. “We must stop this insane foraging; this conveying of our lunacies from one segment of the solar system to the next; we must, I say, stay on our home planet and work out our problems in the Arena of our birth.” ― Barry N. Malzberg

10. “Returning to Earth, that was the challenging part.” ― Buzz Aldrin

Funny space quotes

11. “The only thing that scares me more than space aliens is the idea that there aren’t any space aliens. We can’t be the best that creation has to offer. I pray we’re not all there is. If so, we’re in big trouble.” ― Ellen DeGeneres

12. “It is a very sobering feeling to be up in space and realize that one’s safety factor was determined by the lowest bidder on a government contract.” ― Alan Shepard

13. “I’m sure the universe is full of intelligent life. It’s just been too intelligent to come here.” ― Arthur C. Clarke

14. “It’s a fixer-upper of a planet, but we could make it work.” ― Elon Musk

15. “There are so many problems to solve on this planet first before we begin to trash other worlds.” ― E. A. Bucchianeri

16. “The dinosaurs became extinct because they didn’t have a space program. And if we become extinct because we don’t have a space program, it’ll serve us right!” ― Larry Niven

17. “Anyone who sits on top of the largest hydrogen-oxygen fueled system in the world, knowing they’re going to light the bottom, and doesn’t get a little worried, does not fully understand the situation.” ― John W. Young

18. “The single simplest reason why human space flight is necessary is this, stated as plainly as possible: keeping all your breeding pairs in one place is a retarded way to run a species.” ― Warren Ellis

Inspirational space quotes

19. “There were only the great diamonds and sapphires and emerald mists and velvet inks of space, with God’s voice mingling among the crystal fires.” ― Ray Bradbury

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20. “The moon was out of orbit. The stars were awry. But everything else was exactlyas it should have been.” ― Roman Payne

21. “Our inner space and our peace of mind are affected by our outer space.” ― Thích Nhất Hạnh

22. “Like we’re here, and at the same time, in outer space. Which, of course, we are. We’re all untethered, all flying around in the dark, the same as Mars and Venus, the same as the stars.” ― Maria Dahvana Headley

23. “We cannot predict the new forces, powers, and discoveries that will be disclosed to us when we reach the other planets and set up new laboratories in space. They are as much beyond our vision today as fire or electricity would be beyond the imagination of a fish.”― Arthur C. Clarke

24. “The all but impossible glory of having walked on the moon, of proving our mind power and our brilliant technology, this cannot ever be dimmed…. We have hurled ourselves closer to the Gods.” ― Emil Petaja

25. “When I review my travels among the astronauts, my mind’s eye goes first to the Houston shopping mall where Alan Bean sat for hours after returning from space, just eating ice cream and watching the people swirl around him, enraptured by the simple yet miraculous fact they were there and alive in that moment, and so was he.” ― Andrew Smith

26. “What is it that makes a man willing to sit up on top of an enormous Roman candle, such as a Redstone, Atlas, Titan or Saturn rocket, and wait for someone to light the fuse?” ― Tom Wolfe

27. “We must never confuse space colonization with the conquest of space. The world beyond ours is unimaginably vast; it will be what it has always been. When humankind begins to make its home in space, it is we who will change.” ― Cameron M. Smith

Poetic quotes about space

28. “Forget scientists. The next space launch, we should send up painters, poets, and musicians. I’d be more interested in what they discover than anything that takes place in a test tube.” ― James Rozoff

29. “Have a peculiar passion, audacity, and boldness that see farther and further into the outer space.” ― Israelmore Ayivor

30. “You need a poetic touch from the outer space? Then you need the moonlight!” ― Mehmet Murat ildan

31. “Sorry. Just paralyzed by the indescribable beauty of the cosmos. We’ll get to work.” ― Daniel Suarez

32. “Stars are born babies, just like us. They live their lives, then die without fuss.” ― Joseph Raphael Becker

33. “What we wanted was to see planets taste life in a way they never had.” ― Mandy Ashcraft

34. “The stars will never be won by little minds; we must be big as space itself.” ― Robert A. Heinlein

35. “Space travel is life-enhancing, and anything that’s life-enhancing is worth doing. It makes you want to live forever.” ― Ray Bradbury

36. “We cannot predict the new forces, powers, and discoveries that will be disclosed to us when we reach the other planets and set up new laboratories in space. They are as much beyond our vision today as fire or electricity would be beyond the imagination of a fish.”― Arthur C. Clarke

37. “NASA’s next urgent mission should be to send good poets into space so they can describe what it’s really like.” ― Shannon Hale

