From Pythagoras to Elon Musk: 20 Space Quotes by Famous People That Can Change The Way You See The World

17th Jul 2023

Mankind has long raved about the stars, but it took thousands of years for us to get even a little closer to them. Today, we know much more about space, but it still remains the biggest mystery that never ceases to amaze and delight. We have collected for you 20 space quotes from famous people: philosophers, scientists, writers, and astronauts, which we find inspiring enough for you to help you take a fresh look at the world, both on Earth and beyond.

Quotes about space from ancient times

Pythagoras

Pythagoras was the first to call the Universe a cosmos. It was this ancient Greek philosopher and his students (Pythagoreans) who created the first theory about the arrangement of the heavenly bodies, their movement, eclipses, eccentricities, epicycles and deferents.

The ideas of “mathematical harmony of the celestial spheres,” laid down by Pythagoras and his followers, remained popular until the end of the 16th century. In 1596, they were embodied by the German astronomer Johannes Kepler in his model of the Cosmos: the “Heavenly Intrigue”.

Plato

Another ancient Greek philosopher, a student of Socrates, and a follower of the postulates of Pythagoras, Plato, believed that in order to obtain true knowledge of astronomy, it must be studied like mathematics, with the help of theorems, and not studies of the starry sky. Plato imagined the Universe as a single, eternal, living and gifted sphere with a soul, which rotates uniformly around an axis. He also described the motion of the Sun, Moon, and planets. It is believed that in the last years of his life, the philosopher came to the idea of the axial rotation of the Earth. Since Plato expounded his cosmological ideas in the form of myths and symbolic comparisons, they later became the subject of extensive discussions, and his space quotes are relevant to this day.

Nostradamus quotes about space

Michel de Nostredam, better known to us as Nostradamus, became famous for his prophecies. This French poet, writer, doctor, astrologer and alchemist, who lived in the 16th century, left us a legacy of several hundred quatrains (short, complete stanzas), in which he predicted the future based on the events of the past. Nostradamus believed that the events of world history are cyclically repeated because planetary configurations are repeated and the same signs occur. And although the astrological works of Nostradamus contained many errors, for which he was subjected to merciless criticism from his contemporary astrologers, over the centuries, interpreters continue to find many amazing things that go beyond mere chance in his prophecies.

Analysing Nostradamus’ space quotes, we can assume that the first one speaks of the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence, that is, aliens and the second describes the landing of Neil Armstrong on the Moon. Let’s agree, this is an amazingly accurate forecast, considering it was made five centuries before the first flights into space.

Galileo quotes about space

Legend has it that Galileo uttered this famous phrase in 1633 after the church forced him to abandon the theory of heliocentrism, the evidence of which he found by observing the starry sky through the first refractor telescope he invented. After undergoing torture in the dungeons of the Inquisition followed by a gruelling trial, the 70-year-old man was forced to read out the text of the renunciation, after which he whispered, “And yet it moves!” — meaning that our planet still revolves around the Sun, which means that it is not the centre of the Universe, as the church claimed.

The authenticity of this statement has not been confirmed, but history knows many other Galileo inspirational space quotes, which leave us no doubt about the passion of this great thinker and scientist. Want to know his full history? Read 17 Amazing Galileo Galilei Facts.

Space quotes from the 20th century

In the 20th century, humanity finally broke free from Earth, and it was already impossible to stop space exploration. The time of the first orbital flights and the increasing activity of humanity in space has become a mine of cool space quotes.

This German physicist and design engineer can rightfully be considered one of the fathers of rocket science. Wernher von Braun created the first ballistic rocket, which later served as the basis for the first space launch vehicle, including the famous Saturn V and Apollo, which delivered people to the Moon. He worked for the Third Reich, then surrendered to the Americans, and until 1972, he worked at NASA. Other designers of rocket technology used his developments as the basis for the further conquest of space.

Ukrainian and Soviet design engineer Sergei Pavlovich Korolev is famous for leading the USSR space program. Unfortunately, the Soviet regime did not fully appreciate Korolev’s talent and prevented him from accomplishing more. Read more about the life and achievements of the outstanding designer in our article Sergei P. Korolev: The Path Of Space Genius. This is an amazing story!

John F Kennedy quotes about space

In September 1962, President Kennedy announced the start of the Apollo lunar program, which was supposed to shift the scales in favour of the United States.

Standing before a cheering crowd of 40,000 people at Rice University, Kennedy delivered what would become one of his most famous speeches during his presidency. Here are some quotes from it.

Kennedy, followed by Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon, kept his word. In 1969, the world watched with admiration and awe as the Apollo 11 astronauts landed on the Moon. An important milestone was overcome, but this was only the beginning of a great cosmic path that humanity embarked on.

Then there were the Shuttles, the first space stations, thousands of satellites launched into near-Earth orbit, dozens of probes sent to other planets, the emergence of the private space sector, reusable rockets, space tourism, and a new lunar program. What’s next?

The cosmic journey continues, and it looks like it will be as mysterious, fascinating and endless as the Universe itself. Find this hard to believe? Perhaps the space sayings of these wonderful people will convince you.

Astronauts’ famous quotes

Who can describe space better than people who have actually been there? Each of these quotes by famous astronauts perfectly conveys the grandeur and scale of space, in comparison with which our planet and every earthling look very fragile and need care.

Stephen Hawking space quotes

This undoubtedly outstanding scientist of our time has given the world many theories that make us rethink our understanding of the world around us. Each of Hawking’s quotes is imbued with wisdom and encourages us to reflect on the futility of our existence and to act to change for the better.

Elon Musk quotes about space

I would like to fly in space. Absolutely. That would be cool. I used to just do personally risky things, but now I’ve got kids and responsibilities, so I can’t be my test pilot. That wouldn’t be a good idea. But I want to fly as soon as it’s a sensible thing to do

This businessman, this mover and shaker has done a great deal to develop space technology over the last 20 years. He has opened Space for private companies, built a reusable rocket, made payload launches the cheapest in history, created the largest satellite internet network, and we have no doubt that he will soon send ships to Mars. Today Elon Musk is one of the richest people in the world, a trendsetter, and perhaps you will find some of his quotes about space interesting, or even inspiring.