--- title: "10 Than Quotes By Martin Rees" description: "10 Than quotes by Martin Rees. Plus more from Martin Rees and more Than sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0db/martin-rees-3002_ecosystem_space-and-time-may-have-a-structure-as-i_1080484.jpg" --- > [Space and time may have a structure as intricate as the fauna of a rich ecosystem, but on a scale far larger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/space-and-time-may-have-a-structure-as-intricate-as-the-fauna-of-a/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0db/martin-rees-3002_ecosystem_space-and-time-may-have-a-structure-as-i_1080484.jpg) > [Given the scale of issues like global warming and epidemic disease, we shouldn't underestimate the importance of a can-do attitude to science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/given-the-scale-of-issues-like-global-warming-and-epidemic-disease-we/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b4/martin-rees-3002_attitude_given-the-scale-of-issues-like-global-wa_1774191.jpg) > [It's often better to read first-rate science fiction than second-rate science - it's far more stimulating, and perhaps no more likely to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/it-s-often-better-to-read-first-rate-science-fiction-than-second-rate/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98f/martin-rees-3002_better_it-s-often-better-to-read-first-rate-sci_830574.jpg) > [The Swedish engineer who invented the zip fastener made a greater intellectual leap than many scientists do in a lifetime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/the-swedish-engineer-who-invented-the-zip-fastener-made-a-greater/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/734/martin-rees-3002_engineer_the-swedish-engineer-who-invented-the-zi_1221791.jpg) > [The scientists who attack mainstream religion, rather than striving for peaceful coexistence with it, damage science, and also weaken the fight against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/the-scientists-who-attack-mainstream-religion-rather-than-striving/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8f/martin-rees-3002_against_the-scientists-who-attack-mainstream-rel_2703739.jpg) > [Stars that become supernovae start off at least eight times heavier than our sun. They're so short-lived that, even if they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/stars-that-become-supernovae-start-off-at-least-eight-times-heavier/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4de/martin-rees-3002_astronomy_stars-that-become-supernovae-start-off-a_3006156.jpg) > [The Cern laboratory in Geneva was set up in 1955 to bring together European scientists who wished to pursue research into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/the-cern-laboratory-in-geneva-was-set-up-in-1955-to-bring-together/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87c/martin-rees-3002_because_the-cern-laboratory-in-geneva-was-set-up_1481750.jpg) > [Ironically, it is only when disaster strikes that the shuttle makes the headlines. Its routine flights attracted less media interest than unmanned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/ironically-it-is-only-when-disaster-strikes-that-the-shuttle-makes/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee0/martin-rees-3002_attracted_ironically-it-is-only-when-disaster-stri_2286997.jpg) > [Most theorists suspect that space has an intricate structure - that it is 'grainy' - but that this structure is on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/most-theorists-suspect-that-space-has-an-intricate-structure-that-it/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d71/martin-rees-3002_above_most-theorists-suspect-that-space-has-an_876292.jpg) > [Perhaps future space probes will be plastered in commercial logos, just as Formula One cars are now. Perhaps Robot Wars in space…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/perhaps-future-space-probes-will-be-plastered-in-commercial-logos/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb4/martin-rees-3002_back_perhaps-future-space-probes-will-be-plas_793409.jpg) ## Other authors on Than ## More by Martin Rees > [A monkey is unaware that atoms exist. Likewise, our brainpower may not stretch to the deepest aspects of reality. The bedrock nature of space…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/a-monkey-is-unaware-that-atoms-exist-likewise-our-brainpower-may-not/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [When scientists are asked what they are working on, their response is seldom 'Finding the origin of the universe' or 'Seeking to cure cancer.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/when-scientists-are-asked-what-they-are-working-on-their-response-is/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [The advance of science spares us from irrational dread.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/the-advance-of-science-spares-us-from-irrational-dread/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [“The Sun contains about a thousand times more mass than Jupiter. If it were cold, gravity would squeeze it a million times denser than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/the-sun-contains-about-a-thousand-times-more-mass-than-jupiter-if-it/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [“We, and the visible universe around us, may exist only because of a difference in the ninth decimal place between the numbers of quarks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/we-and-the-visible-universe-around-us-may-exist-only-because-of-a/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [Crucial to science education is hands-on involvement: showing, not just telling; real experiments and field trips and not just 'virtual reality.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/crucial-to-science-education-is-hands-on-involvement-showing-not-just/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [I have no religious belief myself, but I don't think we should fight about it. In particular, I think that we should not rubbish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/i-have-no-religious-belief-myself-but-i-don-t-think-we-should-fight/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [“More energy is needed to rise a millimetre above a neutron star's surface than to break completely free of Earth's gravity. A pen dropped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/more-energy-is-needed-to-rise-a-millimetre-above-a-neutron-star-s/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [The next humans to walk on the moon may be Chinese. Only China seems to have the resources, the dirigiste government, and the willingness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/the-next-humans-to-walk-on-the-moon-may-be-chinese-only-china-seems/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [If we ever established contact with intelligent life on another world, there would be barriers to communication. First, they would be many light years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/if-we-ever-established-contact-with-intelligent-life-on-another-world/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [There is an ever-widening gap between what science allows and what we should actually do. There are many doors science can open that should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/there-is-an-ever-widening-gap-between-what-science-allows-and-what-we/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [An insect is more complex than a star..and is a far greater challenge to understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/an-insect-is-more-complex-than-a-star-and-is-a-far-greater-challenge/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [The physicist is like someone who's watching people playing chess and, after watching a few games, he may have worked out what the moves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/the-physicist-is-like-someone-who-s-watching-people-playing-chess-and/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [We are 'nuclear waste' from the fuel that makes stars shine; indeed, each of us contains atoms whose provenance can be traced back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/we-are-nuclear-waste-from-the-fuel-that-makes-stars-shine-indeed-each/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [Just as there are many Jews who keep the Friday ritual in their home despite describing themselves as atheists, I am a 'tribal Christian,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/just-as-there-are-many-jews-who-keep-the-friday-ritual-in-their-home/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/than/martin-rees/#itemlist", "name": "10 Than Quotes By Martin Rees", "numberOfItems": 10, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Space and time may have a structure as intricate as the fauna of a rich ecosystem, but on a scale far larger than the horizon of our observations.