38. “Can you travel space and time? Do you have a face like mine? Are you far from humankind? Don’t you want to say hello? Maybe spend a week or so with us?” ― Amy Diamond

39. “Space travels in my blood. There ain’t nothing I can do about it. Long journeys wear me out. But I know I can’t live without it. Oh, no.” The Only Ones

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Space quotes about the future and civilization

40. “Space is for everybody. It’s not just for a few people in science or math, or for a select group of astronauts. That’s our new frontier out there, and it’s everybody’s business to know about space.” ― Christa McAuliffe

41. “All civilizations become either spacefaring or extinct.” ― Carl Sagan

42. “The exploration of space will go ahead, whether we join in it or not, and it is one of the great adventures of all time, and no nation which expects to be the leader of other nations can expect to stay behind in the race for space.” ― John F. Kennedy

43. “The time will come when man will know even what is going on in the other planets and perhaps be able to visit them.” ― Henry Ford

44. “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win.” ― John F. Kennedy

45. “From out there on the Moon, international politics look so petty. You want to grab a politician by the scruff of the neck and drag him a quarter of a million miles out and say, ‘Look at that, you son of a bitch.’” ― Edgar Mitchell

46. “Many years ago the great British explorer George Mallory, who was to die on Mount Everest, was asked why did he want to climb it. He said, “Because it is there.” Well, space is there, and we’re going to climb it, and the moon and the planets are there, and new hopes for knowledge and peace are there.” ― John F. Kennedy

47. “Why our space program? Why, indeed, did we trouble to look past the next mountain? Our prime obligation to ourselves is to make the unknown known. We are on a journey to keep an appointment with whatever we are.” ― Gene Roddenberry

48. Man has gone out to explore other worlds and other civilizations without having explored his own labyrinth of dark passages and secret chambers, and without finding what lies behind doorways that he himself has sealed. ― Stanislaw Lem

49. “Only via continuing to probe every nook and cranny of the universe that is accessible to us will we truly build a useful appreciation of our own place in the cosmos.” ― Lawrence M. Krauss

50. “In my mind, public space travel will precede efforts toward exploration — be it returning to the moon, going to Mars, visiting asteroids, or whatever seems appropriate. We’ve got millions and millions of people who want to go into space, who are willing to pay. When you figure in the payload potential of customers, everything changes.” ― Buzz Aldrin

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More space quotes and sayings

51. The Universe is under no obligation to make sense to you.” – Neil deGrasse Tyson

52. “There are no passengers on spaceship earth. We are all crew.” – Marshall McLuhan

53. “Space is an inspirational concept that allows you to dream big.” – Peter Diamandis

54. “At night, when the sky is full of stars and the sea is still you get the wonderful sensation that you are floating in space.” – Natalie Wood

55. “The stars don’t look bigger, but they do look brighter.” – Sally Ride

56. “Space isn’t remote at all. It’s only an hour’s drive away if your car could go straight upwards.” – Fred Hoyle

57. “We overfill our lives, hoping more will make us feel like we are enough.” – Ellie Roscher

58. “Our only chance of long-term survival is not to remain inward-looking on planet Earth, but to spread out into space.” – Stephen Hawking

59. “Stars also symbolize the cycle of life, solitude and gravity. They glow in the dark energy that’s the majority of space, and remind us that even in the pitch black, there’s always something that can shine.” – L.J. Shen

60. Our universe is a sorry little affair unless it has in it something for every age to investigate.” – Seneca

Space Quotes For Doing One Thing At a Time

61. “Sometimes the best way to uncover a new goal or dream is to step back, make space, and allow what’s next to find you.” ― Cheryl Richardson

62. “We are creatures of the moment; we live from one little space to another, and only one interest at a time fills these.” ― William Dean Howells

63. “The mass gross absence of sound in space is more than just silence.” ― Gene Cernan

64. “The Earth from here is a grand oasis in the big vastness of space.” ― Jim Lovell

65. “Worry and worship cannot exist in the same space. One always displaces the other. Choose worship.” ― Louie Giglio

66. “If we want to go to space with humans, that’s for fun not for science. Human adventures in space are just sporting events.” ― Freeman Dyson

67. “In real time, the universe has a beginning and an end at singularities that form a boundary to space-time and at which the laws of science break down.” ― Stephen Hawking

68. “The space between the dish and the pitcher that I paint also.” ― Georges Braque

69. “Heaven-as you call it-is nowhere. Let’s just put some space between the w and the h in that word and you’ll see that heaven is now…here.” ― Neale Donald Walsch

70. “Everything that occupies space has form. The formless can only be infinite.” ― Swami Vivekananda

71. “I am the universe.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita