Top 90 Space Quotes to Inspire Your Journey of Innovation and Discovery

Have you ever wondered who first said the famous meme phrase, "Houston, we have a problem?" This list of the top 90 space quotes is your chance to learn more about the cosmos and its mysteries. Inspired by famous astronomy books, science fiction movies, and space travel memoirs, these sayings offer a close-up view of the beauty of our universe beyond planet Earth.

Grouped by themes like space exploration, the vastness of space, and the future of space travel, many lines come from Headway's library of summaries — your digital hub of wisdom and daily motivation. Their bite-sized format is great for on-the-go learning, especially on your busiest days!

Jump to:

• Five most impactful space quotes

• Top 10 famous astronaut lines

• 75 best quotes about space

• The spirit of exploration and discovery

• The beauty of the cosmos

• Human connection to the universe

• The future of space travel

• The Big Bang and beyond

Five most impactful space quotes to remember

Historical figures such as Galileo, Carl Sagan, and Stephen Hawking have significantly shaped our understanding of the universe, emphasizing the importance of scientific inquiry and our cosmic origins. Below are the top five motivational quotes about space discovery that show the vital role of technology and innovation in understanding cosmic laws.

1. "And yet it moves." — Galileo Galilei 

2. "The universe doesn't allow perfection." — Stephen Hawking, 'A Brief History of Time'

3. "Across the sea of space, the stars are other suns." — Carl Sagan 

4. "When ships to sail the void between the stars have been built, there will step forth men to sail these ships." — Johannes Kepler

5. "Good ideas are always crazy until they're not." ― Ashlee Vance, 'Elon Musk'

Read along for a full list of quotes about outer space, cosmos, and the solar system!

"To infinity and beyond!" Top 10 famous astronaut lines 

Just like Buzz Lightyear's famous line from Pixar's Toy Story, many astronauts expressed their awe for outer space with poetic words to inspire future generations. Indeed, those who have ventured into the final frontier aboard space shuttles and space stations offer a unique perspective on space exploration. 

Their timeless messages reflect the triumphs and challenges of each cosmic journey. Learn what Neil Armstrong said during the Apollo 11 moon landing and how the 1995 movie Apollo 13 popularized Jack Swigert's report to Houston mission control.

6. "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." — Neil Armstrong 

Armstrong's words during the historic Apollo 11 moon landing symbolize the monumental achievement of space exploration and its significance for humanity.

7. "Okay, Houston... we've had a problem here." — Jack Swigert 

This famous quote was spoken by astronaut Jack Swigert during the Apollo 13 mission in 1970 when the spacecraft suffered an oxygen tank explosion, endangering the mission and the lives of the astronauts aboard.

It shows the unpredictability and challenges of space exploration, where quick thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving are essential for survival.

8. "We won the moon race; now it's time for us to live and work on Mars, first on its moons and then on its surface." — Buzz Aldrin

As one of the Apollo 11 astronauts, Buzz Aldrin made this statement reflecting on humanity's next steps in space exploration, especially after successfully landing on the Moon.

His vision reflects the drive for continued progress and the long-term goals of space exploration.

9. "The time will come when we permit more people in space." — John Glenn

John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth and later a US senator, made this statement as part of his belief in the future of space travel for the public.

He foresaw a time when space travel would be accessible to everyone, not just experts.

10. "From out there on the moon, international politics look so petty." — Edgar Mitchell

Edgar Mitchell, the sixth person to walk on the Moon during Apollo 14, made this statement after experiencing the view of Earth from space.

Mitchell's quote reflects how the experience of viewing Earth from the Moon changed his perspective on human conflict and national boundaries.

11. "Space is for everybody. It's not just for a few people in science or math, or for a select group of astronauts." — Christa McAuliffe 

Christa McAuliffe was a high school teacher chosen to be the first regular person to go to space through NASA's Teacher in Space program.

Her quote shows her hope that space travel should be open to everyone, no matter who they are or what they do. 

12. "The stars don't look bigger, but they do look brighter." — Sally Ride

Sally Ride was the first American woman in space. She said this during her trips on the Space Shuttle Challenger, sharing how amazing and beautiful space looks.

13. "With so much conflict in the world, space exploration can be a beacon of hope." — Anne McClain

Anne McClain, a NASA astronaut, made this statement highlighting the unifying potential of space exploration, especially in times of global conflict.

These words underscore the role of space exploration as a source of inspiration and unity.

14. "An eclipse is one phenomenon that is actually more impressive from the ground." — Leroy Chiao

Former NASA astronaut Leroy Chiao said that watching an eclipse from Earth can feel even more amazing than seeing it from space.

His words remind us that astronauts often notice things in new and unexpected ways.

15. "We're not passengers on Spaceship Earth. We're the crew." — Rusty Schweickart

Rusty Schweickart, who flew on Apollo 9, said this to remind us that we all share the job of taking care of our planet and its future.

75 best quotes about space: From exploration to innovation

Space exploration has always sparked the imagination and curiosity of humankind. Throughout history, many influential figures have expressed their thoughts on the cosmos that continue to inspire and provoke thought.

Feel the spirit of space discovery and learn what lies beyond the Milky Way with the hand-picked collection of quotes by theme.

The spirit of exploration and discovery

1. 16 "There are no passengers on Spaceship Earth. We are all crew." — Marshall McLuhan

2. "Exploration is really the essence of the human spirit." — Frank Borman

3. "In fact, the heart produces the strongest magnetic field in the body — five thousand times greater in strength than the field produced by the brain." — Joe Dispenza, 'Becoming Supernatural' 

4. "May the Force be with you." — Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope (1977) 

5. "Mankind will discover objects in space sent to us by the watchers." — Nostradamus

6. "Beyond the edge of the world there's a space where emptiness and substance neatly overlap, where past and future form a continuous, endless loop." ― Haruki Murakami

7. "Real museums are places where Time is transformed into Space." ― Orhan Pamuk

8. "The moon is a friend for the lonesome to talk to." — Carl Sandburg

9. "We were not put on this Earth to remain stagnant." — Anousheh Ansari

10. "The stars are the apexes of what triangles!" — Henry David Thoreau

11. "When I first looked back at the Earth, standing on the Moon, I cried." — Alan Shepard

12. "The greatest danger to our future is apathy." — Jane Goodall

13. "You cannot look up at the night sky on the Planet Earth and not wonder what it's like to be up there amongst the stars. And I always look up at the moon and see it as the single most romantic place within the cosmos." — Tom Hanks

14. "Man must rise above the Earth - to the top of the atmosphere and beyond - for only thus will he fully understand the world in which he lives." — Socrates

15. "SpaceX is in this for the long haul and, come hell or high water, we are going to make this work." ― Ashlee Vance

Get the full summary of Ashlee Vance's book 'Elon Musk' on the Headway app.

The beauty of the cosmos

1. 31 "Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is." — Douglas Adams 

2. "To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known." — Carl Sagan

3. "I'm sure the universe is full of intelligent life. It's just been too intelligent to come here." — Arthur C. Clarke

4. "We want to make sense of what we see around us and to ask: What is the nature of the universe? What is our place in it and where did it and we come from? Why is it the way it is?" — Stephen Hawking, 'A Brief History of Time'

5. "I find it extremely unlikely we are alone." - Donald Pettit

6. "The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science." — Albert Einstein

7. "Astronomy's much more fun when you're not an astronomer." — Brian May

8. "Science can lift people out of poverty and cure disease. That's why we advocate for it. That's why we celebrate it. That's why kids should grow up wanting to be scientists." — Bill Nye

9. "We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time." — T.S. Eliot

10. "If people sat outside and looked at the stars each night, I'll bet they'd live a lot differently." — Bill Watterson

11. "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." — Lao Tzu

12. "Space, the final frontier." — Star Trek (1989)

13. "I saw the world from the stars' point of view, and it looked unbearably lonely." ― Shaun David Hutchinson

14. "The sight of the stars always makes me dream." — Vincent van Gogh

15. "We are confined in our lives only by the limits of our own beliefs." — Joe Dispenza, 'Becoming Supernatural'

Human connection to the universe

1. 46 "We are made of star stuff." — Carl Saga 

2. "In space, no one can hear you scream." — Alien (1979) 

3. "We can lick gravity, but sometimes the paperwork is overwhelming." - Wernher von Braun

4. "It becomes difficult to think or feel in any new ways when you are addicted to your outer world." — Joe Dispenza, 'Becoming Supernatural'

5. "Everybody has a little bit of the sun and moon in them." — Suzy Kassem

6. "Earth is the cradle of humanity, but one cannot live in a cradle forever." — Konstantin Tsiolkovsky

7. "The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction." — Rachel Carson

8. "We are part of this universe, we are in this universe, but perhaps more important than both of those facts is that the universe is in us." — Neil deGrasse Tyson 

9. "Science and technology revolutionize our lives, but memory, tradition, and myth frame our response." — Arthur Schlesinger

10. "The stars are the land-marks of the universe." — Sir John Frederick William Herschel

11. "There's a big, wonderful world out there for you. It belongs to you. It's exciting and stimulating and rewarding. Don't cheat yourselves out of this promise." — Nancy Reagan

12. "Without pain, without sacrifice we would have nothing. Like the first monkey shot into space." ― Chuck Palahniuk

13. "Emptiness which is conceptually liable to be mistaken for sheer nothingness is in fact the reservoir of infinite possibilities." ― Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki

14. "The loser must exile himself and his army to deep space for eternity." ― The Transformers (1984)

15. "There was virtually no aspect of twentieth-century defense technology that had not been touched by the hands and minds of female mathematicians." — Margot Lee Shetterly

Learn who stood behind NASA's space programs in the full summary of Margot Lee's 'Hidden Figures' on the Headway app.

The future of space travel

1. 61 "I'd like to die on Mars. Just not on impact." ― Ashlee Vance, 'Elon Musk'

2. "I shall remain on Mars and read a book." ― Ray Bradbury 

3. "Space travel is life." John F. Kennedy

4. "If time travel is possible, where are the tourists from the future?" — Stephen Hawking, 'A Brief History of Time'

5. "Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so." ― Douglas Adams

6. "Mankind's next step will be our greatest." — Interstellar (2014) 

7. "When the image is new, the world is new." ― Gaston Bachelard

8. "In the space between chaos and shape there was another chance." ― Jeanette Winterson, 

9. "It's funny. When we were alive we spent much of our time staring up at the cosmos and wondering what was out there." ― Jon Stewart

10. "The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today." ― Franklin D. Roosevelt

11. "The universe is made of stories, not of atoms." ― Muriel Rukeyser

12. "The more we explore, the more we realize how much more there is to explore." ― Anousheh Ansari

13. "The best thing about space is how much you have." ― Tim Peake

14. "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." ― Oscar Wilde

15. "The men existed all alone out their in the void of space, connected so tenuously to Earth, with the real possibility that something could go wrong." — Margot Lee Shetterly, 'Hidden Figures'

The Big Bang and beyond

1. 76 "Astronomy compels the soul to look upwards and leads us from this world to another." — Plato

2. "We are an impossibility in an impossible universe." — Ray Bradbury

3. "We are not yet ready to meet in friendship." — It Came from Outer Space (1953) 

4. "The sky is the limit. You never have the same experience twice." — Frank McCandless

5. "The only thing that makes sense to do is strive for greater collective enlightenment." ― Ashlee Vance, 'Elon Musk'

6. "The moon is a loyal companion. It never leaves. It's always there, watching, steadfast, knowing us in our light and dark moments, changing forever just as we do. Every day it's a different version of itself." ― Tahereh Mafi

7. "The same energy that swings planets around stars makes electrons dance in your heart. It is in you, outside you, you are it. It is beautiful. Trust in this." ― Kamal Ravikant

8. "I could write my name across the sky, and it would be in invisible ink." ― Shaun David Hutchinson

9. "Space and silence are two aspects of the same thing. The same no-thing. They are externalization of inner space and inner silence, which is stillness: the infinitely creative womb of all existence." ― Eckhart Tolle, 'The Power of Now'

10. "The stars up there at night are closer than you think." ― Doug Dillon

11. "Earth is a small town with many neighborhoods in a very big universe." ― Ron Garan

12. "Stars, everywhere. So many stars that I could not for the life of me understand how the sky could contain them all yet be so black." ― Peter Watts

13. "Of course there are worlds. Millions of them! Every star you see has worlds, and most of those you don't see." ― Isaac Asimov

14. "There are endings. There are beginnings. Sometimes they coincide, with the ending of one thing marking the beginning of another." ― Robin Hobb

15. "As fantastical as America's space ambitions might have seemed, sending a man into space was starting to feel like a straightforward task compared to putting black and white students together in the same Virginia classrooms." — Margot Lee Shetterly, 'Hidden Figures'

Learn more about space with Headway book summaries

Space quotes by Stephen Hawking and Margot Lee Shetterly, among others, help us understand the universe and our place in it. Their words encourage us to grow, learn new things, and keep trying to reach our goals.

Headway's book summaries offer a wealth of knowledge from bestselling books for anyone looking to explore these and other themes further. They'll help you gain confidence, boost motivation, and even overcome turbulence anxiety.

Download the Headway app today and get your self-learning toolkit for everyday growth, one summary at a time.