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Martin Rees" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/space-and-time-may-have-a-structure-as-intricate-as-the-fauna-of-a/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0db/martin-rees-3002_ecosystem_space-and-time-may-have-a-structure-as-i_1080484.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0db/martin-rees-3002_ecosystem_space-and-time-may-have-a-structure-as-i_1080484.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0db/martin-rees-3002_ecosystem_space-and-time-may-have-a-structure-as-i_1080484.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Space and time may have a structure as intricate as the fauna of a rich ecosystem, but on a scale far larger…” — Martin Rees", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Given the scale of issues like global warming and epidemic disease, we shouldn't underestimate the importance of a can-do attitude to science rather than a can't-afford-it attitude.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Martin Rees" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/given-the-scale-of-issues-like-global-warming-and-epidemic-disease-we/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b4/martin-rees-3002_attitude_given-the-scale-of-issues-like-global-wa_1774191.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b4/martin-rees-3002_attitude_given-the-scale-of-issues-like-global-wa_1774191.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b4/martin-rees-3002_attitude_given-the-scale-of-issues-like-global-wa_1774191.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Given the scale of issues like global warming and epidemic disease, we shouldn't underestimate the…” — Martin Rees", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's often better to read first-rate science fiction than second-rate science - 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They're so short-lived that, even if they have planets, there is unlikely to be time for life to get started. The surface is 40,000C and, as a result, the colouring will be extremely blue.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Martin Rees" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/stars-that-become-supernovae-start-off-at-least-eight-times-heavier/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4de/martin-rees-3002_astronomy_stars-that-become-supernovae-start-off-a_3006156.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4de/martin-rees-3002_astronomy_stars-that-become-supernovae-start-off-a_3006156.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4de/martin-rees-3002_astronomy_stars-that-become-supernovae-start-off-a_3006156.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Stars that become supernovae start off at least eight times heavier than our sun. 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Physicists then had greater clout than other scientists because the memory of their role in the Second World War was fresh in people's minds.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Martin Rees" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/the-cern-laboratory-in-geneva-was-set-up-in-1955-to-bring-together/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87c/martin-rees-3002_because_the-cern-laboratory-in-geneva-was-set-up_1481750.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87c/martin-rees-3002_because_the-cern-laboratory-in-geneva-was-set-up_1481750.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87c/martin-rees-3002_because_the-cern-laboratory-in-geneva-was-set-up_1481750.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The Cern laboratory in Geneva was set up in 1955 to bring together European scientists who wished to pursue…” — Martin Rees", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 8, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Ironically, it is only when disaster strikes that the shuttle makes the headlines. Its routine flights attracted less media interest than unmanned probes to the planets or the images from the Hubble Telescope. The fate of Columbia (like that of Challenger in 1986) reminded us that space is still a hazardous environment.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Martin Rees" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/ironically-it-is-only-when-disaster-strikes-that-the-shuttle-makes/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee0/martin-rees-3002_attracted_ironically-it-is-only-when-disaster-stri_2286997.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee0/martin-rees-3002_attracted_ironically-it-is-only-when-disaster-stri_2286997.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee0/martin-rees-3002_attracted_ironically-it-is-only-when-disaster-stri_2286997.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Ironically, it is only when disaster strikes that the shuttle makes the headlines. Its routine flights…” — Martin Rees", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 9, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Most theorists suspect that space has an intricate structure - that it is 'grainy' - but that this structure is on a much finer scale than any known subatomic particle. The structure could be of an exotic kind: extra dimensions, over and above the three that we are used to (up and down, backward and forward, left and right).", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Martin Rees" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/most-theorists-suspect-that-space-has-an-intricate-structure-that-it/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d71/martin-rees-3002_above_most-theorists-suspect-that-space-has-an_876292.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d71/martin-rees-3002_above_most-theorists-suspect-that-space-has-an_876292.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d71/martin-rees-3002_above_most-theorists-suspect-that-space-has-an_876292.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Most theorists suspect that space has an intricate structure - that it is 'grainy' - but that this structure…” — Martin Rees", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 10, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Perhaps future space probes will be plastered in commercial logos, just as Formula One cars are now. Perhaps Robot Wars in space will be a lucrative spectator sport. If humans venture back to the moon, and even beyond, they may carry commercial insignia rather than national flags.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Martin Rees" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/perhaps-future-space-probes-will-be-plastered-in-commercial-logos/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb4/martin-rees-3002_back_perhaps-future-space-probes-will-be-plas_793409.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb4/martin-rees-3002_back_perhaps-future-space-probes-will-be-plas_793409.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb4/martin-rees-3002_back_perhaps-future-space-probes-will-be-plas_793409.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Perhaps future space probes will be plastered in commercial logos, just as Formula One cars are now. 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