--- title: "4 Astronaut Quotes By John L. Phillips" description: "4 Astronaut quotes by John L. Phillips. Plus more from John L. Phillips and more Astronaut sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b55/john-l-phillips-29030_astronaut_it-took-me-a-long-time-to-get-selected-a_485853.png" --- > [It took me a long time to get selected as an astronaut. In fact, I applied for 20 years before I was selected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-l-phillips/it-took-me-a-long-time-to-get-selected-as-an-astronaut-in-fact-i/) [John L. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-l-phillips/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b55/john-l-phillips-29030_astronaut_it-took-me-a-long-time-to-get-selected-a_485853.png) > [It so happened that my goals kind of matched my career progression toward becoming an astronaut.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-l-phillips/it-so-happened-that-my-goals-kind-of-matched-my-career-progression/) [John L. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-l-phillips/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6be/john-l-phillips-29030_astronaut_it-so-happened-that-my-goals-kind-of-mat_1587550.png) > [I never made a career decision based solely on my desire to be an astronaut. I attended the Naval Academy because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-l-phillips/i-never-made-a-career-decision-based-solely-on-my-desire-to-be-an/) [John L. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-l-phillips/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a3/john-l-phillips-29030_academy_i-never-made-a-career-decision-based-sol_2533371.png) > [There weren't any astronauts until I was about 10. Yuri Gagarin went into space right around my 10th birthday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-l-phillips/there-weren-t-any-astronauts-until-i-was-about-10-yuri-gagarin-went/) [John L. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-l-phillips/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/995/john-l-phillips-29030_astronaut_there-weren-t-any-astronauts-until-i-was_2798475.png) ## Other authors on Astronaut - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b006/author-chris-hadfield-23473.jpg) Chris Hadfield 19 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronaut/chris-hadfield/) - [Leroy Chiao 18 quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronaut/leroy-chiao/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b021/author-sally-ride-82413.jpg) Sally Ride 12 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronaut/sally-ride/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b017/author-michael-j-massimino-67182.jpg) Michael J. Massimino 11 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronaut/michael-j-massimino/) - [Anne McClain 9 quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronaut/anne-mcclain/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b006/author-buzz-aldrin-20404.jpg) Buzz Aldrin 8 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronaut/buzz-aldrin/) - [Shannon Walker 7 quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronaut/shannon-walker/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b017/author-mark-haddon-64185.jpg) Mark Haddon 6 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronaut/mark-haddon/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b014/author-julie-payette-54368.jpg) Julie Payette 6 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronaut/julie-payette/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b016/author-mae-jemison-62578.jpg) Mae Jemison 5 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronaut/mae-jemison/) - [John M. Grunsfeld 5 quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronaut/john-m-grunsfeld/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b008/author-edgar-mitchell-31467.jpg) Edgar Mitchell 5 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronaut/edgar-mitchell/) ## More by John L. Phillips > [Small samples in the centrifuge will spin at varying rates to create synthetic gravity, like the gravity of Mars or the gravity of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-l-phillips/small-samples-in-the-centrifuge-will-spin-at-varying-rates-to-create/) [John L. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-l-phillips/) > [Every day, we get a little bit closer to the kind of expertise and the kind of experience we're going to need to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-l-phillips/every-day-we-get-a-little-bit-closer-to-the-kind-of-expertise-and-the/) [John L. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-l-phillips/) > [It took me a long time to get selected as an astronaut. In fact, I applied for 20 years before I was selected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-l-phillips/it-took-me-a-long-time-to-get-selected-as-an-astronaut-in-fact-i/) [John L. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-l-phillips/) > [Since the Columbia accident, the Russian space agency, or the Russian space program, has been literally carrying the load bringing us all the supplies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-l-phillips/since-the-columbia-accident-the-russian-space-agency-or-the-russian/) [John L. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-l-phillips/) > [I think it's going to be a very important, unique data set in terms of measuring the behavior of your lower body in space…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-l-phillips/i-think-it-s-going-to-be-a-very-important-unique-data-set-in-terms-of/) [John L. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-l-phillips/) > [My dad served in two wars has been flying airplanes for 60 years now. He was certainly quite an inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-l-phillips/my-dad-served-in-two-wars-has-been-flying-airplanes-for-60-years-now/) [John L. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-l-phillips/) > [If I wasn't doing this kind of exploration, I'd like to be doing some other kind of exploration. It might be more risky, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-l-phillips/if-i-wasn-t-doing-this-kind-of-exploration-i-d-like-to-be-doing-some/) [John L. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-l-phillips/) > [The Space Shuttle will stop directly below the Space Station and Sergei and I will be looking out two different windows looking straight down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-l-phillips/the-space-shuttle-will-stop-directly-below-the-space-station-and/) [John L. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-l-phillips/) > [It so happened that my goals kind of matched my career progression toward becoming an astronaut.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-l-phillips/it-so-happened-that-my-goals-kind-of-matched-my-career-progression/) [John L. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-l-phillips/) > [A civilization that only looks inward will stagnate. We have to keep looking outward; we have to keep finding new avenues for human endeavor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-l-phillips/a-civilization-that-only-looks-inward-will-stagnate-we-have-to-keep/) [John L. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-l-phillips/) > [We would like to carry out 100 percent, or maybe more, of our scientific program; I would like to devote some of my spare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-l-phillips/we-would-like-to-carry-out-100-percent-or-maybe-more-of-our/) [John L. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-l-phillips/) > [I never made a career decision based solely on my desire to be an astronaut. I attended the Naval Academy because I wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-l-phillips/i-never-made-a-career-decision-based-solely-on-my-desire-to-be-an/) [John L. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-l-phillips/) > [Researchers can measure what kind of angles your legs take up during the day when they're just trailing around behind you in weightless conditions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-l-phillips/researchers-can-measure-what-kind-of-angles-your-legs-take-up-during/) [John L. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-l-phillips/) > [There weren't any astronauts until I was about 10. Yuri Gagarin went into space right around my 10th birthday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-l-phillips/there-weren-t-any-astronauts-until-i-was-about-10-yuri-gagarin-went/) [John L. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-l-phillips/) > [We're going to be focusing our science on things that will take us farther and longer into space. For many of those experiments, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-l-phillips/we-re-going-to-be-focusing-our-science-on-things-that-will-take-us/) [John L. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-l-phillips/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronaut/john-l-phillips/#itemlist", "name": "4 Astronaut Quotes By John L. Phillips", "numberOfItems": 4, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It took me a long time to get selected as an astronaut. In fact, I applied for 20 years before I was selected.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John L. 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